Sunday's 29th Long Beach International City Bank Marathon and half-marathon were as much for casual runners Bill Gearhart and Leo Ike as for Frank Corrigan, who won the full marathon, or half-marathon winner Sean Gildea.

The races were as much about the personal stories of Josette Salas and Christina Serrano as they were about the women's marathon winner Hilary Corno.

Under partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures, about 20,000 runners, cyclists and wheelchair athletes hit the streets of Long Beach, the earliest leaving the start line in predawn shortly before 6 a.m.

For racers like Corrigan, Gildea and Corno, it was about winning. For most of the rest, the reward was in being there. The reasons and stories were as different as the faces. But at the end of the day, whether running 26.2 miles, 13.1 or five kilometers, whether pushing wheelchairs or pedaling bicycles, all were members of the same fraternity.