2013 media guide - LA Marathon

CHARITY AND COMMUNITY
CHARITY AND COMMUNITY
living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles via apla.convio.net/goto/jiwallace. “I hope that
the impact I make in LA is one that ripples around the world so that more people
think about life after an HIV diagnosis, not death," he says.
Joe Irwin: Army Veteran Turns To Running To Overcome Obesity
After he left the Army in 1998, Joe Irwin settled into a sedentary lifestyle and
steadily began to gain weight, reaching nearly 300 pounds in February 2011. To
address the serious health problems accompanying his obesity, he started a diet
and exercise regimen that took him through a half marathon that same year, and
later his first marathon in February 2012. He has also hiked the 212-­‐mile John Muir
trail and completed an Olympic distance triathlon; today, his weight stands at a
healthy 185 pounds, and he’s training hard to make a new personal best at the
ASICS LA Marathon. “My experience shows that we are never in such bad shape
that changing direction is beyond hope,” he says.
Jason McBeth: Former Foster Youth Champions Scholarship That Changed His Life
Jason McBeth grew up in foster care, and says that the hardships he faced as a child
didn’t go away when he was “emancipated” from the system at age 18. After a
period of homelessness and incarceration, a former counselor referred him to
Guardian Scholars, a program that provides scholarships and mentorship for youth
exiting the foster care system. With the support of Guardian Scholars, he earned a
college degree; he decided to run the ASICS LA Marathon this year to bring
awareness to the hardships that foster youth face and to raise money for the
scholarship that changed his life. “I felt that the marathon is a perfect metaphor for
the highs and lows that foster kids face,” he says. “A college degree prepares you to
run the race of life on your own terms.”
Dominic Chiaverotti: Marine Returns from Afghanistan To Run His First Marathon
First Lieutenant Dominic Chiaverotti’s training regimen for the ASICS LA Marathon is
quite atypical: “I run laps around the small airstrip at our base, which equates to
running over the same sand and rocks day after day,” he says. He’s stationed on a
Marine base in the desert of Afghanistan and has managed to fit his training into an
already busy schedule advising the Afghan National Army. He’s excited to run his
first marathon during his two-­‐week spring leave.
Gloria Lau: She’s 62—And She’s Finished A Marathon On Every Continent
Gloria Lau doesn’t fit the traditional mold of an international athlete: she’s 62,
works in real estate and is a mother of two. When she was diagnosed with low bone
density six years ago, she started running to improve her health. After completing
her first marathon in Perth in 2007, she was hooked: since then, she’s run a
marathon on every continent, and is the first female Singaporean inductee to the
Seven Continents Marathon Club. Her health is dramatically improved and she has
no plans to quit running anytime soon.
Iliana Crespin: High School Freshman Inspires Her Peers To Run
Iliana Crespin is a freshman at Bravo Magnet High School in Los Angeles and a
member of Students Run LA (SRLA), a nonprofit that provides training and
mentorship for at-­‐risk secondary students to prepare for the ASICS LA Marathon
each year. She completed the marathon last year and discovered a passion for
running that has motivated her peers to sign up for SRLA this year too. “Running a
marathon may not be easy, but it is worth it,” she says. “By doing something like
running 26.2 miles, you are inspiring another student. You are being a role model.”
She dreams of becoming an Olympic runner one day.
John Creel: Finished 50 Marathons In 50 States At The Age Of 77
In 2010, Army Green Berets veteran John Creel set a formidable goal, especially for
a man in his seventies: to run 50 marathons, one in every state. His wife of 50 years
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1995; he is her full-­‐time caregiver and
started running so he would have the strength to lift her from her wheelchair. “My
wife Ingrid is truly my inspiration for all of this,” he says. He finished the final
marathon of his 50-­‐state journey this past October, and is running the ASICS LA
Marathon again with his hometown running club to celebrate his accomplishment.
Marty McNamara: Survivor Of Traumatic Head Injury Inspires Disabled Athletes
Martin “Marty” McNamara was rendered temporarily paralyzed and permanently
deaf after a car accident in 1995. Nine years of rehabilitation and training later, he
crossed the finish line of the 2004 LA Marathon and hopes to inspire the next
generation of runners who live with disabilities. He has completed 31 marathons to
date and even founded a running club for disabled runners in his community.
“Whatever trauma you have faced, you can overcome,” he says. “You can come
back from anything.”
MARATHON CHARITY RELAY RUNNERS
102 ASICS LA MARATHON
MEDIA GUIDE
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