DAY OF 1STS NEW COURSE A SITE TO SEE 26.2-MILE RACE KICKS OFF IN UNIVERSAL CITY FOR A CHANGE.Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer UNIVERSAL CITY - For the first time in its history, the Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon is an annual marathon held in Los Angeles, California since 1986. It was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. The race starts at about 8:15AM and runs through Downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, the Crenshaw district, and not only passed through a sliver of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , it also kicked off in Universal City -- one of a number of iconic stops on the newly designed route. Nearly 25,000 runners, walkers, thrill-seekers -- and even some middle-aged guys dressed as superheroes Superheroes are fictional heroes who possess abilities beyond those of normal human beings. Superheroes may also refer to:
Surrounded by high-rise hotels and the Hollywood Freeway, the runners took off amid cheers from family members and other supporters. Many of the runners used the event to bring attention to a cause, such as cancer or the war in Iraq. "It's an opportunity for me to stay healthy," said Liz Roark, 48, of Palmdale, who was running for AIDS awareness. "I've lost 185 pounds." Once again, Kenyan men dominated the pack, finishing first, second and third. Fred Mogaka, 18, won the contest with a finishing time of 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 14 seconds. Russian Ramilia Burangolova, 45, who now lives in Florida, was the fastest woman, finishing in 2:37.54. Spectators lined the Lankershim Boulevard overpass on the Hollywood Freeway to watch as the massive crowd of runners in neon T-shirts, caps and parkas uncoiled un·coil tr. & intr.v. un·coiled, un·coil·ing, un·coils To unwind or untwist or to become unwound or untwisted. Adj. 1. itself like a colorful caterpillar that began inching its way toward Hollywood. Many participants were there to top their all-time best times. Some came with dreams of racing past the mighty Kenyans, who have taken top spots for almost a decade. But most ran for themselves, or a cause or to inspire someone in their lives. As an enthusiastic Tina Smith warmed up with friends; she said her personal theme this year was "you only live once." "I want to inspire my kids," said the Pasadena resident, who ran her first marathon Sunday. Brandon Ross, 37, of Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. , said he was glad the starting gun went off in the San Fernando Valley. "It'll be nice starting out here," said Ross, ahead of his eighth marathon. "This will give the Valley a little more identity." Marathon organizers called this year's run one of many firsts: A new start line for the first time in the San Fernando Valley area, a sprint through East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. , and a point-to-point course instead of a loop. The course also passed through Hollywood before coming to an end at Fifth and Flower streets downtown. And Mother Nature did her part by offering up clear, blue skies. Still, as temperatures rose in the afternoon, more than 100 calls came into the Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. to treat heat exhaustion heat exhaustion, condition caused by overexposure to sunlight or another heat source and resulting in dehydration and salt depletion, also known as heat prostration. The symptoms are severe headaches, weakness, dizziness, blurred vision, and sometimes unconsciousness. and dehydration. One man died during the 22-mile bicycle race held in conjunction with the marathon. The man, believed to have been in his 50s, died of an apparent heart attack. "We've had a lot of heat-related emergencies," said Melissa Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. "It's the heat combined with the humidity that is a big factor." The Metro Red Line got a good workout as well, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority adding extra trains to take runners to the start line and their fans back to downtown to watch the finish. Many sat huddled inside the Universal City station in the early morning to keep warm ahead of the big race. Stuntman stunt·man n. A man who substitutes for a performer in scenes requiring physical daring or involving physical risk. stuntman n → especialista m stuntman Dennis Marsella, who has run in 56 marathons and is well-known among seasoned runners as "The Coatman," donned his trademark wing-tipped shoes and denim jacket denim jacket n → chaqueta vaquera, saco vaquero (LAM) denim jacket n → veste f for the race. He praised marathon president William Burke William Burke (1792 - January 28, 1829) was an Irish-Scots serial killer who, along with William Hare committed a notorious series of murders in Edinburgh in the 19th century. Burke was born in Urney, County Tyrone. for the decision to move the route and encourage participants to use public transportation, just as in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . "In New York, they take buses to the marathon, so (using public transportation) is a good thing," said Marshall, 56. "Burke's not given enough credit." Some admitted that the new course gave them a case of the jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics . "That it doesn't start and end in the same place makes me nervous, but I also know that the race is 13 miles downhill, so I'm looking forward to that," said Mike Bernard Mike Bernard may refer to:
susan.abram@dailynews.com (818) 713-3664 CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Doug Cebik of Newport Beach cools off in the mist provided by a firetruck after completing the 22nd Los Angeles Marathon. (2 -- color) One runner cools down with a drink after completing the L.A. Marathon, above, while another, Marco Arteaga, below right, prefers to rest after finishing the 22nd race Sunday. (3 -- color) Spectators watch from the sidewalk along Highland Avenue in Hollywood as runners fly by on Sunday. (4 -- color) Runners cool down at a water station on Hollywood Boulevard during the race. For the first time, the race was point to point, beginning in Universal City and making its way through East Los Angeles. Runners and spectators used local transit to get around. (5 -- 6 color) One runner cools down with a drink after completing the L.A. Marathon, above, while another, Marco Arteaga, below right, prefers to rest after finishing the 22nd race Sunday. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News (7 -- color) The disabled competitor above was among those who took part in the marathon. Some participants ran for themselves, or a cause, or both. Some competitors used specially designed wheelchairs, such as those seen in the background. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion