Just under a month away from the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon, 3,000 middle and high school students in the Students Run LA (SRLA) program completed their final training event by running in an 18.6-mile race at Hansen Dam.
The SRLA Friendship Run 30K was held on the morning of Feb. 18. Around 500 teachers in the program ran alongside their students as they raced to complete the run in under five hours in order to qualify for the Marathon. Participants were from schools that included Magnolia Science Academy 1-Reseda, Nobel Middle, San Fernando High, Maclay Middle and Kennedy High schools.
Even the community had the opportunity to join in. Friends, family members and supporters of the runners were invited to participate in the SRLA Friendship Run 5K to raise proceeds to keep SRLA free for students.
This is SRLA’s sixth, and final, training event of the school year before the LA Marathon – which takes place on March 17. The first was the Bimbo Global Race 5K that took place in September 2023 at Rose Bowl Stadium. Once they’re in the Marathon, the runners will be expected to maintain a 16-minute per mile pace the entire way or they will get pulled out.
SRLA is a nonprofit program founded in 1989 that provides free youth mentoring and marathon training for students in seventh grade and up. This year, the program is celebrating its 35th anniversary. To date, more than 80,000 students have participated in SRLA since its inception.
Among those 80,000 are Anthony Abasi and Nathan Camarena from Magnolia Science Academy. This is the second year in the program for both 17-year-old seniors. They are a part of a group that comprises 35 student runners and three teacher coaches.
Camarena joined SRLA out of a desire to try something new and get into shape, while Abasi was convinced by his friends to give the program a chance, despite his dislike for running. Still fresh after finishing the SRLA Friendship Run 30K, both are self-assured with their performance.
“I was really happy. It was my second time finishing it,” Camarena said. “I was going for a faster time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really do that, but I was happy that I finished it because it was a lot harder than it was last year for me.”
“It was way better for me this year than last year because I [performed] way better,” Abasi said, who cut his time down by an hour. “I definitely had a lot of fun running it this time because I knew I wasn’t going to get hurt.”
With a better understanding of what to expect from the LA Marathon this time around, both seniors are much more confident about the 26.2-mile run than they were last year.
“I’m less scared now because last time in the Marathon I took almost eight hours, and then I got really sick,” recounted Abasi, who pushed himself so all of his efforts wouldn’t go to waste. An SRLA leader stayed behind to keep an eye on him as he ran.
“Since I did those 18 miles with an actual good pace, I think I’m going to do way better on this Marathon, so I’m excited.”
Camarena hopes to finish the LA Marathon in under six hours, which was his time last year.
“I’m definitely more confident than I was before the 18-mile race because, especially this year, I was really nervous going into the Marathon,” said Camarena. “But now that I know that I at least can finish, I’m more excited to actually run it.”
The LA Marathon will start at Dodger Stadium at 7 a.m. The 26.2-mile course will cross through Downtown LA, Echo Park, Beverly Hills and Westwood before ending in Century City on Santa Monica Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars.
so proud!