While observing the finish area of last Sunday's marathon I had a chance to interview runners, spectators and volunteers. From their perspective I've tried to capture the essence of what the marathon is all about.

One consistent thread from this experience was witnessing a genuine sense of camaraderie from what was being accomplished both as runners and the community of Detroit.

Jane Knoplic, 22 and Amy Nadolski, 21 both MSU students, have been best friends since Kindergarten. They, along with Amy's father Dave, ran together the whole way. Each loved the serenity of Belle Isle and couldn't wait to cross off the marathon from their checklist as one of the best things in life that they could do together. They found the Vaseline sticks to be very helpful in completing the distance. It was quite a moving experience to see the two of them embrace in tears after they received their medals.

Tom Madine, 52, Westerville, Ohio, owner of TSC Graphics has been taking photos of Free Press Marathon finishers for the past 21 years. "A bright cloudy day is the perfect condition for taking pictures and we got that today." Tom finds Detroit one of the friendliest places to work. He does finish line photos for five other marathons including New York City. He often receives requests from relatives of marathoners wanting copies of photos from many years past because it represents one of their favorite memories.

Sandy Bednarek, 43, Clinton Township, has been handing out medals for 23 years. She says that congratulating runners with a medal at the finish line is one of the most emotional spots to be during the marathon. Her husband has run all but one of the last 24 Detroit marathons and plans to accompany him this week at the Venice Marathon.

Quentin Docks, 28, Canton, MI, grew up in Detroit and attended Lutheran High East. His goal was to conquer something that he wasn't good at. Training for the marathon gave him a respect for long distance running. He said he was taken aback by all the support on the course. He loved being a "greenie" and getting extra encouragement which included his mother who was out on the course supporting him.

Cary Cox, 37, Toledo, OH, completed his 14^th marathon and third Detroit. Despite the wind coming out of the West he still qualified for Boston. Completing the race was a confidence builder after dropping out of Columbus last year. He liked seeing all the flags on the course and getting help from his dad Lloyd who became a runner after watching him compete.

Mark Bauman, 51, Flushing, has completed all 24 Free Press Marathons and a few Motor City Marathons as well. Like many other runners this year, he loved running on Belle Isle early in the race. He appreciated the way the water stops were located in between the mile makers. Mark would like to see more runners from the area support the marathon and believes that if more people knew how well it was organized participation would swell to over 5,000.

Fr. Mark Keely, 46, Lathrup Village, pastor at Fort Street Presbyterian Church, found the marathon organization very helpful in preventing parishioners from having an excuse not to attend Church on Sunday. He views marathoning as a celebration of life and loves the positive image it creates for the city of Detroit.

Bert Lopez, Ann Arbor massage therapist with the Health Enrichment Center. He coordinated the 60 therapists on hand to help runners after the race. He has worked at more than 600 marathons and gets a big adrenalin rush every time he gets involved. Dehydration, hypothermia and hamstring cramping are the top three problems he observes. Bert is proud of the support he gets from therapists that come from as far away as Traverse City.

Matt Smith, 27, Holland, MI ran his first Detroit after completing six other marathons. He finished 8^th overall. Despite being slowed by the wind over the last few miles he was happy with his performance and credits the relay runners for helping push him when he needed it the most. He gives thanks to the Gazelle Sports training program for encouraging him to run Detroit. Matt is now confident that he may have a shot at qualifying for the next Olympic Trials.

Rick Hall, 38, Blenhien, Ontario, spectator and supporter. A golfer himself, he was at various locations on the course with friends supporting his wife Beth. "Awesome, exciting" was how he described the event. He thought the wheelers were impressive and noticed the Americans spectators got really pumped up when runners passed wearing flag outfits. "The police not only did a great job keeping the runners safe on the course but also were friendly and supportive of the event." He found the marathon inspiring and would like to get back into running, after he quits smoking.

Maggie Zidar, 51, Pontiac, Mi, loved the all Detroit marathon. She thought the new additions, such as Indian Village and Greektown, gave the race personality and a unique atmosphere. Maggie has run a dozen 26.2 milers in Detroit and has won her division 4 times including this year. Six kidney stone operations since April hasn't slowed her up. This was her sixth marathon this year. According to her, "the race organizers are magicians for being able to create a great course and rearrange the aid stations in such a short amount of time."

Tip of the Week: Completing the marathon gives you a great sense of accomplishment. Now you can use what you learned to conquer other things in life that at one time seemed impossible.