Former Malibu Times contributor has run in all 39 editions of the event
Seventeen Malibuites jaunted through the streets of Los Angeles in the 39th Los Angeles Marathon on March 17.
They were among the 26,000 participants from all 50 U.S. states and over 70 countries that ran from Dodger Stadium to Century City’s Avenue of the Stars. It was the second-largest field in the marathon’s history.
The Malibu residents that laced up their sneakers to run in the 26.2-mile race, which is one of the marathon racing word’s signature events, included Aja Frierson, 37; Ani Dermenjian, 57; Branch Shubin, 21; Chandler Parr, 31; Darcy Rose, 33; Dashiell Ross, 33; Giana Fote, 31; Jacob Watt, 21; James El-Deiry, 23; Jonathan Koo, 21; Linnea Nelson-Sandall, 22; Mary Hawkins, 80; Nicole MacDonald, 23; Rick Wallace, 66; Robert Calfas, 74; Sarah Fischbach, 45; and Tyson Park, 82.
Wallace is a Legacy Runner, a group of 95 individuals who have wheeled, walked, or run to the finish line in every L.A. Marathon since its inception in 1986. Wallace, a former Malibu Times contributor retired from real estate, and the Legacy Runners, all between the ages of 54 to 87, passed their 1,000th mile in the marathon at mile 4 in the most recent edition of the race.
“It was pretty cool,” Wallace noted.
Wallace finished the marathon in 6 hours, 19 minutes, and 18 seconds, which is his slowest time ever in the event. He knew he wouldn’t put on his best performance in the race, though, because he was injured for a couple of months last fall. He only did five runs of 13 or more miles ahead this year’s Los Angeles’ running spectacle.
“I knew it would be my first race over six hours,” Wallace said. “Its grueling. It really gets harder. I came out of it pretty well. I didn’t have pressure on myself. All my experience helped. I knew exactly what was going to happen.”
Fischbach completed the marathon in 2:20.38. Ross, Parr, Watt, El-Deiry, Koo, MacDonald, and Calfas all finished between four and five hours. Park crossed the finish line in 5:37.14. Frierson, Rose, Nelson-Sandall, Hawkins, and Dermenjian completed the marathon in north of six hours.
The race’s route gave marathoners a running view of various Los Angeles areas and landmarks including Brentwood, Little Tokyo, Art Deco L.A. City Hall, and Hollywood.
Over 200,000 spectators lined the route and cheered the runners on.
Kenyans finished in the top two spots in the men’s field and the top spot in women’s field. Dominic Ngeno won the men’s race in 2:11:00 and Stacy Ndiwa won the women’s race in for the second straight year in 2:25:28.97. Cosmas Kiplimo was second in the men’s race with a time of 2:11:05.55. Belarus’ Volha Mazuronak’s time of 2:25:48.65 snagged her second place in the women’s field.
Wallace plans on participating in the 40th edition of the marathon in 2025.
“I don’t see an end,” he said. “I still have the option to do a lot more walking. Half of the Legacy Runners are walking the course.”