For many of them, the journey began months earlier\u00a0with early morning practices, weekend training runs, and a belief that something seemingly impossible like a marathon\u00a0could actually be done, but for many this is a return.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited about all the work our students have put into the season,\u201d said Gaby Arvizu, President and CEO of Students Run LA. \u201cWhat stands out most is their resilience and their focus. They support one another to accomplish their goals, and that sense of community is incredibly powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students spent months preparing together, building not only endurance, but friendships that carried them through every mile.\u00a0The path to this year\u2019s marathon was not easy.<\/p>\n
Last year, many SRLA participants faced a unique obstacle when wildfire impacts disrupted training schedules and forced organizers to cancel a major milestone event in their training calendar, the Rose Bowl Half Marathon.<\/p>\n
![\"Signs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/student-1.jpg\")
Signs direct Students Run Los Angeles participants at the LA Marathon on Sunday, March 8. Photo: Michelle Edgar<\/p>\n
Instead of running together in Pasadena, students were forced to complete the 13.1 mile race virtually, running separately with their school groups, but\u00a0pushed forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had to run the half marathon basically on their own with their school sites,\u201d Arvizu said. \u201cBut they remained focused on their training journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
That determination carried into this season\u00a0\u201cDespite everything going on in the world, they remain very positive and optimistic,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re committed to this journey and accomplishing the goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
For many teenagers, the marathon represents something far bigger than a race.\u00a0It becomes a lesson in discipline, perseverance, and belief in themselves.<\/p>\n
The marathon fell on International Women\u2019s Day, adding another layer of celebration to the event.\u00a0SRLA has been working intentionally to increase opportunities for young women in endurance sports, and the effort is paying off.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year we saw the highest number of female participation ever, with 49 percent girls in the program,\u201d Arvizu said. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see that continued momentum and to celebrate the female runners and leaders who serve as role models.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Paul Trapani, one of the program\u2019s co-founders nearly four decades ago, this year\u2019s marathon carried an especially emotional weight.\u00a0Just weeks before the race, Trapani\u2019s son Cameron passed away at age 32.\u00a0For years, Cameron had been deeply connected to the SRLA community, becoming in many ways a symbol of the program\u2019s spirit.\u00a0\u201cThis year is particularly special,\u201d Trapani said quietly at the race. \u201cOur son Cameron passed away last month.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cameron had lived with multiple disabilities and health challenges throughout his life. Yet those who knew him remember a person defined not by hardship but by strength and joy.\u00a0\u201cHe overcame a tremendous number of obstacles throughout his life,\u201d Trapani said. \u201cAnd he did it with strength and persistence.\u201d<\/p>\n
In many ways, the values Cameron embodied mirror the philosophy of Students Run LA itself. The program teaches young runners to pursue their best selves, not by competing against others, but by overcoming their own challenges. \u201cBeing the best you can be without worrying about being better than anyone else,\u201d Trapani said. \u201cThat\u2019s what Cameron represented.\u201d<\/p>\n
In honor of Cameron, many runners chose to wear black ribbons during the race.\u00a0Trapani hopes the gesture carries a broader meaning.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that when people wear the ribbon, it\u2019s not just about Cameron,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s about someone in their life that they loved and lost.\u201d\u00a0For many participants, that spirit of remembrance became fuel during the hardest miles of the race.<\/p>\n
Behind every SRLA runner is a network of volunteer coaches who dedicate months guiding students through the marathon journey.<\/p>\n
At 32nd Street School, leader Bryan Birrueta has watched some of his runners grow up within the program.\u00a0\u201cSome of these students have been running for five or six years now, since seventh grade,\u201d Birrueta said. \u201cThis might be their last marathon with us, so it\u2019s special.\u201d\u00a0The marathon is often the culmination of years of mentorship and dedication.<\/p>\n
Leaders become trusted figures in their students lives, helping them navigate challenges both on and off the course.\u00a0\u201cThis race is about more than running,\u201d Birrueta said. \u201cIt\u2019s about seeing what they\u2019re capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along the marathon course, the students themselves tell the story best.\u00a0For Damian Mendoza, a student at Bravo Medical Magnet High School, the marathon marked his third time completing the race.\u00a0Training began months ago. \u201cWe started training around August or September,\u201d Mendoza said.\u00a0Through long Saturday runs and grueling mileage, he leaned on the people around him. \u201cI was glad to run with my friends for most of the race,\u201d he said. \u201cThey helped motivate me and push me through.\u201d\u00a0When asked what carried him through the toughest miles, Mendoza didn\u2019t hesitate.\u00a0\u201cMy family and my friends,\u201d he said. \u201cAll the people that support me in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
At just 16-years-old, Fabricio Martinez was already running his fourth marathon through SRLA. He joined the program in middle school after discovering a love for running as a child.\u00a0Throughout the race, he focused on one simple strategy. \u201cI just think of each mile as a milestone,\u201d he said.\u00a0The final stretch tested him. \u201cThe last six miles were very hard, but I made it through.\u201d<\/p>\n
For senior Nicolas Soltero, this year\u2019s race carried a sense of closure. It was his fourth SRLA marathon, and likely his final one before graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one was really challenging,\u201d Soltero said. \u201cThe heat definitely played a big factor.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0As the miles added up, he found motivation in the people waiting for him at the finish line.\u00a0\u201cI thought about my family and my friends,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to disappoint them.\u201d<\/p>\n
After crossing the finish line, one person in particular was on his mind. \u201cMy girlfriend surprised me and came today,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n
For Nicholas Gomez, known to his teammates as \u201cA-Train,\u201d the race was a chance to take in the city one last time before graduating.\u00a0\u201cThis marathon meant a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s my last year since I\u2019m a senior.\u201d His favorite moment, \u00a0\u201cSeeing the Oscar statue,\u201d he said, laughing. \u201cI even got a selfie with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For coaches like Oscar de la Baya, watching students achieve something so difficult never gets old.\u00a0\u201cWe have ten students running today,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been putting in all the work. Every day they show up and run.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seeing them finish the marathon is something special. \u201cIt\u2019s just the most amazing feat that they\u2019re accomplishing.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the students themselves, the experience will stay with them long after the soreness fades because\u00a0running a marathon at seventeen or eighteen years old is not just a race, but\u00a0a blueprint for life.<\/p>\n
As Trapani reflected on the meaning of this year\u2019s race, the lesson felt especially clear. \u201cThese kids are out there overcoming obstacles, and when completing the race, they\u2019ll feel the gratitude and accomplishment that comes with it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From resilience after wildfire disruptions to running in memory of a beloved son, around 3,000 young Angelenos took…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":641860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2961,271396,72161,224,6080,5337,50,52],"class_list":{"0":"post-641859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-la-marathon","12":"tag-lausd","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-los-angeles-county","15":"tag-losangeles","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116195907708646715","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=641859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/641860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=641859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=641859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=641859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}