4,600 D.C. marathoners run, but not for office

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Janet Adams Laird had participated in many long-distance races with much better finishing times than the one yesterday in the Wirefly National Marathon.

But she couldn't be prouder of her performance.

"I just finished up my last cancer radiation treatment [Friday], so I was on a mission," she said after crossing the finish line. "This wasn't my fastest marathon, but it was my best."

The fledgling 26.2-mile marathon, sponsored by Wirefly cell-phone vendors and now its second year, brought out thousands of participants and spectators from across the region and from as far away as South India.

The hodgepodge field of about 4,600 consisted of serious runners, novices and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty -- all with equally diverse reasons for running.

Mrs. Laird, 62, of Springfield, ran yesterday to raise money for a Southeast charity.

"It's D.C.'s marathon," said Mrs. Laird, who will run a marathon next year to raise money for breast cancer research. "It was great to run through all of Washington, to see Anacostia and parts of the city that many people don't usually see."

Josephus Perry, of Hyattsville, a civilian employee with the University of Maryland police department, had a more conventional motivator -- whipping himself into shape.

However, Mr. Perry, also a veteran of a number of marathons, found himself a bit rusty after a four-year layoff from long-distance running.

"More age, more weight," he said after the race. "Eight weeks ago, I thought I'd break five hours. But during the last couple of miles, I realized that was out of the question.