Free Press Marathon winner sets speed record in third consecutive win

Andy Bowman of Ferndale, Michigan rewrote the record book at the 49th Annual Detroit Free Press Marathon presented by MSUFCU today, breaking a 46-year-old event record held by running legend Greg Meyer on his way to a third consecutive men’s title. Bowman’s unofficial time of 2:12:11 bettered Meyer’s 2:13:07, set in 1980, by 56 seconds. Meyer, a Grand Rapids native and University of Michigan alumnus, went on to win the 1983 Boston Marathon, and his Detroit mark had stood for nearly half a century. Bowman now owns it, and with today’s win he also becomes only the second athlete in race history to win three straight titles, joining Doug Kurtis, who won six in a row from 1987 to 1992.