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Cancer-stricken firefighter receives marathon medal from fellow runner

Firefighter Preston Williams completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 7 hours and 20 minutes, but by the time he got to finish the race, they were out of medals

WJLA

WASHINGTON — Three weeks after completing the Marine Corps Marathon, a D.C. firefighter who is battling prostate cancer has a finishers medal, and he has a generous fellow runner to thank.

Preston Williams completed the Oct. 26 Marine Corps Marathon, his first such race, in 7 hours and 20 minutes, but by the time he got to the finish line, race officials were out of medals.

No worries, though — Williams was assured he’d get one in the mail. However, that didn’t happen, because according to race policy, he was never issued a finishers medal because he didn’t reach a specific point on the course by 12:35 p.m. Those runners, by definition, didn’t finish the course, according to a marathon spokesman.

Full story: Preston Williams receives Marine Corps Marathon medal from fellow finisher