MIAMI — The Life Time Miami Marathon brought tens of thousands of runners from around the world this weekend and each participant had their own unique story to why they ran on Sunday.
Farouk Gomati recovered from Guilin-Barre syndrome, a condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness that can affect most of your body. It happens when your immune system attacks your nervous system.
He spent months in the hospital and he was wheelchair-bound.
“I had to re-learn how to walk, how to speak, how to breathe,” Gomati said.
He ran in the Miami Marathon for the first time, which was his goal after he recovered.
“I was active but never a runner,” Gomati said. “This is a promise I made to myself when I was in a wheelchair.”
The Miami Marathon has stories in every group of the race. They started at 6 a.m. and ran from Bayside Marketplace to South Beach and back to Midtown Miami. Crossing the finish line was an emotional event for many.
Joey Gibbs became paralyzed after a dirt bike accident when he was 11 years old. Seventeen years later, he’s taken up marathons to keep him active.
“I really didn’t know what to expect when I first got hurt,” he said. “One of my high school coaches got me into it and it kind of just went from there.”
Gibbs pushes to break his previous time every year — that reminds him to follow a simple motto.
“Just keep living life,” he said. “That’s all it is.”