Ellie Stevens completed her objective of successful a marathon at age 40 on Feb. 8 in Mesa, Arizona.
The England native adopted that up by successful the Rock ‘n’ Roll Working Collection Las Vegas half marathon Sunday evening on the Strip for the second time in 4 years.
“I received a marathon two weeks in the past so this was only a bonus,” mentioned Stevens, now a Las Vegas resident who received the 2022 occasion. “I really like this race so I wished to do it whatever the timing. I simply love racing this course and being in my hometown. It’s enjoyable to win once more.”
Stevens was beaming after crossing the end line in entrance of the Fountains of Bellagio — which was reworked into a celebration with a DJ, fog, flashing lights, plumes of fireside and a dance ground with an enormous disco ball — finishing the 13.1-mile course in a single hour, 17 minutes, 21 seconds.
“I’m an previous girl now however I simply hold getting quicker, so I’m pleased and I’ll hold operating so long as I can hold getting quicker,” Stevens mentioned. “I don’t know the way that is occurring.”
Stevens held off runner-up Katie Watson, 32, of Austin, Texas, by 10 seconds.
“My marathon legs undoubtedly took maintain the final three miles,” Stevens mentioned. “I used to be simply making an attempt to hold on.”
Greater than 27,000 runners and walkers took half in three Rock ‘n’ Roll races, together with a 5K downtown Saturday evening, and Sunday’s half marathon and 10K, which have been run fully on closed-down Las Vegas Boulevard.
The beginning line village was in Toshiba Plaza outdoors of T-Cell Enviornment, whereas the beginning line was in entrance of New York-New York.
Males’s winners
Johannes Motschmann and Mason Tope set a quick tempo for the lads, operating the primary 5 miles collectively effectively forward of the pack.
Then they parted methods as Motschmann went on to win the half marathon and Tope received the 10K.
“I ran with the man who ran the 10K. I adopted him, then he took a flip after 5 miles,” mentioned Motschmann, 30, from Germany. “I had no thought. I assumed he was doing the half.”
Tope, 28, an Iowa native who moved to Las Vegas in October, sprinted throughout the end line of the 6.2-mile race in half-hour, 24 seconds.
“I wished to hit underneath a five-minute tempo. I had some guys round me however I wasn’t positive who was operating the 10K and who was doing the half,” Tope mentioned. “It was actually humorous. The entire time there was somebody proper subsequent to me or proper behind me. I used to be pulling them alongside as a result of on the first mile, folks have been going a five-minute tempo and I wished to go 4:50. So I needed to push and I received forward.
“Then, proper after we received to the turnoff from 10K to half, the man behind me was like, ‘Oh, you’re doing the 10K?’ So it was tremendous humorous. Then, wanting again, there was nobody round me.”
Tope was nearly 5 minutes quicker (4:34) than the 10K runner-up (Michael Rusnaczyk) in his first race on the Strip.
“I’ve ran on the Strip early within the morning on the sidewalk,” Tope mentioned. “It was simply so cool having the group cheering us on and operating on the Strip like that. I find it irresistible.”
Motschmann, who competes for adidas and Marathon Workforce Berlin, mentioned he’s doing altitude coaching for a month in Flagstaff, Arizona, and used the half marathon as “a superb health take a look at.”
He aced the examination, operating a sub five-minute tempo en path to successful the 13.1-mile race in a single hour, 4 minutes, 13 seconds.
“I completely love the course,” Motschmann mentioned. “It was fairly flat, with no wind in any respect and wonderful followers that at all times push you ahead.
“I’ve by no means raced in Vegas. Simply seeing all of that is very totally different to Germany and really totally different to Europe. It’s a variety of enjoyable to race right here.”
‘Extra power to get together’
Lindsey Knast, 35, a police officer from Erie, Colorado, was the ladies’s 10K winner. She completed in 39 minutes, 3 seconds after operating the half-marathon right here the final two years.
“I’ve been eager to do the 10K as a result of each time I’m going previous it, it seems like much more enjoyable,” Knast mentioned. “Now I can have extra power to get together.”
Runners wore neon pink tutus and kilts. One couple ran collectively dressed as Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. One other couple was comprised of a person dressed as film character “Forrest Gump,” who had a pretend beard and carried a blowup doll carrying a shirt with the phrases “Run Forrest Run.”
“I like that they’ve the totally different bands on stage,” Knast mentioned. “That’s at all times a superb enhance whenever you’re on the market type of struggling.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Observe @tdewey33 on X.
