New York man wins inaugural Montgomery Marathon

Any time Bryan Morseman feels pain during a marathon, he knows it is not comparable to the battle his young son faces.

Morseman, who won the inaugural Montgomery Marathon on Saturday in an unofficial time of 2:24:40, was greeted at the finish line in the Riverwalk Stadium by his wife, Sarah, his 2-year-old son Alden, and his 8-month-old son, Leeim, who was born with spinabifida. The family traveled from New York for the weekend race, with Morseman earning $2,500 for his win.

Leeim "underwent surgery before he was born to try and fix ... to try and give him a chance to be normal," Morseman said after the race. "He's still too young to really tell whether he will be able to walk. The money I get from the races like this go directly toward the medical bills that we've racked up for surgery. It's kind of like I'm not getting anything from it, but I am. It's going toward something that means to me ... life."

The Montgomery Marathon, presented by Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Baptist Health, the Montgomery MultiSport Half Marathon and the Hyundai Hope on Wheels 5K brought in more than 1,300 runners for all races combined. The Saturday event also included the Publix Mayor's Challenge, which brought in hundreds of children.

For five years, the Montgomery Half Marathon and 5K was held in early October. The 2014 race was canceled to allow time for race organizers, Montgomery MultiSport, to plan for a full Boston-qualifying marathon, in addition to a half marathon, 5K and kids run. The marathon weekend now joins other major marathons in Alabama: First Light Marathon in Mobile, Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham, and Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville.

The Montgomery race this year benefits Montgomery-based EAT South, Child Protect, and the American Red Cross.

Full story in Sunday's Montgomery Advertiser.

Official results soon at www.montgomeryadvertiser.com