Cold, wet weather doesn't deter Dallas Marathon runners

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Cold rain blanketed North Texas Saturday, but didn't stop diehard marathon runners.

Rain or shine, thousands of people knew they would be running in the BMW Dallas Marathon no matter what.

When it came to preparing for the first day of the two-day event, many runners got creative.

"Oh my god, this weather is nuts. I have my handy dandy hand warmers, fleece lined tights, a fleece hat. so I'm ready to go I think and run this race," said Sameer Paroo.

“I have about three layers of jackets, undersleeves, my little hate, my little things for my ears and then I have a couple of layers of socks,” said Diana Chavez.

The 48th annual Dallas Marathon kicked off Saturday morning in Downtown, with the start and finish line by city hall.

It consisted of four events, a 10K, 5K, 2-mile walk and kids race.

5,000 people had signed up but due to the weather, only about half that amount showed up. Many of them, like Ernie Arnold, say they had a special reason.

“I became an amputee thanksgiving of 2015, right below knee amputation, and I've been doing things to overcome my fears," he said.

"I turn 40 in February and I had a goal this year to do at least one 5k a month, this is my eleventh 5k. I have one more left before I turn 40 so it's all about accountability for me,” said Paroo.

“Our daughter got us started into this and so she ran last week in Chicago in freezing rain so that was kind of a challenge to us," said Sharon and Patrick Jameson.

Throughout the morning, people found covered areas to wait under to stay dry. As for the colder temps, running coach Lea Genders tells FOX 4 it’s actually pretty ideal for running.

"As you start running you're going to warm up quite a bit... a mistake runners make is that they overdress so even though it's cold, we want to dress maybe as it's 15 degrees warmer than it is because maybe a half mile to a mile in you're going to get pretty warm."

Although the marathon weekend is a go this year, back in 2013 organizers were forced to cancel it for the first time due to weather. Hazardous ice on the course made for dangerous conditions. It was definitely not safe for walking, much less running.

This year, soggy conditions did not put a damper on things. It made for a challenging experience, especially for the kids.

"I'm actually excited because it teaches them, there's going to be adversities. Some you can prepare for, some you can't, but at the end of the day you have to stay focused on your finish line and get there by any means,” said triathlete Baylor Barbee.

Racing continues Sunday morning with the half-marathon and ultra-marathon, which is a 50K run. 16,000 people have signed up to compete. The weather will be chilly but is expected to be dry.