Man dies in Wendell crash while heading to City of Oaks Marathon

A fatal crash occurred early Sunday morning in Wendell, Wake County, when a black vehicle crossed the center line and collided head-on with a red car, WRAL reported. The crash happened around 5:45 a.m. at the intersection of Smithfield Road and Bisette Road, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The man driving the red car died in the crash, and his wife was taken to the hospital. The driver of the black vehicle was also hospitalized, but the extent of injuries for both is unknown. A witness who was driving ahead said the couple in the red car were newly married and on their way to the City of Oaks Marathon.

The City of Oaks Marathon began at 7 a.m. Sunday in downtown Raleigh, with thousands of runners and spectators gathered along the course, WRAL also reported. The marathon route covers 26.2 miles through several parts of Raleigh, including downtown, Glenwood South, NC State University, Boylan Heights, and Crabtree Valley.

Glenwood Avenue was closed from Peace Street to Hillsborough Street for the event. The marathon offers four race distances, including the full marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K, and is a Boston qualifier. This year's race is sponsored by Martin Marietta.