SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT MARATHON 2,800 EXPECTED TO RACE.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, -- Marathoners will wind their way Sunday Sunday: see Sabbath; week. through Santa Clarita, running over trails and pavement pavement, the wearing surface of a road, street, or sidewalk. Parts of Babylon and Troy are believed to have been paved; Roman roads were noted for their durable stone paving. Cobblestones were common from late medieval times into the 19th cent. in an event that has something for everybody. More than 4,700 people are expected to join in the annual Santa Clarita Marathon, either as runners, volunteers or spectators. ``When you watch people cross the finish line, you can see their success,'' said Pat Downing, arts and events supervisor for the city. ``And almost everyone has a personal story to tell -- from your fastest runner to your slowest walker.'' The 26.2-mile marathon is the centerpiece of the event, but it won't have the most participants. About 500 runners are expected in the marathon. The half-marathon is expected to draw 1,200 runners, the 5K could attract 700 and the quarter-mile ``Kid K'' could have up to 400 children. Organizers expect 1,000 volunteers and another 1,000 spectators. Sami Salvatori, 49, has run marathons in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Beijing and Prague. But her three marathons hardly compare with her husband's count of 55. Now, Salvatori wants to get into the Boston Marathon Boston marathon famous 26-mile race held annually for long-distance runners. [Am. Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Endurance in April. But the distance worries the regular runner, so a few weeks ago she ran for 24 miles in training. ``Part of it is mental, having that notion in your head that you can run that far,'' she said. ``I am scared of the distance and I wanted to see I could do it.'' The marathon was started 12 years ago by the Santa Clarita Runners club. But the event got too big for the club to organize on its own, so the city has gotten involved. Now, the marathon has a budget of $140,000, with three-quarters of that coming from the city and the rest donated do·nate v. do·nat·ed, do·nat·ing, do·nates v.tr. To present as a gift to a fund or cause; contribute. v.intr. To make a contribution to a fund or cause. by private sources. Back in 2003, the marathon was canceled because of smoke from a wildfire in the area. That year, race organizers were contacted by a prisoner in Florida, who runs marathons in the prison yard in conjunction with various city marathons. He wanted to participate. Organizers politely po·lite adj. po·lit·er, po·lit·est 1. Marked by or showing consideration for others, tact, and observance of accepted social usage. 2. Refined; elegant: polite society. declined to recognize his private run in the prison yard; but he ran it anyway, Downing said. This year, a few runners are arriving from foreign nations to participate. But spectators shouldn't expect any world-class Kenyans in the race -- the first-place prize is a gift basket A gift basket, or fruit basket is typically a gift that is delivered to the recipient at their home or workplace. There are different varieties of gift baskets, some which have fruit only, some with dry/canned goods only (such as tea, crackers and jam) although the standard . The biggest road closure for the race will be McBean Parkway between Valencia Boulevard and Magic Mountain Parkway from 6 a.m. to shortly after 7 a.m. That will be the starting area for the race. The race will happen rain or shine. ``We try to stay on the bike trails as much as possible, because it's sort of a signature of the city, and it's nice not to run in traffic,'' said Phil Howard Phil Howard is an Australian jazz drummer best known for his brief stint with the jazz-rock group Soft Machine. Howard joined Soft Machine in September 1971 as a replacement for Robert Wyatt and played with the band on a short tour of European jazz festivals, but he was fired after of Santa Clarita Runners, who is course director for the event. The last chance to register for the Santa Clarita Marathon will be at the race expo Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hyatt Valencia. Each of the events has a different registration fee. alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5253 |
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