Thousands of runners cross the starting line on the Strip in the New Las Vegas Marathon before dawn Sunday. Photo by Isaac Brekken. Runners pass New York-New York on the Strip Photo by Jane Kalinowsky. Wheelchair racers cross Charleston Boulevard, just past the marathon's five-mile mark. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Marathoners Scott and Rebecca Morrow of Seattle prepare for a group wedding. Twenty-two couples renewed their vows and three couples were wed during the race. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Runners in Elvis attire dance before a group wedding of marathoners downtown. Photo by K.M. Cannon. A Second Baptist Church choir sings hymns and Christmas carols along the race course. Photo by Ronda Churchill. Kenny Guinn Middle School students hand out water at the marathon's 20-mile mark. Photo by Jeff Scheid. Medals await race finishers. Photo by Isaac Brekken. Competitive male runners cast shadows as they run in a tight pack. Photo by Isaac Brekken. Sandra Kruse and E.J. Rosenberg kiss after they were married during the New Las Vegas Marathon. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Preparing for a wedding is never simple, but for Sandra Kruse and E.J. Rosenberg the task was grueling.

Booking plane tickets from Wisconsin to Las Vegas was no problem. There were no flowers, bridesmaids or wedding dresses. So exactly what made preparations for their Big Day so difficult?

"All those training miles," Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg and Kruse were one of 25 couples who veered off the New Las Vegas Marathon course Sunday morning to marry or renew their vows. Aside from the sweaty foreheads, running shoes and veils flowing out the back of ball caps, the wedding included some tradition, Vegas tradition anyway.

The couples were serenaded by a dozen Elvis impersonators who also took a brief break from the 26.2-mile track.

Keith Hockenbery was thrilled to slip on his satin white jumpsuit, jet-black wig and gold sunglasses to celebrate with the newlyweds.

"I wasn't even training for it," said Hockenbery, a seven-time marathon runner. "I saw it on a Web site, and I was there."

It was Kruse's first trip to Las Vegas, and her story probably differs from those of other first-time visitors who tell stories of all-nighters, pulsing nightclubs and celebrity sightings. The pair is well aware that a day full of exercise isn't on a tourist's typical list of things to do here.

"I've done marathons here before -- marathon sessions on the blackjack tables," Rosenberg said.

Todd and Paula Sue Russell are experienced in marathons and marriage. The ceremony at A Special Memory Wedding Chapel, the five-mile mark, sounded like a perfect Las Vegas parlay.

"We've run six marathons together, so we decided to have a little fun," said Todd Russell, as he followed his runaway bride of 36 years back onto the course.

Paula Sue Russell's first-ever tour of the Strip was with thousands of other runners, but that didn't stop her from taking in the bright lights before dawn Sunday.

"It was awesome and exciting," said Russell, who was running her 20th marathon. "The Strip is a real draw."

The New Las Vegas Marathon, which snaked through the city and past famous landmarks, was a hit with competitors and spectators who shouted at and cheered the throng of athletes. Rolling road closures from 4 a.m. until early afternoon cleared way for the 10,951 contestants who began the race about 6 a.m. and ran up the Strip, through downtown and around the central valley. The 38-year-old marathon in recent years started south of Jean and ended at Sunset Park, far from city center and the glitz of the casino corridor.

At today's finish line, Kenya's Stephen Kiogora was met with cheers as he won the race with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 58 seconds. The women's division sent the crowd into a frenzy when the top four runners crossed the line within three seconds of each other. Adriana Fernandez of Mexico was first to break the tape and finished with a time of 2:31:54. The race was equally entertaining in the miles between the start and finish lines.

Men in black suits and crisp white shirts braved near-freezing temperatures to serenade the marathoners with what they hoped were sole-lifting gospel tunes.

"We want to give them a little inspiration," said Paul Cooks, the choir director for the Second Baptist Church. He, along with about 15 members of his choir, stood on a metal platform assembled just past the eight-mile checkpoint at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Bonanza Road.

There, runners grabbed a cup of water or a piece of fruit. Some even stopped to catch their breath. One unlucky man tripped over a garbage can and, frustrated, flung it off the course.

For nearly two hours, gospel harmonies floated into the cold air, mixing with chants of "Go, runners, go!" from a squad of cheerleaders nearby. Another group of choir members was positioned a mile away, ensuring that runners had a steady diet of soulful music for a portion of the race.

Most, especially the elite runners, were focused on putting one foot in front of the other as fast and efficiently as possible. But a few showed their appreciation of the choir's presence with smiles and waves. As the main field passed, two women from Canyon Ridge Christian Church stopped, jumped onto the platform next to the singers and clapped and swayed to the music.

"That's my daughter, Nancy," said bystander Dawn Hamilton, as her daughter rejoined the field. "We drove 10 hours from New Mexico to be here. This is so fun."

The gospel singers were an unexpected yet pleasant surprise to Kim and Mark Coats, who had come out to cheer on a friend.

"What makes it so great is that every couple of miles they have something to entertain the runners," Kim Coats said.

They laughed, pointing out some of the more entertaining contestants, including a few dressed as Elvis, a reindeer and a bumble bee.

The Fremont Street Experience was another highlight for competitors. It was also a site where visitors attending the Las Vegas Valley's two biggest events this weekend, the National Finals Rodeo and the marathon, literally could have collided had it not been for a metal barrier outlining the race course.

Shortly after 5 a.m. inside the Four Queens hotel-casino, a trio of rodeo fans tipped back cocktails at the bar, clueless about the hour or that thousands of competitors were about to embark on a 26-mile run.

When told of the event, and the hour, Sheila Byram's opinion of the contestants was clear: "I think they're (expletive) nuts."

"Go for it," said Clay Miller of Texas as he rocked back on his bar stool. "I'm not. I'm going to go to bed pretty quick."

By 6:30 a.m., the rodeo crowd on the Fremont Street Experience had been replaced by a wave of sober marathon fans such as Sharon and Jim Cash. The couple came from California to cheer for their daughter, Jenna, but were excited to see the wheelchair contestants come by.

"Way to go," Sharon Cash screamed as the wheelchairs zipped past. She acknowledged that marathon fans have their fun, too, when in Las Vegas, but they have to be more disciplined because of the early start of the race.

"We went to bed a lot earlier last night than we did the other night" in Las Vegas, Sharon Cash said. "The other night was 4 a.m."