Marathon to draw 7,800 to Las Vegas

Victoria Sun

Friday, Feb. 2, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

More than 7,800 runners representing 50 states and more than 35 countries will put their endurance to a test at the Las Vegas Marathon Sunday morning.

Some do it in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

Others do it for the sense of accomplishment they feel when they have completed the 26.2-mile course.

Sandy McCallum may have the wildest reason for participating. McCallum, 38, is running in the full marathon that starts at 7:30 a.m. to prepare for the ultimate endurance test -- the 150-mile Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert.

"I ran it last year, but wasn't able to complete it because I started getting very sick," McCallum said of her first run at des Sables. "I made it through 100 miles.

"At the end of the four days, I was completely alone with no one in front of (me) and no one behind and I started hallucinating. Because I didn't make it through, my running coach, Cal Zaryski, suggested I run out here in Las Vegas to get prepared for it this year."

McCallum -- a Calgary, Alberta, resident -- arrived in Las Vegas on Monday and has been training at Red Rock Canyon.

To prepare for the ultra-marathon (April 1-7), McCallum has been running with a 20-pound pack attached to her back. The pack contains the same amount of food, water and supplies she will wear while running across the Sahara in the race whose title translates into "Marathon of the Sand."

A few hours before the Las Vegas Marathon begins, McCallum will do a run on her own to simulate the long distance she will be facing in Morocco.

Two years ago McCallum decided to leave her job as a news anchor in Canada to focus on running. She raised more than $5,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association through sponsors who supported her run at des Sables. This year she has donated her time by giving inspirational speeches to local schools and clubs.

"I absolutely love the desert," McCallum raved. "Being out here and running in the Red Rock area, I think it's absolutely fantastic.

"That and a love of running is why I'm here. It takes a lot of discpline and dedication to do it. I think it has made me a better person. Some people judge you on what you are or what you own. This run challenges you physically and mentally.

"You find out who you are. No one can take that away from you."

The half-marathon will start at 6:30 a.m. The men's and women's first-place winners in the open marathon division will receive $2,000 and the half-marathon winners will receive $300.

Rob Reeder, last year's men's full marathon champion with a time of 2:17:11, and Joanna Gront, the women's champion with a time of 2:35:58, will not be back this year.

Among the top women scheduled to compete are Belarus' Elena Vinitskaia, the 1999 winner, and Russian Irina Kazakov, who recently won the Dubai Marathon.

Mike Dudley, the 1994 champion from Beaverton, Ore., Markus Gerber of Zurich, Switzerland, and Hajimi Asada of Tokyo, Japan are among the best men.

Rt. 146 to Robindale Road will be slow at all intersections with race officials stopping traffic to allow runners to pass.

Expect delays on Haven Road and congestion from Warm Springs Road to Gillespie from approximately 7-11 a.m. Eastern will be shut down completely from Warm Springs to Sunset from 7 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m.