Thousands Take Part In Life Time Miami Marathon
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Thousand of thousands of runners took to the streets for the Life Time Miami marathon.
"Sold out crowd of 25 thousand participants," said General Manager and Race Director Javier Sanchez.
"I'm so excited. This is my fourth year in a row for doing it and I love it, it's awesome," said one runner.
"It's really beautiful to do this in Miami, the water is so spectacular, you know you run by the ocean, the sky is gorgeous so it's really ideal," said another runner.
Samuel Kipkosgei Malakwen of Kenya crossed the finish line first, winning the 26.2-mile race in 2 hours 19 minutes 46 seconds and earning a $2,000 prize, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
The runner-up: Kenyan Julius Kirwa Choge, 35, in 2:21:42.
Defending women's champion Mariska Kramer Postma, 39, of The Netherlands, won her second consecutive Miami Marathon in 2:49:28.
Drivers in the downtown Miami area had to navigate a number of road closures.
The event shut down parts of the MacArthur Causeway, Venetian Causeway, North Miami Avenue, South Miami Avenue, South Bayshore Drive and Biscayne Boulevard throughout the day.
Drivers on N Miami Avenue between 15th and Flagler Street also experienced delays.
Miami police officers were on hand to help direct traffic.
The race course began at the American Airlines Arena, heads north and continued through Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, Little Havana, Coconut Grove, and Coral Gables before returning downtown for a finish at Bayfront Park.
