Pastor Jamie Firzlaff said, "We run all the way to the chapel. And there will be a pulpit set up outside and the couples are all going to line up on the grass. And they're going to get married all at once."A runner from Russia, Sylvia Skvortsova, became the first woman to ever win the Las Vegas Marathon 2007. She will take home a $45,000 prize. The top men's finisher is Christopher Chebobibich from Kenya, who will take home $20,000. Fireworks and brisk weather greeted the thousands of people who took part in the marathon. Inside, find links to results, a slideshow and WEB EXTRA videos. More>>
The Las Vegas Marathon is just over a month away. And in this year's race, 50 couples will stop long enough to get married or renew their vows. A local minister performing the ceremonies will be running right along with them.
Pastor Jamie Firzlaff has been marrying couples in Las Vegas for seven years at A Special Memory Wedding Chapel. On Dec. 2, she'll trade in her robe for running shorts and join 50 couples at the starting line of the Las Vegas Marathon. At the five-mile mark, they'll all stop for a brief ceremony.
Pastor Firzlaff said, "We run all the way to the chapel. And there will be a pulpit set up outside and the couples are all going to line up on the grass. And they're going to get married all at once."
The pastor's young son is growing up in a family that has helped make chapel weddings a tradition in Las Vegas.
"I remember when I was a little kid; I used to help my dad on New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day when they did like 300 weddings a day on those days. And I used to come down and help him and stuff. So it's always been a pretty interesting business," she continued.
Firzlaff ran a marathon in college. But this will be her first experience with the Las Vegas race.
After the ceremony, she plans to get back in the race and complete the 13-mile half-marathon. All in all, it should be a day filled with special memories.
Pastor Jamie Firzlaff added, "It's very exciting to be a part of it. And just to be a part of that day and to be able to run again. I'm excited to do that."
Couples will come from as far away as Alaska and Puerto Rico to say "I do" during the Las Vegas Marathon.
Channel 8 is the official broadcast partner of this year's Las Vegas Marathon.
