Jim Davis Staples

Jim Davis continued his membership as a Los Angeles Marathon Legacy Runner,  the elite group of competitors who have taken part in and completed all 32 editions of the annual race.On Sunday, March 19, Davis finished the 26.2 mile race in 7:41, shaving off nearly minutes from last year and posting his the best time since having knee surgery a few years back.But the 76-year-old Sylmar resident also had a scary post-race moment.While waiting for his ride home, Davis passed and hit his head. An ambulance took him to the hospital where doctors told him he was dehydrated and that he had a urinary infection. He was released Sunday, around 9 p.m.“I finished no problems. I walked to the place where the guy who picks me up to take me home. I was waiting and next thing I know I was being carried away in an ambulance,” said Davis on Tuesday, March 21, while recuperating at home with seven staples in his head. “I felt good after I got to the hospital,” Davis said. “I couldn’t understand it. I felt fine. I drank a lot more fluids than I usually did.”The only thing he can attribute the post-race reaction to is that this time he didn’t do any training for the Marathon, unlike previous years, to not tax his surgically repaired knee.“I wanted to keep the knee (strong) without wearing it down,” he said.Davis  said he felt good and strong during the race despite falling on mile two in a puddle. He completed his first four miles in under 15 minutes, but a change in the course that brought in a steep hill made him slow down. From them on, he simply walked the rest of the way.He was not the only participant to have health issues at the race. A total of 101 people were evaluated by paramedics for possible injuries. Of those, 14 people were carted off to local hospitals from the race course, with only two of them needing immediate medical treatment, organizers said.Seven people suffered minor injuries.Despite his post-race trauma, Davis is optimistic about next year’s event when he hopes to do even better in his time, and maybe run.He’s having his right knee replaced later this year and hopes to properly train for the marathon.“I finished, that’s exciting. I wasn’t the last one of the Legacy Runners,” he said.“It was a great time on the course. People really give us a lot of encouragement. It’s a nice time.”His balance was still off on Tuesday and he felt a little woozy, partly due to the antibiotics, but he said he feels fine.And he has his 32nd marathon medal.