Marathon

Dash recognized as race warm-up Published Dec. 28 Organizers of the third annual Glendale Downtown Dash today said the event would be recognized as an official warm-up race for the L.A. Marathon in March. The 5K run/walk benefit for the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, organized by the Downtown Glendale Merchants Assn., is scheduled for March 14, with the starting line set in front of the Alex Theatre on North Brand Boulevard. The L.A. Marathon is scheduled for March 21. As part of the warm-up race program, L.A. Marathon Roadrunners will receive a $5 discount on the $25-entry fee for the Downtown Dash, organizers said.

Alexa Capeloto GLENDALE -- Church members often pray together, sing together and worship together. But run together? Four members of the Glendale Community Church of God are training to run a marathon in Dublin, Ireland, on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation. If each of the four raise $4200 for the foundation, they will be flown to Ireland for the Oct. 30 race. "This feels to me like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Linda Morton, who is running with fellow church members Beth Horton, and Stan and Diane Kirschner.

OK, people of the 818. Listen up – I’m in need of some help. I am calling on you – all you avid readers of Fit for Life (don’t laugh if you are one of the only five people reading). Consider this as my first request: Give me some ideas on any running clubs in the 818 area. I love, and I mean love to run alone. In fact, when someone asks to come running with me, I most likely change my schedule in a second to a time when I know they can’t join me. I know, I’m terrible like that.

Marshall Allen GLENDALE -- Child SHARE is looking for people willing to open their homes, wallets and hearts to help foster kids. The Glendale-based group works with churches to build a network of support for people interested in foster care and adoption. Funded by individuals, grants and corporations, Child SHARE has found homes for 1,200 kids in the past 16 years, executive director Joanne Feldmouth said. Feldmouth uses numbers to establish the vast need.

DOWNTOWN — More than 1,250 runners and walkers crossed the finish line on Brand Boulevard on Sunday morning after they whisked through three miles of city streets in the Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s second annual Downtown Dash. Crowds of onlookers cheered them on as they dashed to the finish line, which Los Angeles resident Leonel Avalas, 39, crossed first at 15 minutes and 33 seconds. Avalas often participates in run/walk events because running is his sport of choice.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Marathon veteran Vazgen Aghajani wants you to give running a chance. "To a lot of people, running is such a tortuous thing," he said. But it won't be so at the fourth annual "Just for the Health of It" 5K and 10K Run/Walk on Sunday at Verdugo Park, said Aghajani, an event organizer. "You run or walk at your own pace," he said. "Everyone is a winner." The event is meant to celebrate and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

If you see a spunky gal stepping lively down Kenneth Road, it could be Theresa "Terri" Ulbricht. The Glendale resident is training for a marathon and a half in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on Sept. 11 and 12 in Santa Barbara, and in New York Oct. 16 and 17. It is presented by the Avon Foundation for Women. Ulbricht has not only walked, but brought in more than $48,000 in donations over the last three years. Participating in the walk is a tradition she's kept since 2007, soon after she completed her own battle with the disease.

Molly Shore The past year has been life-altering for Donna German. In that time, German, who once topped the scales at nearly 300 pounds, lost more than 100 pounds through Weight Watchers and is preparing to walk in Sunday's city of Rome Marathon in Italy, as a member of Team Diabetes. "Between [the marathon] and Weight Watchers, my whole life has changed," German, 61, said. "I consider doing a marathon a miracle." German, a systems analyst at the Nestle headquarters in Glendale, said she waited until she lost 50 pounds before she started daily lunchtime walks in July.

Janine Marnien She runs three miles three times a week to help her get in shape for the AIDS Marathon in December. It will be the first marathon La Crescenta resident Patti Kilkenny has ever participated in -- at 65 years old. It's a way to put to use some extra energy she has as a result of medication she's taking, she said. "I started riding horses to do something with all this energy, and one time the horse got away and started running," she said.