COEUR d'ALENE - For Jackson and Carson Willingham, the 37th annual Coeur d'Alene Marathon was an opportunity to engage in friendly sibling rivalry.

The brothers from Hayden wore the gray "My Health 5K" athletic shirts as they prepared for Sunday's race, which began and ended at the mid-block between Fourth and Fifth streets on Front Street near McEuen Park.

While they looked forward to competing against one another in the 5K, they also celebrated their mom, who participated in the half-marathon.

"It's impressive," said Carson, 22. "I can't do it."

"Our dad was making sure to tell us to congratulate her on the way. Not that we wouldn't anyways," said Jackson, 17. "It's definitely a big thing."

The Willinghams were among more than 1,600 athletes who competed in the Coeur d'Alene Marathon, half-marathon and 5k run, which took athletes along a route through Sanders Beach neighborhoods, along East Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive to Higgens Point and back. The full marathon, which consisted of two loops, was 26.2 miles.

Runners, joggers, walkers and racers in wheelchairs gathered on Front Street beneath the balmy morning skies, each with a different reason for participating.

"It kind of pushes you to push yourself a little harder," Carson said. "It brings in a different element to working out."

Jackson said he was impressed with the age range of the athletes.

"There's those 80-year-olds doing the marathons," he said. "It's kind of cool to see everyone really into fitness."

Timarie Lindquist of Post Falls trained for the marathon for 10 weeks. She is a stay-at-home mom with three young children.

"I said, 'I'm just going to do this, I'm going to do it for myself,'" she said. "I'm doing it for my kids and my sanity."

This was Lindquist's first time competing in the marathon. She was eager to beat the pavement.

"Just do it for yourself," she said. "Stay focused."

Proud parents Gary and Donna Monroe of Coeur d'Alene beamed as they cheered for their daughter Kate Coyle, who was running her first half-marathon. Their handmade sign read "Kate is Great!"

"She's been working hard," Donna said. "We love it. It's a good vibe that you feel when you're with these folks."

"We've met a lot of really nice people at these events, too," Gary added.

The Coeur d'Alene Marathon serves as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and is a key fundraiser to support the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation. North Idaho College Outdoor Pursuits program coordinator Jon Totten, the race announcer on Sunday, joked about the only year the marathon has missed in its almost four decades of existence.

"We've only missed one year since 1977 due to a small thing called a volcanic eruption," he said, referring to when Mount St. Helens erupted May 18, 1980.

The Coeur d'Alene Marathon top male finisher was Kjell Schioberg, 36, of Coeur d'Alene, with a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes, 44.60 seconds. The top female finisher was Debbie Gibson, 49, of Helena, Mont., with a time of 3:19:08.10.

For complete results and statistics, visit nomadzracing.com.