Under rainy skies Sunday morning, the groom had just enough time to kiss the bride before they swapped their tuxedo and creme-colored gown for shorts and running shoes.
The 10th Los Angeles Marathon, they deemed, was the perfect place to get married.Among a sea of umbrellas held up by friends and relatives, Rosa Lia and David Descargar exchanged vows next to the Los Angeles Sports Arena near the start of the race. Ten minutes later, they were husband and wife, and with no time to spare they began plotting their strategy for the race.
"I'm excited but a little bit nervous," the bride said of her first marathon run.
Descargar, who has run several marathons, promised his wife of five minutes he would run alongside her.
"It will be one of many sacrifices that I will have to make," he said, laughing.
The Descargars weren't the only ones using the marathon for nuptials. Jill Hickey and Gary Brigandi tied the knot on the 10-mile mark.
But for the more than 19,000 runners, many just hoped to finish the 26.2-mile course marked by such landmarks as the University of Southern California, City Hall, Little Tokyo and Chinatown.
For Dick Rhodes, 65, the marathon would be his first. With the streets slick from the rain, he said he would "go real slow."
While he ran, his 49-year-old wife Kathy racewalked the course. She said she hoped to finish in 5 hours, 15 minutes but thought that was pushing it.
"After today, I may never make it to 50," she said.
Aside from the main marathon and the racewalking event, participants competed in a 26.2-mile wheelchair race, a 5K run and a non-competetive 26.2-mile cycling event.
Even Mayor Richard Riordan took part, straddling his bicycle for the Bike Tour.
After the race, former Mayor Tom Bradley couldn't help but joke with Riordan about the downpour.
"I want to remind everyone when I was mayor, there was never any rain during a marathon," he said smiling.
For many runners, charities were the incentive to work up a sweat.
The nine-member Playboy Running Team, all former centerfolds for Playboy magazine, planned to run the 5K race, about 3.1 miles, to raise money for the Dream Street Foundation, which helps terminally ill children attend summer camp.
The main race, which began at 8:40 a.m., was over for a few in a little more than two hours.
Winning his first major marathon, Rolando Vera of Ecuador, overtook American Bob Kempainen after 22 miles and went on to win in two hours, 11 minutes, 39 seconds.
Nadia Prasad, a 27-year-old mother of two representing the small French territory of New Caledonia, led all the way in winning the women's title in a personal best 2:29:50.