2013 media guide - LA Marathon

CHARITY AND COMMUNITY
CHARITY AND COMMUNITY
Charity Relay
The Charity Relay returns to the ASICS LA Marathon for a second year. Runners in
the relay may join together in support of their favorite charity: one person runs the
first half of the marathon course while their partner completes it. Each relay runner
will register with and raise money for one of the ASICS LA Marathon’s official
charities, and will receive a specially designed relay medal when they finish.
Taking their place at the starting line with other participants in the 2013 ASICS LA
Marathon, the first team member will begin at Dodger Stadium and continue
through Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Echo Park and Silver Lake, passing landmarks
including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Pantages Theatre, and Grauman’s
Chinese Theatre. The relay hand-­‐off is located on Sunset Boulevard, just before the
Sunset Strip, giving the second runner a scenic route toward Rodeo Drive, through
the federal VA property, onto San Vicente Boulevard toward the finish on Ocean
Avenue, just steps from the Santa Monica Pier.
“For those who always dreamed of running right down the middle of the Hollywood
Walk of Fame, Sunset Strip and Rodeo Drive, but couldn’t commit to training for
and running the full 26.2 miles, this is a perfect opportunity to experience our
world-­‐class Stadium to the Sea course,” says Race Director Nick Curl.
Marathon Stories
The impact of the ASICS LA Marathon on those who run it and those who support
those runners is undeniable. A few of the stories shared by the thousands of people
running the 2013 race are listed below:
Olympian Kastor Comes Home
American record holder and Olympic Bronze Medalist Deena Kastor is set to return
home to Southern California for the 2013 ASICS LA Marathon— her first time
running the race. The 25-­‐time USA champion in track, road and cross-­‐country races
grew up in Agoura Hills, and her love of running first took root as an 11-­‐year-­‐old on
the trails in Santa Monica Mountains. Kastor, who now lives in Mammoth Lakes, CA,
has vivid memories of the landmark event that united Los Angeles and led to the
creation of this race: “Watching Joan Benoit Samuelson win the 1984 Olympic
Marathon in LA still remains one of the most memorable days of my life,” Kastor
says. She will compete in a pack of eight elite female runners.
“LA 28”: L.A.’s Legacy Runners
A total of 185 “Legacy Runners”— competitors who have completed each ASICS LA
Marathon since the inaugural race in 1986— will toe the starting line on Sunday,
March 17.Taken together, their 26 years of racing have covered 154,266 miles,
equivalent over 6 times around the circumference of the Earth (24,902 miles)!
One of the visual trademarks of every ASICS LA Marathon are the giant letters
spelling out “LA” and the race number at the start— a tradition the Legacy Runners
have carried forward through the years.
The 2013 ASICS LA Marathon
Charity Relay finisher’s medal is a
two-­‐piece medal that can be split
between relay team runners.
For the first LA Marathon, the family of Elaine Herfert made a large sign and put it
up in the air so her husband could see where they were in the massive crowd in the
starting line. The following year, the Herferts brought a sign, ‘LA II,’ thus starting the
tradition. In 2009, the team changed to numeric numbers instead of Roman
numerals and changed their logo. Co-­‐coordinators Lou Briones and Denny Smith
and others will carry the giant “LA 28" bright orange signs in front of the
participants on Sunday.
Here are some facts about this unique group:
Of the 185 competitors, 160 are men and 25 are women; the average age
is 61.
Of the group, 175 runners are from California while 10 are from other
states.
The oldest male runner is Alan Carlisle (Upland, CA) at 83.
The oldest female runner is Patricia DeVita (Granada Hills, CA) at 79.
The youngest male runner is Art Gonzalez Jr. (North Hollywood, CA) at 46.
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MEDIA GUIDE
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