Southern California residents get a running start

Popularity of marathons help Valley clubs pop up

By Lauren Gustus, Staff Writer (L.A. Daily News)

 

Mark Penn didn't want to become the next Frank Shorter. He just wanted to get healthy.

Penn, who owns a construction company in Simi Valley, was pushing 50 and figured there had to be more to getting in shape than hopping in and out of a pickup truck.

What he learned when he started running on a treadmill at his gym two years ago is a lesson that thousands of people have picked up recently.

Once you're hooked, it can be difficult to stop.

"You get out there, and everything else comes to an end," said Penn, who now has run several marathons, including Boston and Las Vegas. "When you're running, it's like everything else just doesn't matter.

"I love it. I just turned 50. I'm in better shape now than when I was 21."

In a country where obesity is on the rise, running is seen by many as the greatest antidote. Unlike the 1970s, when Shorter won a gold medal in the marathon at the Munich Olympics, the emphasis today is less on speed and more on the personal gratification of finishing a race.

Running groups with as many as 300 members have sprung up all over the Valley, at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa and on trailheads from North Hollywood to Calabasas. During Thanksgiving Week, much of Southern California seems like it is out for a jog.

It is not important whether runners are competing in a 26.1-mile marathon, or a one-mile fun run with the kids. But the more people do, the farther they seem to run.

"The first wave in the early '70s, which was all about running fast, seemed like it would be big," said Marty Liquori, former U.S. Olympic miler and now an ESPN running analyst. "But it wasn't that big compared to now, the secondary boom, which has to do with completing a marathon and has a more social aspect to it."

The Los Angeles RoadRunners, which goes out Saturday mornings in Venice, had a 99 percent finish rate at this year's Los Angeles Marathon. Headed by Valley resident Pat Connelly, the group is among the nation's most successful.

The nationwide Team in Training program, which Liquori helped start, also is popular, especially with women, who make up the majority of new runners. Entrants must raise a certain amount of money for a predetermined charity in order to participate in race training.

"It takes a lot of courage for a lot of people to step out on a limb and possibly have failure," Connelly said. "But we don't allow failure. You coach it in a way that, 'Hey, we're going to do 20 minutes this week and 25 the next.' That's all you want to think about. Don't think about 26 miles next month. That will drive you crazy."

Nearly 30 years ago, there were just 25,000 marathon finishers.

In 2004, almost 25,000 runners entered the L.A. Marathon. For the first time in history, four marathons -- New York, Chicago, London and Berlin -- reported more than 30,000 finishers, according to runningusa.org.

"The new runner didn't know where to begin because they didn't know where to train," said Ryan Lamppa, head of communications for runningusa.org. "Now, virtually every major marathon has a cap or limit on interest. There's a waiting list. That's the new runner. There's a demand."

Runners are likely to be regular Internet users. They log on to check trail locations, message boards and friends' race times.

A timing chip, attached to a runner's shoe, is used in virtually all of today's major races. It allows runners to chart their time and finishing place online within minutes of their finish. Friends of athletes competing in Hawaii's Ironman Triathlon could this year subscribe for live text-message updates.

Running-shoe technology also has improved, allowing runners to stay in the sport longer.

Connelly said running shoes not only add to an athlete's performance, but also prevent injuries that developed from a lack of cushion support.

"When I was at Birmingham High," she said, "I wore shoes that were like clod-hoppers. We used to get injured all the time."

Connelly and Walton see the second boom continuing as long as Americans are concerned about good health. But the people who might need to improve their fitness the most are least likely to get involved. Although the number of active people in the United States continues to rise, so does the number of those with obesity.

"Runners themselves are probably the greatest recruitment tool for bringing other runners in," Connelly said. "You see people getting thinner. Losing inches. Looking younger. Feeling better. People are starting to think more about fitness, longevity of life and taking care of themselves. That's why numbers are so great for (runners) over 35 getting started. They've made the decision to make their life better."

Some clubs, like Penn's New Basin Blues, don't train for specific races. The Blues, whose membership is about 200 runners, seek out valley-area trails. Members run as far as they would like, and everyone participates in a potluck breakfast afterward.

"It doesn't matter how far or how fast you run," Blues president Duffy Walton said. "It just matters that you run."

Walton cited Penn as the prototype for any runner who picks up the sport later in life. He did so when he turned 40.

"That's every one of us," Walton said. "I lost 50 pounds 25 years ago. Kept it off just by doing the things I needed to do. And I can take a roster of the Basin Blues and say this person did the same thing. And this person did, too."

Lauren Gustus, (818) 713-3607 lauren.gustus@dailynews.com

What to look for in a running shoe

The outsole: The treaded layer on the bottom of the shoe. It's usually rubber. In 1972, Bill Bowerman famously melted rubber in a waffle iron and sold the technology to Nike. Now most soles have some sort of pattern. Saucony's trademarked triangle technology gets rave reviews.

The midsole: The most important part of the shoe. It provides both cushioning and stability without making the shoe too heavy. New Balance provides plenty of both.

The upper: The part of the shoe that wraps up and around, includes the laces. It is usually made of some breathable material that allows heat to escape. Asics runners have maximum breathability.

The footbridge: Material in the midsole that supports the runner's arch. Runners generally fall into three categories: Neutral, Pronation and Supenation.

Where to go: Phidippides Encino, 16545 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

Area running clubs: Newbasinblues.org, laroadrunners.com, laleggers.com, www.scrunners.org.