Marathon

It was a tough lesson to swallow, but one that definitely has stuck — long-distance running and junk food do not mix. “You have to watch what you eat,” Tiffany Duarte, 14, said. “If you eat the wrong thing, you can definitely feel it while you run. I ate hot Cheetos before a nine-mile run and then I felt like my throat was all hot. I felt sick.” The eighth-grader is one of a dozen Rosemont Middle School students and staff members who will test their stomachs — and their legs — Sunday by running 26.2 miles from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica as part of the Los Angeles Marathon.

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.

If you?re anything like me, you avoid with great effort having to commute to ?the other side of the hill.? So, when this year?s Los Angeles Marathon route cut a Mason-Dixon Line from downtown to the Santa Monica Pier, only one thing could make me want to get in my car and venture into that warzone on race day. My wife. Though her already healthy limits of personal fortitude are tested daily by yours truly and proven sound, she?s always looking for new ways to push herself. So she decided she had nothing better to do Sunday than run 26.2 miles with 26,000 other people just because.

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.

GLENDALE — The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene.   LIONHEART GRABS HYEFIGHTER HONOR Glendale’s own Art “Lionheart” Hovhannesyan was recently named the Hyefighter of the Year for 2008 by Hyefighters.com at the website’s annual awards banquet on Wednesday in North Hollywood. In addition to the award, Hovhannesyan was also presented with a $3,500 check by 2007 award recipient, Roman Mitichyan , a mixed martial arts fighter from Glendale, as well.

LA CRESCENTA ? Officials for Students Run L.A. ? the organization that has funneled Crescenta Valley students into the Los Angeles Marathon ? said Tuesday that area schools would no longer be part of the program after failing to find a local teacher to administer the program. For the past few years the regional Students Run L.A. organization has challenged students to run the 26.2-mile marathon, but requires that teachers serve as mentors and administer the program. For years, Rosemont teacher Terry Parker took on the role, but last year he had knee surgery and is not able to run this year or next.

LA CRESCENTA — A Rosemont Middle School program that funnels students into the Los Angeles Marathon is in jeopardy of being canceled if a teacher who is willing to train and run with the kids is not found, organizers said. For the past few years the regional Student Run L.A. program has challenged students to run the 26.2-mile marathon. Many students begin training in September, getting up weekend mornings at dawn for training runs at the Rose Bowl or for early Student Run L.A.-sanctioned races.

After getting up for early morning weekend runs at the Rosebowl, running after school and in numerous 5Ks, 10Ks and an 18-mile run, the students from the Crescenta Valley Running Club are ready for the Los Angeles Marathon. The club is part of Students Run Los Angeles (SRLA), a program that is made up of students and teachers from Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School. The students began training for the marathon in September for what they thought would be a March run. Late last year the decision was made to move the date to May 25 which not only extended their training session but caused some concern about the higher temperatures expected on Monday.

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.