‘Marathon Man’ keeps streak alive with Vegas win

It’s tough enough to go 5-for-5 in baseball — or on a football parlay card, for that matter — but going 5-for-5 in winning marathons is on another level.

Ben Bruce accomplished the feat this year, racing to his fifth-straight 26.2-mile victory in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday night on the Strip.

Bruce, who crossed the finish line in front of The Mirage volcano with a time of 2:27:22, won his marathon debut in February in New Orleans and also won Rock ‘n’ Roll events in June in San Diego, Sept. 28 in Montreal and Oct. 19 in St. Louis.

“Once I’d gotten a few under my belt, I thought five would be a fun number to go for,” he said. “It’s just hard. I don’t know, maybe a little stupidity to talk myself into doing all five at this point. It’s quite an accomplishment to pull it off. I’m glad it’s over.”

A San Diego native who lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., Bruce teared up as he embraced his wife — pro marathoner Stephanie (Rothstein) Bruce — and their 5-month-old son, Riley, after crossing the finish line.

“The marathon can make you very emotional,” he said. “It pushes your body kind of farther beyond where you’re supposed to be. That’s just really tough to do, no matter how fast or how slow you’re running.

“That last mile, I was really just trying to pull it together so I can see the finish line. I’m pushing the envelope. This is my third marathon in 50 days. I wouldn’t recommend that.”

Bruce was about 10 seconds behind Poland’s Bartosz Olszewski midway through the marathon but caught up to him at mile 15. He passed him around mile 16 — when Olszewski had to take an emergency bathroom break — and stayed in front the rest of the way. Olszewski placed second, in 2:30:31.

“Right around 16 miles, he took a hard turn into the bushes. I think he had a digestive issue,” Bruce said. “It’s kind of a mystery because he had been running strong up to then. It’s an evening race. That part of the marathon, a lot can go wrong. Honestly, I felt bad for him, but I told myself to keep running with the same effort and don’t take yourself out of your own game.”

Bruce slowed down the stretch, running 5:30 splits from miles 16 to 21 and then 5:45 splits until the last mile, which took more than six minutes. He actually walked the final few steps across the finish line.

“At that point, time’s out the window. The goal here’s trying to win my fifth Rock ‘n’ Roll,” he said. “At mile 20, I thought maybe I could run a 2:25:00, but it just kept getting worse and worse. By the time I got to the last mile, I was just making sure I got the win.”

Bruce earned $500 for winning the race, along with a substantial bonus from adidas, his sponsor.

“They’ve been really supportive and helpful,” Stephanie Bruce said. “After this whole year, with me not being able to compete and having the baby, (Ben has) made a lot of sacrifices. He’s helped raise Riley, but he’s also run every single day and he’s run five marathons basically to help us pay the hospital bills. He’s a really selfless guy.”

Said Bruce: “It’s a painful way to make money, to go to five marathons in a year, but you’ve got to support your family however you can.”

Cathy Cullen was crowned the women’s marathon champion 11 months after giving birth to her son, Tyler. The elementary school physical education teacher from Manitoba, Canada, finished in a time of 2:56:57, pulling away from runner-up Karen Ayala (3:01:45) at mile 10 and never looking back.

Cullen, 34, and her husband, Jayson Adams, celebrated their honeymoon in Las Vegas in 2007 and she has long had her sights set on winning the marathon here.

“It’s been a goal of mine for a while. It was awesome,” said Cullen, who also has a 3-year-old daugther, Shelby. “There were a few points once the half-marathon separated where it got a little bit lonely and I had to pull it together. But I just kept thinking, ‘This is what you’ve been training towards.’

“I’m a mom of two and they have been my inspiration and my training partners. I’ve been pushing them.”

The temperature was 52 degrees at the start of the race and dropped from there, but the top finishers had no complaints.

“I like the cooler temperatures,” Cullen said. “This is an amazing race.”

Runners and spectators who lined the course up and down the Strip raved about the atmosphere.

“This is the best city you could put on a race like this. It’s just electrifying,” Stephanie Bruce said, holding her baby. “The Rock ‘n’ Roll (series) does a great job of making running fun. That’s what we need to remember. Even though it’s painful at times, running is supposed to be fun.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33,