Runners pick up packets ahead of Austin Marathon

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of runners stopped by the Palmer Event Center on Friday to get their packets and numbers.

Some of these runners came from afar, each with their own reasons to run.

Jonah Raiford, a runner who traveled to Austin from Colorado, has trained hard for the Marathon.

"I enjoy running and I have been running 5 days out of the week to train for this marathon," Raiford said. "I am a little bit nervous and excited because this is a new challenge and I love to do something different and I feel like this is a good opportunity."

He has a visual impairment that only allows him to see very close objects, but his mother Teresa said that he doesn't let it stop him.

"I have been watching him run my entire life. He has always been 100 percent all in for whatever he chooses," Teresa said. "It is a little bit of a challenge especially when you can't see everything on the road."

"Persevere and keep going and you can do it," Raiford said.