More than 26,000 runners are registered for the Detroit Free Press Marathon in Detroit this weekend.
Many runners will have a compelling story to share. Sergeant Major Kevin Bittenbender served 34 years in the U.S. Army and lost his left leg, below the knee, due to complications to burn pits. He’s dedicating this run for one of his late friends, Peter Way.
“One o’clock, two o’clock in the morning, fighting a personal demon, you can make that phone call at one o’clock, two o’clock in the morning and know that you’re going to have the person that’s going to pick up the phone up on the other end,” Bittenbender said. “Pete was one of those individuals that I could call in the dead of the night when I was having a bad time and he’d answer the phone.”
Bittenbender has run more than a dozen marathons since losing his leg, along side his vet dog Kirby. He says he’s looking forward to spending the weekend in Detroit.
