CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thousands braved the cold Saturday morning to run in the annual Novant Health Marathon in uptown Charlotte.
The race kicked off at 7:30 a.m. on Graham Street and ended at BB&T Ballpark on Mint Street.
Will Volkmann crossed the finish line first for the men with a time of 2 hours 30 minutes and 59 seconds. Volkmann is a former college runner at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.
Amanda Morris of Pineville finished first for the women with a time of 2 hours 59 minutes and 19 seconds.
A volunteer at the marathon said it was inspiring to watch the runners get to the finish line.
"Seeing the runners cross the finish line, that is the best thing," she said. "Sometimes you'll see some that are struggling and collapse -- they will crawl to the finish line because they just want to finish."
More than 6,000 runners took part, including 12 that are visually impaired.