Winnipegger captures women’s title at Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon

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This article was published 19/11/2014 (3444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Everyone dreams of winning big when they go to Las Vegas, but few make it come true.

That wasn’t a problem for Winnipeg runner Cathy Cullen. Under the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip on Nov. 16, the 34-year-old phys-ed teacher captured the women’s title at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon. Her winning time was 2:56:48.

Start time is at sundown so running beneath the strip’s neon glitter figures prominently in the race.

“It’s pretty neat,” she said.

Cullen was hoping for a faster time, but said she’ll never complain when it comes to being the first across the finish line.

“The course got pretty lonely in the second half of the race. I knew I had the lead so I was gritting it out for the last few miles.”

Cullen won the Manitoba half marathon earlier this year, six months after giving birth to son Tyler. She and husband Jayson Adams also have a daughter, Shelby, who is 3.5 years old.

Cullen, a former University of Manitoba track star and Manitoba Marathon champ, has run through both her pregnancies, though, she admits, “it turns into a waddle at the end.”

She has been a runner most of her life and had the support of her doctor. The key is to listen to your body and not push when feeling aches and pains, she said.

Going through pregnancies and being a mom have a lot in common with running a marathon, Cullen said. You learn to push on despite the ’empty tank’ feeling.

She added: “My threshold for pain and discomfort have gone up since going through pregnancies.”

Training in their household is a team effort. Her husband often joins her for training runs pushing a running stroller and parents help out with child care to allow Cullen, who will average about 60 miles a week during marathon training, to fit in workouts.