Dr. Andrew Lindsley captained group from Malibu church running for Team World Vision at March 16 race
Dr. Andrew Lindsley laced up his running shoes and completed the LA Marathon’s city-spanning course on March 16.
The 47-year-old was the team captain for a group of runners from St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in Malibu, who ran the race with Team World Vision, a group participating to raise funds to provide clean water to vulnerable populations around the globe.
Lindsley completed the 26.2-mile footrace in four hours and 43:20 minutes. Lindsley, a cross country runner in high school, said completing LA’s world-renowned distance race was an activity to check off on his bucket list.
“My time was a little bit slower than what I was hoping for, but as a first time marathoner — first and foremost you want to finish,” he said. “It was a little slower than what I was hoping for but there are always opportunities to go faster.”
This year was the sixth time St. Aidan’s members participated in the marathon with Team World Vision, a Chicago-based Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to tackling the causes of poverty and injustice worldwide.
Lindsley ran in the running spectacle’s Charity Challenge half marathon last March. He completed that in 2:21:45.
“I’m not getting any younger, and I wanted to keep the momentum going from my race in 2024,” Lindsley said about competing in this year’s version of the marathon.
Rev. Joyce Stickney of St. Aidan’s, who hit the streets for LA Marathon, said the endurance spectacle was an uplifting and positive experience.
“People, not cars, took over the heart of the city and people moved at the human pace, supporting each other, achieving together as an eclectic, life-affirming community,” she said.
Stickney noted how one St. Aidan’s member, who lost her home in the Franklin Fire and then again in the Palisades Fire, was so excited to participate in the marathon she couldn’t sleep the night before.
“My favorite part of the race was the continual laughter and joy,” Stickney recalled. “So much humor and positivity at a time when there is so much despair, fear, devastation, and anger. It wasn’t hard to push ourselves physically surrounded by friends and supporters while doing something to benefit others.”
Six St. Aiden’s members participated in the LA Marathon this year. Lindsley led the church’s training sessions for the marathon at Zuma Beach. The sessions featured other members of the church and community, who had various levels of jaunting experience.
The group raised over $16,000 for Team World Vision.
Lindsley said it is inspirational to see how successful Team World Vision’s clean water efforts are and wants to run the LA Marathon’s full course or half marathon again.
“I’ll definitely do some version of the marathon next year,” he said. “I will be working to raise money for Team World Vision again. That is the passion that keeps me motivated.”