For the first time in history, a married couple has taken home double wins at the 47th Detroit Free Press Marathon. Michigan’s Andrew Bowman and his wife Sydney Devore won their respective marathon races on Sunday (both by more than three minutes), taking on the 42.2K course that begins and ends in Detroit, looping across the border through Windsor, Ont. Sadly, a runner also died on the course on Sunday.
Bowman completed the event in 2:17:47, just 25 minutes ahead of Devore, who ran 2:42:46. Media from the event show the couple embracing after Devore crossed the finish line.
Bowman, 30, is the head coach of cross-country at Rochester Christian University. Detroit marks his second marathon win; he won the Pittsburgh Marathon in May in 2:15:52. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials for the first time this year.
Devore, 33, quit her job as a teacher in 2017 to pursue a career as a professional runner. In her marathon debut, Devore won the 2018 Pittsburgh Marathon in 2:32:38, as well as the 2022 Glass City Marathon. She was the third American to finish at the 2023 New York City Marathon, where she clocked 2:36:01. She is a two-time U.S. Olympic trials qualifier (2020 and 2024).
The couple was married in 2023 and now resides in Ferndale, Mich.
Marathon runner collapses and dies at 57
The Detroit Marathon also saw devastation when a 57-year-old male runner died while running along the Windsor stretch of the course. The runner collapsed just 8 km into the race and was transported to the Windsor Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to local news. His name and hometown had not been reported at the time of publication.
The incident was reportedly among eight medical emergencies requiring transport to hospital on Sunday, the main causes being low blood pressure, dehydration and exhaustion, which are commonly seen during marathon events, especially in warm weather.
Full results from the event can be found here.
