Legacy Saturday

I’m sure you’re aware of our Legacy Runners. This group of 248 has run every single LA Marathon, 23 in a row. Occasionally some of them will get together for a group workout, and last Saturday Lou Briones and Denny Smith invited me to join them for a morning run in Playa del Rey. While I wasn’t quite up to their complete 11 mile outing, I did manage to do a short run and meet a bunch of the crew. They’re a great group, and there isn’t anyone more committed to the LA Marathon. Denny brought along his collection of 23 years of marathon artwork, and we gathered for a quick group shot before taking off.

Peter

Rod Dixon’s 1983 New York City Marathon victory

Without question one of the greatest races of all time. 25 years later, Rod filled us in on what it was like from his point of view. The closest finish in the history of that Marathon. Incredible.

Peter

Toni’s LA Marathon Top 5 highlights, #5

Last time Toni Reavis stopped by the office, he gave us his top 5 all-time LA Marathon highlights. We found the videotapes, and here’s what we came up with for the 2006 race. This clip illustrates just how exciting our Challenge is.

Peter

The word of Rod

There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be. ~George Sheehan

Toni Reavis’ top five running movies

1) The Sting, 1973. Robert Redford does some of the best on-screen running several times in this entertaining period piece. Put him on the 4 X 400 meter Tinsel Town Dream Team.

2) Running, 1979. Starrring Michael Douglas, this pic portrays running in such high camp, i.e. Douglas wearing his necktie as a headband (huh?), that it bends all the way past bad back into good (in a masochistic sort of way).

3) Marathon Man, 1976. Dustin Hoffman was a real distance runner, and portrayed the act and the mentality honestly in this George Roy Hill directed Nazi-themed thriller.

3) Jericho Mile, 1979. Word was that Peter Strauss got down into the low 4:20s while filming this made-for-TV prison-yard yarn.

4) Chariot's of Fire, 1981. Not because it won the Academy Award as best picture of the year, or because of the Vangelis score, but because it nailed the imbalanced, morally repugnant relationship between athletes and their federation officials, the vestiges of which remain with us today.

5) Fire on the Track, 1995. The Story of Steve Prefontaine, America's most charismatic runner, and now James Dean-like legend told by those who knew him best. Their efforts helped start and sustain the running boom of the 1970s in whose field we still toil today.

Goodies, but no bags

The LA Marathon will hand out goodies this year, but without the attached bags. After really looking at what many events call “goody bags,” we felt we could do better for our participants. Typically, these plastic bags are filled with a bunch of paper flyers and possibly a few things that someone would actually be interested in. In the case of the LA Marathon, 50,000 participants and volunteers mean that “goody bags for all” create a colossal amount of waste and don’t significantly improve the customer experience. So we’re cutting the waste and improving the experience, all at once. We’ll make sure everyone gets their goodies from Honda, Clif Bar and other partners while we give the environment a break.

Russ

Our 5 most popular posts of the last month

Here are the LA Marathon's top five articles from Jan. 1 - Feb. 1, 2009. Results are based on Google Analytics and in order of overall page views.

1. Raise your hand if you want a technical shirt - Peter

2. LA Marathon price increase 4/1 - Russ

3. New earlier marathon start time - Nick

4. A sustainable marathon? - Peter

5. Who here runs with music? - Peter