Runners Brave The Cold At The Ocala Marathon

Many finishers were first-time marathoners and half marathoners.

Over 600 runners of all shapes and sizes braved the unusually cold temperatures to take part in the Ocala Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday. One such runner was Rob Prather who had gained 30 pounds after he broke his leg in an automobile accident two years ago. Prather decided to run the 13.1-mile half marathon and finished in 2:04.

“The accident inspired me to be more active,” he said afterwards. “Now I love it. I love running. It took me eight, nine months to even walk better again after the accident. Now I did this.”

Another runner pounding the cold pavement was Josalyn Villnave. Nine months ago, she exited a 99-day rehab program for alcohol abuse. Up to that point, she had never run before. “I hated running before this,” she admitted. “Now I don’t know what I’d do without it [running],” she said. “I’ll start training again in a couple of days. I’m going for a full marathon next year.”

For More: Ocala.com