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Local 2249 Member Runs Boston Marathon

Most members take vacation to relax. IBEW member Linda Cullison took a break from her job at General Electric to participate in the running of the worlds oldest continually contested marathon on April 21, the Boston Marathon.

Cullison, a member of Local 2249, Bloomington, Indiana, was one of 20,000 runners in the 26.2 mile race. She recorded an official time of 3 hours, 56 minutes and 36 seconds.

Cullison, 45, started running seven years ago. The Boston Marathon was only her third such race. Cullison qualified for Boston with a 3:33 time October 19 at an Indianapolis race.

"I qualified on my second marathon and I didnt even realize it," said Cullison, who assembles GE side-by-side refrigerators. "I discussed it with my family and we decided it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I better go when I can."

The marathon was as tough as it was exciting. The temperature was around 70 degrees, hot for running, and the notorious hills were grueling, Cullison said. But she was gratified to see the crowds lining every mile of the course.

"The crowds are just tremendous," she said. "Theyre everywhere cheering you on. It really does help."

When training for a marathon, Cullison runs an average 60 to 70 miles a week. She hopes to qualify at Indianapolis this fall and run in Boston again next year.

Boston Marathon winners often set world records, but not this year. The winner was Robert Cheruiyot, 24, of Kenya with a time of 2:10:11. Russian Svetlana Zakharova finished in 2:25:20 as the first woman to cross the finish line.

IBEWCURRENTS

June 2003 IBEW Journal