MIAMI – There was an electric atmosphere at the finish line of the Miami Marathon on Sunday morning.
It was quite the scene as all of the runners completing their journey, either the 13.1 mile half-marathon or the grueling 26.2 mile full marathon, crossed the line.
The winner of the full marathon finished with a time of two hours and 18 minutes.
More than 18,000 runners all left the starting line just after 6 a.m.
Runners came to Miami to participate from all over the globe, with more than 70 countries represented, along with all 50 states.
Among the runners was a large group of first responders, which included officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department. They were running to honor their fallen colleague, Caesar ‘Echy’ Echaverry, who was killed in the line of duty last year.
Also taking part were several members of the Miami Fire Department. They were honoring fellow firefighter Danny Alvarez, who took his own life in 2014 after struggling with PTSD.
His former colleagues have been taking part in the marathon ever since as a way to not only honor his life, but also raise awareness about post-traumatic stress.