RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Runners across the Triangle came out for the annual City of Oaks Marathon on Sunday. More than 6,000 people competed across the 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon races.

The race began in the Glenwood South neighborhood, and then runners followed a route that took them across Raleigh, while supporters cheered them on. The competitors then finished where they started — to celebrate the day.

Some raced alone, but many runners treated the event as a team sport. Brother and sister duo Roni Jones and Rodney Prince crossed the finish line hand-in-hand.

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“He is my rock. Seriously, my rock. Just the fact that he wants to do this. This is 13 miles. You want to run 13 miles? He’s not a runner really, but he’ll do this just for me,” said Jones.

Michael Harris took home the gold medal in the men’s division for the marathon with a time of 2:43:45, while Jessica Barkley took home the gold medal for women with a time of 3:01:29.9

“This is the first marathon that I’ve ever won. I actually raced this race as my first marathon ever in 2019. Then, I ran it in 4 hours and 9 seconds, so I’ve shaved off like an hour and 17 minutes in the last 4 years,” said Harris.