Groups help area runners of color make strides
Sunday's race was an opportunity for a variety of participants to showcase their skills and desire for improvement
For some, Sunday's Los Angeles Marathon was more than an opportunity to run: It was a chance to create opportunities for other runners. For such groups, victory meant more than getting across the finish line in Universal City.
Quite visible on the course — a sea of neon in their yellow jerseys — were more than 3,100runners from Students Run L.A., an after-school mentoring and physical fitness program offered at more than 185public schools in the Los Angeles area. The program engages underserved communities from the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys to Whittier, San Pedro, Eagle Rock and everywhere between.
“The program is about developing them as leaders, developing them to become positive role models,” said Kristi Dorf, a SRLA leader and teacher at Twin Lakes Intermediate School in El Monte.
The year-long program — which concludes each year with the L.A. Marathon — is as much about character, leadership and achievement as it is about fitness.
“It's just derived from passion,” said Analiah Herrera, an eighth grader waiting for her turn to take off Sunday onto the 26.2-mile course that included some of L.A.s most familiar landmarks.
“I do a lot of other sports,” she added, “(like) softball and soccer.”
Analiah hadn't run a full marathon yet, but she'd been prepping along with her classmates, and ran an 18-mile course before Sunday's big finale.
“(I'm) excited,” Analiah said, noting that her only plans after crossing the finish line are to “eat and sleep pretty much.”
Analiah and other students have been preparing for the event since September, along with their teachers and administrators who volunteered their time to train with them.
The group's goals are to boost students' self-confidence, build camaraderie and offer up completing the marathon as an achievement — the result of a season of sweat, focus and dedication.
Brised Nolasco, a seventh grader also running her first marathon, added one more achievement — experiencing one heck of a day in L.A.
“It's just for fun,” she smiled.
Black Girls Run, a nationwide organization with a chapter in L.A., also sent a contingent to the marathon.
“It's important because in our community, this is something that's not taught until we actually have a diagnosis maybe for diabetes or high blood pressure,” said BGR L.A. ambassador Sherri Harris. “Usually in the Black community, this is not something that's addressed on a proactive basis— its more of a reactive basis.”
Communities of color in L.A. have also historically had less access to parks, green space and sidewalks. Many neighborhoods, including South L.A., are classified as food deserts, meaning there are few with fewer stores offering healthy food options in the area, further preventing people living in those neighborhoods from maintaining active and healthy lifestyles.
Black Girls Run was established in 2009 with the goal of helping Black women overcome those barriers.
“We don't have membership dues, but we teach some of the same strategies that other running groups teach for a fee,” Harris said. “The ladies that run with us are here on a voluntary basis and they get training for 5ks, 10ks, half marathons and full marathons.”
About 12 members of the BGM L.A. chapter ran in Sunday's marathon, Harris said, but the group has more than 6,000 members in total.
“A lot of women come for that supporting one another (and) having a space of bit having a space to air your concerns,” Harris said. “It's not just physical, it's also mental — the accountability, the camaraderie. BGR gives you a foundation and a platform to find other women that are like-minded.”
And, Harris said, anyone is welcome to join them.
“Any woman that wants to run and move with a purpose to be healthy, and to have an active and healthy lifestyle — we support that,” Harris said, “no matter what your race, religion color or creed.”
Empowering Leadership in Latina Athletes also participated at Sunday's big run, aiming to raise funds to help pay for for sports equipment for local schools. The group, established in 2019, seeks to level the playing field for Latina athletes who aren't always equally represented in collegiate athletics, according to ELLA cofounder Patty Godoy.
“We know that as girls continue in their journey, when they want to get serious about playing in college, there are fewer girls of color represented,” Godoy said. “ELLA, meanwhile, works to ensure that young Latina women and girls are encouraged to participate in sports early — and stick with them later in life.”
The group also encourages collegiate athletes to pursue education and leadership skills, Godoy said, so they can have a career post-university.
“We want to make sure they have leadership skills that enable them to be successful,” Godoy said.
ELLA also does community outreach, including staffing a table at the marathon on Sunday — to boost underserved schools.
To help raise money, Godoy and a group of about 40 participated in the half marathon Sunday.
“We're very thankful for everybody that is here fundraising,” Godoy said, “And we hope that they continue to help us because there are a lot of inequalities that are out there in sports community that we want to level.”