He finished the 2006 Fukuoka Marathon in Japan in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 27 seconds, among the fastest marathon debuts for an American.

Then, he struggled. He made the '07 world championship team bound for Osaka, but finished a disappointing 50th. A frustrating race in a frustrating year.

Something needed to change.

He cut down on partying and took running more serious. He relocated to Boulder and began working with Jones.

Soon after, he brought his mom and teenage brother, Dominic, to town.

The pressure was on. He had to make this running career work - for them.

They were struggling to pay the bills. They had little furniture and only one bed, which his mother slept on while Cabada used an air mattress and his younger brother the floor.

Cabada began training for the Twin Cities Marathon last October, hoping - no, praying - to win it.

They desperately needed the paycheck.

"I was counting on him, but didn't want him to know it," his mom said.

He knew.

Eight miles left in the race. Cabada had the lead. The footsteps were close.

Cabada didn't look back, only turned it on as he broke free of the pack.

Back in Boulder, Vicki Cabada was tracking the race on the Internet. Just as her son was coming down the home stretch, she was knocked off-line. She had no idea who had won.

Then the phone rang.

"I knew," she said. "I knew he was calling to tell me he'd won."

And win he did — close to $32,000.

With that, Cabada paid off all the lingering debt, decorated their apartment and bought beds for everyone. No more nights on the floor.

"I'd always complain about stuff we didn't have. Now, I'm grateful for what we do have," Cabada said. "I may not be in a mansion and driving a BMW, but I'm still living a dream."