Marathon

Since September, students from Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School have given up their free time after school and met for early morning runs at the Rose Bowl to train for the Los Angeles Marathon. On Sunday, that sacrifice and dedication paid off when all 37 students crossed the finish line. “I saw parents who were excited; I saw parents who were relieved when their child crossed that line,” said teacher and running mentor Terry Parker. Those students are members of the Crescenta Valley Running Club and ran as part of the Student Run Los Angeles program.

After a five-month hospital stay, grueling chemotherapy treatments and a cord blood transplant, 11-year-old Patrick Aghaian is back at home and leukemia-free. Patrick was diagnosed in June with acute myelogenous leukemia, an aggressive kind of blood cancer, said his father, Edwin Aghaian. He is still recovering his strength, and he’s being home-schooled this year, but “the big nightmare” of combating the disease is over for now, Aghaian said. As he watched his son undergo treatments for leukemia, Aghaian said he learned about the medical research that was still needed in developing treatments and cures for blood cancer like his son’s.

When Glendale resident Henrietta Bovitch decided to get in shape, she learned there was more to exercise than just the health benefits. Bovitch, 61, discovered that walking and even an occasional jog could be a fun way to pass the time. She took daily walks around her neighborhood, and before she knew it, she was walking longer distances and jogging at times. Bovitch changed her eating habits and continued to exercise. She decided to participate in marathons and charity walkathons, and made it her goal to take part in many as she could.

Congratulations to the more than 100 La Crescenta and Montrose residents who participated in last weekend's annual Los Angeles Marathon, including the 28 student runners from grades 6-12. Listed are the top 20 finishers from La Crescenta: Donald Danlag 3:43:01 Brad McDonald 4:05:28 Vicken Sepilian 4:05:59 Eric Haag 4:12:17 Griffin Riedel 4:26:51 Cory Williams 4:36:52 Sooyul Byeon 4:44:46 Ann Eckels 4:50:36 Carols Gallegos 4:53:26 Josh Straschewski 4:57:09 Eli McDonald 4:57:14 Lora Anderson 4:59:35 Anna Jackson 5:11:04 Scott Parrish 5:12:20 Michael Weaver 5:12:20 Ramen Chmait 5:14:53 Jennifer Ahn 5:20:49 Byung Kim 5:20:51 Louis Mo 52:46 Li-Chyn Wu 5:22:46 denotes Student Run Los Angeles participants

Bianca P. Gallegos The road was lonely and the weather got progressively hotter. But neither of these factors hindered Crescenta Valley High School and Rosemont Middle School members of Student Run L.A. (SRLA) from crossing the finish line last Sunday. The students who completed the 18-mile Friendship Run that took place at Hansen Dam last Sunday met the qualifications required to participate in the L.A. Marathon scheduled for March 4th. The runners numbered 28 and are all that remain of the original 50 students who started the rigorous training for the marathon last fall.

Charles Sayles has run at least 20 marathons a year for the past three years. He runs more than 20 miles a week. He doesn't eat junk food. He's 69. "Slow and steady gets you through it," Sayles said. "Each time I do it, I'm very thankful." The Glendale resident finished his 79th marathon Sunday in Houston, Texas. It beats his original goal of finishing 70 marathons before he turns 70 by more than a few miles — 235.8, to be exact. And as an added bonus, former President George H. W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, were at the finish line greeting runners as they crossed.

The 16 members of the Verdugo Hills Hospital Fitness Team returned to work this week a little bit sore and tired but in high spirits after completing the Marathon Des Deux Rives in Quebec, Canada, on Aug. 27. For most team members, who spent 10 weeks working out at the Rose Bowl every Saturday with professional trainer Robert Mills, it was their first time taking part in a race of any length. Some team members walked or ran - or did a combination of both - in the 13.1-mile half-marathon while others took on the full 26.2-mile-long marathon.

The Verdugo Hills Hospital Fitness Team is just $9,000 short of its goal to raise a total of $46,400 in sponsorship before it jets off to take part in the Marathon Des Deux Rives in Quebec, Canada, on Aug. 27. The 16-member team has been training at the Rose Bowl every Saturday morning for the past 10 weeks in preparation for the 26.2-mile marathon. While some plan to walk or run the full marathon, others are hoping to complete the 13.1-mile half-marathon. With only a couple of weeks to go before the big event, the team has put out a final plea for the community to help support its efforts by closing the fund-raising gap. "This is a great opportunity for our team members to meet their own personal fitness goals while at the same time raise money for the hospital," said Margaret Kean, president of the Verdugo Hills Hospital Foundation, who is also taking part in the marathon along with the hospital President and CEO Leonard LaBella.