After her husband, Ben Bruce, claimed the co-championship at Sunday’s grueling 21-kilometer XTERRA Trail Run World Championship at Kualoa Ranch, Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce realized that the pressure was on her to bring home some matching hardware.

Before the newlywed couple heads off on their honeymoon, Rothstein-Bruce has some business to attend to, as the 28-year-old professional runner aims to capture the Honolulu Marathon’s women’s title — a feat that has eluded American runners since Cyndie Welte of Ohio crossed the line first in 1988.

Becoming the first American to win gold in a quarter century at the 40th running of the 26.2-mile marathon on Sunday will be no easy feat, as the field features seven women with personal best times under 2 hours, 30 minutes. The lineup of talented participants features Woynishet Girma, who won the 2011 Honolulu Marathon in 2:31:41, and fellow Ethiopian Hellen Wanjiku Mugo, fresh off winning the Kosice Marathon in October (2:29:59).

"I’m aware of the competitors, and I haven’t faced any of the women personally, but it’s a grueling field," Rothstein-Bruce said. "It would be unbelievable on two levels: First, it’s hard on our (elite) level to win races, and second, it’s hard to win marathons. Being an American and ending that drought of Americans not winning this race would be very special."

Rothstein-Bruce decided to pursue running as her primary profession following her time at UC Santa Barbara, where she had "glimmers of good performances that led me to want to run professionally."

After graduating from college, she encountered a variety of illnesses and injuries and began to contemplate whether she had followed the correct career course.

Soon after completing her first marathon, Rothstein-Bruce was diagnosed with celiac disease, an auto immune disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients, and is made worse by ingesting gluten — a protein found commonly in wheat products. Gluten affects those afflicted with celiac by damaging or destroying the lining of the small intestine, making it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, and causing the person to become malnourished no matter how much food is ingested.

Rothstein-Bruce recorded a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes in her marathon debut before being diagnosed with the disease. After changing her eating habits and eliminating gluten, she shaved more than 10 seconds off her pace en route to establishing a personal best time of 2:29:35 in the 2011 Houston Marathon.

Her professional journey also led her to Flagstaff, Ariz., where she began training with McMillan Elite, a non-profit Olympic development running squad that provides emerging elite long-distance runners with coaching under Greg McMillan and entry level sponsorship by adidas. Additionally, Rothstein-Bruce became involved in a business venture with a couple of fellow athletes. Their product, called Picky Bars, is a line of carbohydrate-rich energy bars free of gluten or dairy products.

"Two years ago, I ran the Houston Marathon, and that was my big eye-opener," said Rothstein-Bruce of the third-place finish that affirmed her dietary and training changes were indeed working. "It made me believe that I could be competitive on the national and international scene."

While Rothstein-Bruce faced a "big disappointment" in January’s Olympic Trials, during which she dropped out due to fatigue after 23 miles, she regrouped and ran the 10,000-meter trial in 32 minutes, 24 seconds — good enough for eighth place, and just short of the top three slots that earn Olympic berths in the event. She continued to train, and after getting married in October, decided to take aim at the Honolulu Marathon.

"Looking at the conditions, I happen to run well in humidity, so I talked to my agent and coach, and decided on Honolulu," said Rothstein-Bruce, who has competed in a few recent road races and won the Big Sur Half Marathon in Monterey Bay (Calif.) in November, finishing in 1 hour, 19 minutes. "I’ve been training for the last four months building up to this race, and really it’s all about building strength. There’s a lot of timing and dedication necessary so you can plan your peak in time for the right day."

While many of the expected 30,000 runners are spending the week as tourists, enjoying all that Hawaii has to offer, Rothstein-Bruce is treating the trip to paradise as a business venture. The race features a $150,000 purse, including $40,000 designated for both the male and female race winners, as well as a potential $15,000 bonus for setting the course record. The women’s mark, set by Lyubov Denisova of Russia in 2006, stands at 2:27:19.

"It’s definitely enjoyable and I wouldn’t trade it for the world," said Rothstein-Bruce of the rigors involved with training for marathon running, "but there is a lot of sacrifice that goes on. You miss out on several things, whether family or friend-related, but at the end of the day, crossing the finish line first makes all those sacrifices absolutely worth it.

"I just got married and we’re going on our honeymoon after the race, so winning would provide a nice year-end bonus."