When 16,000 runners started the Chicago Marathon last October, two extraordinary people were among them: Jamie and Lynn Parks. With Jamie pushing his wife, Lynn, in a wheelchair, they finished the race in 2:57. "I was so exhausted at the end," says Jamie, "I forgot to kiss her."

It wasn't the way Jamie had ever planned to run a marathon, but a car accident nine years ago left Lynn confined to a wheelchair. Engaged to Jamie at the time, Lynn refused to get married until she could down the aisle.

Seven years, countless physical therapy sessions later, her dream came true. With assistance from her father and brother, Lynn joined Jamie at the altar.

Although Lynn is still unable to walk on her own, she and Jamie are always on the roads together.

A runner since 1984, Jamie pushes Lynn most afternoons around a 1-mile loop that winds through their neighborhood in Tinley Park, Illinois. With stopwatch in hand, Lynn coaches while Jamie trains. "It's exciting, and we have fun with it," says Lynn. They've now completed 24 races together.

"She's a great coach," says Jamie. "She knew I was really hurting those last couple of miles at Chicago, and her encouragement helped tremendously." That's for sure. He set a 37-minute PR. "And next time we do one of these," says Jamie, "III remember to kiss her at the finish."