CHARITY GETS A LEG UP AT MARATHON.

Byline: Ronni Ross

Running or bicycling 26.2 miles is tough enough with a healthy body, but for a number of Los Angeles Marathon and Bike Tour participants, physical ailments such as cancer, leukemia and arthritis make it an even greater challenge.

These heroic athletes participate in the race each year not just to satisfy their own goals but as a means of supporting their favorite charities.

One such marathoner is 35-year-old Christine Jaksy. Despite ongoing battles with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma - a progressive disease afflicting the skin and internal organs, Jaksy is serving as captain of the Arthritis Foundation's Bicycling Team.

She will take part in the March 3 marathon's bicycle tour, is collecting pledges on behalf of the foundation and is rounding up dozens of other runners and bicyclists to do the same.

"I look like the epitome of the healthy, all-American girl. No one can tell what's going on in my body," said Jaksy, who attended Chicago's De Paul University on a basketball scholarship and is a former triathlete. "I guess my background of athletics has given me a certain determination."

Since her diagnosis in 1992, the Los Angeles biker has seen 24 doctors, used 50 different medications and developed symptoms similar to those of AIDS patients.

But in 1994, her condition improved and she realized that she was going to survive.

"I had an epiphany, or an awakening, and I developed an urgency about life. I stopped fighting and accepted my situation," she said. "I realized that this was much bigger than me, and because I found an acceptance I found peace."

With her symptoms now under control and her periods of bed rest becoming less frequent, Jaksy has resumed moderate athletics. She is passionate about battling her illnesses and helping others do the same, and, as a result, has become an active volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation.

Hundreds of other race participants - healthy or otherwise - are also finding the marathon an appropriate and fun way to raise money for charities and give something back to their community.

The Arthritis Foundation is one of a record 57 organizations involved with this year's event. Since its inception in 1988, the charity program has raised more than $7 million for local groups, according to marathon president William Burke.

"I used to raise money for charity, but all the money went to cover the costs of the event," Burke said, adding that he wanted to create an overhead-free environment for the organizations. "Here, every penny goes to the charity; none goes toward the marathon. We even pay for the coordinators."

When a charity becomes involved with the race, it is assigned a half-mile portion of the course. In that space, it can use whatever means it wishes to raise money or draw attention to itself, often providing entertainment, activities and support to the runners, bicyclists, volunteers and spectators.

Three of the more common fund-raising methods include having runners or cyclists obtain per-mile pledges; requesting larger contributions from local and national companies; and holding separate events, such as pancake breakfasts, before and during the race.

Other groups have come up with unique ways to bring in donations and heighten public awareness.

Santa Monica's Wellness Community, for example, arranges for hundreds of cancer patients and volunteers to line a section of the course and, as a form of encouragement, each is greeted with a handshake by the community's honorary team captain as he runs by.

Another group, Find the Children, sells T-shirts printed with the faces of missing children during the race to raise funds and increase the chances of finding the children.

Though marathon officials aren't accepting any more charities this year, new applicants are welcomed for the '97 event. For more information, call [phone].

In addition to the charity program, L.A. Marathon organizers also present an annual award to a race participant who demonstrates unusual courage.

The award, named after the late Patsy Choco, was inspired by a letter sent to marathon president William Burke in 1993.

"I received a letter from Choco, who told me she had terminal breast cancer and that her lifelong goal was to run the L.A. Marathon," said Burke.

"She asked if she could do it and be allowed to have her husband push her in her wheelchair if she couldn't finish the race on her own," he said. "But she did finish, and, at the end, she hugged me and said she hoped she could live another year to see another marathon."

Choco made it to the next event but only as a spectator.

"That day, when it was over, she went home and never left her house again. She died the week after the race," Burke said.

"After her story was published, more than 200 marathoners sent her their finisher's medals, and she was buried with them. Now, in the middle of the night, when I'm worried about rain, heat, water supply or not having enough portable toilets, all I do is think about her."