Malibu Puts On Its Running Shoes
First time running the 'Bu
By JOHN ADAMS and JONATHAN LLOYD
Updated 6:56 AM PST, Mon, Nov 16, 2009
Two 39-year-olds, Todd Martin of Pacific Palisades and Lisa Fink of Newhall, won Sunday's inaugural Malibu International Marathon.
Martin completed the 26-mile, 385-yard course in two hours, 58 minutes, 23.7 seconds. Chris Price of Thousand Oaks was second in 3:01.48.1.
Fink won the women's division in 3:13:07, the seventh fastest time overall. Margot Fleming of Glen Ridge, N.J., was second in 3:19:48.8.
One runner collapsed from exhaustion and was taken to a hospital, but is fine, a race official who asked not to be identified told City News Service.
The race, billed as "The Run to Paradise," began at the Camarillo Airport, then continued through Ventura County's flat farmlands. At Mile 10, the field of about 500 ran through the "Keyway to the Coast," a rock passageway to the Pacific Ocean.
The remainder of the course was along the Pacific Coast Highway and concluded at Zuma Beach.
The race was organized by the Malibu-based Forever Runners LLC, whose five directors have run more than 400 marathons, according to race director Lisa Ohlson.
The Malibu City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 14 to allow Forever Runners LLC to operate the race for five years. Ohlson said she expects the field to double next year.
The race raised funds for various organizations in Malibu. The city received $10 per entrant, which it will use to benefit its clean water programs, Ohlson said.
Organizations benefiting from the race include the Malibu Boys & Girls Club; Malibu Green Machine, which is seeking to install a landscaped median strip along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu; and Christopher's Haven, a home for families whose children are undergoing cancer treatment.
The race's other charitable organizations included the Malibu Special Education Foundation, which funds programs for students with disabilities in the Santa Monica-MalibuUnified School District, and The Shark Fund, which raises funds for various programs at Malibu High School.
Another beneficiary was Future Leaders for Peace, which describes itself as a group that "gives young people an outlet for expression, while teaching positive ways of approaching life challenges and dreams."
The Malibu International Marathon was the second marathon in Los Angeles County to debut this year. The inaugural Pasadena Marathon was run March 22.
Copyright City News Service / NBC Los Angeles
First Published: Nov 14, 2009 1:51 PM PST
You Might Like
You have 2000 characters left
