After getting married in September, Valentina Galimova contemplated whether the newlyweds could increase the size of their home.

With the $40,000 check coming Galimova’s way following her impressive come-from-behind victory in Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon, the couple can improve their living conditions and still have room for all the "shopping" she plans to do.

"In our (home) now, there is not so much space for all my clothes," Galimova said.

With a kilometer remaining in the 26.2-mile race, Galimova sprinted past runner-up and defending champion Woynishet Girma of Ethiopia to claim the 40th edition of the marathon in two hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds.

While Girma — who ended 59 seconds behind Galimova to claim $16,000 — held a short lead as the runners began the agonizing climb up Diamond Head Road, the Russian used a smooth and easy stride to overtake her competitor as the two raced down Kalakaua Avenue to the finish line fronting the Kapiolani Park bandstand.

"Last year, she ran very quickly up the hill, and it was the same situation today," explained Galimova, who finished third in 2011. "I don’t like to run downhill. I had something to prove; my downhill running was not perfect."

Galimova’s victory marked the 11th time since 1996 that a Russian competitor has claimed the women’s race title. The 26-year-old bested her 2011 time of 2:31:55. It was clear she had the race in hand running down the home stretch.

"Early on, I looked at the (tail lights of the women’s pace truck) and they were so far, but when we turned (in Hawaii Kai) and ran with the wind at our back, I thought that anything was possible," Galimova said when asked about how she dealt with the early deficit. "They ran across (the early stages of the course) quickly, but I have prepared and we run so long. I run at my rate."

Japan’s Kaori Yoshida and Kenya’s Hellen Mugo set a blistering pace. When they reached the 10-mile marker, both were on pace to finish in 2 hours, 27 minutes — seconds ahead of the women’s record time (2:27:19) set in 2006 by Lyubov Denisova. The duo continued to push it through Kahala and onto Kalanianaole Highway, and the lead swelled to more than two minutes. However, as the trade winds picked up and the sun rose, Yoshida and Mugo showed signs of fatigue soon after reaching the halfway point as the advantage dipped down to less than a minute over the steadily advancing tandem of Galimova and Girma.

After winding through Hawaii Kai and heading back toward Waikiki, Yoshida relinquished her lead with less than 8 miles to go as Girma moved ahead and Mugo, who ended up in sixth place (2:39:17). Galimova remained in third place through the lead change, seemingly 10 to 15 seconds behind Girma. It was here she switched gears and made her race-altering move into the lead.

"When I looked at the time, I wanted to run faster to the top," Galimova said of her late push that moved her ahead of Yoshida and even with Girma as they approached Diamond Head Road. "When I (saw) that I was (behind), I was so upset. I wanted to run better and stay (ahead) of my opponent."

Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce could not quite catch the lead pack, but still became the first American—male or female — to finish, crossing the line in two hours, 32 minutes and 47 seconds, and taking home the third-place money of $10,000.

Rothstein-Bruce and her husband, Ben, can now "take a break," as the newlyweds head off on their honeymoon.

"This is a good (way to) cap off the year," Rothstein-Bruce said. "I did have the big goal of trying to win this race, but it’s difficult to win a big marathon, so to come up on the podium spot with third place, you can’t say that it’s a total failure."

Yoshida surprised many by holding the lead through much of the race. She finished fourth (2:34:01). The diminutive competitor from Japan also faced an added element of distraction, as one of the motorcycles carrying an official race photographer grazed her thigh, causing the 30-year-old to stumble briefly 20 minutes into the race. However, while she fell behind by a few seconds as the leaders passed Ala Moana Center, Yoshida stayed on her feet and appeared to be fine as she regained her focus momentarily.

"I was flustered when it happened and it took me some time to calm back down again, but it’s not an excuse," said Yoshida through an interpreter.

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