Over the years, the Los Angeles Marathon has become an opportunity for many organizations and individuals to fundraise for good causes.
Through charity program partners, the last two events each raised more than $4 million dollars.
Hope the Mission this year, with a team of runners, participated in the LA Marathon as a culmination of its fundraising efforts to combat homelessness in the San Fernando Valley, raising $45,000.
In December 2025, Hope the Mission President Rowan Vansleve launched a campaign to run 50 marathons in 90 days, with Sunday’s race being his last one. In total, Vansleve ran a distance of 1,310 miles and raised just under $200,000.
It wasn’t the first time that Vansleve had participated in the LA Marathon, but this time he wasn’t on his own.
He was joined by Hope the Mission CEO Ken Craft and 75 members of the nonprofit’s marathon team – which included individuals who were previously homeless – some of whom had no prior experience running a full 26.2-mile course.
“Ken and I have been friends for so long, and we’ve done so many of these outrageous fundraising … [campaigns] together,” said Vansleve, referencing when the pair cycled from their North Hills-based headquarters to Washington, D.C., in 2024 and when they walked 1,300 miles from Seattle, Washington, to North Hills in 2025.
“We started the marathon together, [but] we kind of lost each other along the way,” Vansleve continued. “I finished up a couple of hours ahead of him, but by the end of it, we arrived at my house, and we sat down and drank as much water as we could, and kind of reminisced on how great it was.”
Most of the members of the marathon team also made it to the finish line, but those with little to no experience with running for such a long distance, understandably, had a rougher experience at the event.
Hope the Mission also had the support of various run clubs, including Valley Guys Run and Valley Girls Run Club, who ran alongside them and helped support the nonprofit in its fundraising efforts.
“For me, it was incredibly humbling,” Vansleve said. “I’m just so thankful for the support. … I had people who are our donors … send me text messages. It was so inspirational and so supportive. I was almost in tears and a little bit overwhelmed by the support that I’d received and, personally, felt almost just unworthy of it. [There was] so much love and positivity.
“It’s really the best of LA when everybody comes together and just uplifts and supports [each other]. It was an exciting time.”
Although Hope the Mission is still short of their campaign goal of $250,000, Vansleve said they will continue to collect donations, as there are still thousands of homeless people out on the streets in need of support and that is a “never-ending run” to bring everyone indoors.
While he did have company during the LA Marathon, Vansleve was usually by himself while running the other marathon-long courses leading up to Sunday. Reminiscing on his campaign experience, Vansleve described how isolating it felt, but said he kept thinking about how his loneliness paled in comparison to the marginalized people on the street and the hardships they faced.
“I’m not sure that I would be strong enough to navigate the trauma that comes with being unsheltered in Los Angeles, and every time someone reached out, every time someone showed kindness to me in all of the marathons, it was life-changing for me,” Vansleve said.
“The one thing I wanted people to take away is we need to treat everyone with love, dignity and respect. We need to be kind and uplifting, especially those who are marginalized, facing homelessness and other struggles.”
Though the campaign is technically over, Hope the Mission is continuing their work to help the unhoused community, including opening four new shelters in the San Fernando Valley and LA beginning in April.
To donate to Hope the Mission, visit https://hopethemission.org/50in90/.