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What would you telephone idiosyncratic who has ne'er walked (or run) a marathon successful his beingness but volition effort to locomotion 2 marathons connected back-to-back days this weekend?
“Call maine crazy, I guess,” Don Rodriguez, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach, told maine Monday. “But it’s for a bully cause.”
Rodriguez has committed to walking 52.4 miles Friday and Saturday with Dr. Grant Uba, erstwhile Boys & Girls committee president, to rise wealth for the clubs’ wellness and wellness programs and the Uba Scholarship Fund. They are calling the event, “2 Friends, 2 Marathons, 2 Days.”
Rodriguez and Uba volition statesman their archetypal 26.2-mile locomotion Friday, Oct. 15, astatine the San Onofre State Beach 3 miles southbound of San Clemente. They volition locomotion on coastline trails and the Pacific Coast Highway to Laguna Beach, wherever they volition walk the night, earlier walking the 2nd 26.2-mile agelong to Long Beach connected Saturday.
“I cognize it’s going to beryllium hard,” Rodriguez said, “but it’s for the kids.”
He has been grooming for months for the treble marathon by walking miles each time successful El Dorado Park adjacent his eastside Long Beach home.
Kari Cho, manager of grants and selling for the Long Beach clubs, said she has been impressed with however overmuch clip her brag has enactment into training.
“I cognize helium volition beryllium relieved erstwhile it is each over,” Cho said, “but I deliberation helium volition beryllium capable to bash it.”
Rodriguez, who is 61, said he’s successful the champion signifier he’s been successful for galore years. The resumption of the Long Beach Marathon Sunday, erstwhile thousands of runners and walkers took to the streets of the city, gave him added inspiration, helium said.
“I visualized myself successful the treble marathon arsenic each of those radical were participating successful the authoritative marathon,” helium said.
One of those moving Sunday was idiosyncratic adjacent to Rodriguez — his son, Spencer, who finished the half-marathon.
“Spencer did large and gave maine added motivation,” Rodriguez said.
The treble marathon locomotion was Uba’s idea.
For the past 10 years, Uba, a household signifier doc with the Optum Medical Group, has organized an yearly three-mile walk-a-thon for the Bos & Girls Clubs. But the lawsuit was cancelled successful 2020 due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic.
Uba did not privation different twelvemonth to spell by without a fundraising lawsuit truthful helium decided to instrumentality to the event’s roots and locomotion 50 miles-plus, similar helium did himself successful 2011.
Only this time, Uba decided to travel 1 of his favourite quotes from Ratan Tata, an industrialist and philanthropist:
“If you privation to locomotion fast, locomotion alone,” Tata said, “but if you privation to locomotion far, locomotion together.”
Somehow, Uba persuaded Rodriguez to judge the treble marathon challenge. At first, Uba and Rodriguez planned to locomotion successful the Long Beach Marathon, but determination were scheduling conflicts and that couldn’t beryllium worked retired truthful they picked the adjacent play for their marathons.
Uba is much utilized to strenuous carnal enactment than Rodriguez. Uba ran way astatine some Marshall High School successful Los Angeles and UC Irvine, and has continued walking astir regular since then.
Rodriguez played immoderate shot astatine Notre Dame High School successful Sherman Oaks, but helium is much comfy connected a play people and sofa now.
Training for the double-marathon lawsuit has been challenging for him, too, Uba said.
“But I anticipation it inspires the community, and particularly the nine kids,” helium said, “that adjacent immoderate challenging goals tin beryllium accomplished by taking 1 measurement astatine a clip successful the close direction.”
Rodriguez and Uba are asking the assemblage to donate and/or bargain raffle tickets to assistance them rise funds for the clubs’ wellness and wellness programs. For much information: 562-595-5945 oregon bgclublb.org/BeachWalk.
“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, children person reported an summation successful slump and anxiety,” Rodriguez said. “Our programs absorption connected self-esteem, inclusion, coping and accent management. Club members larn coping strategies to debar turning to substance maltreatment and enactment with programme leaders to code societal issues, beforehand work and reenforce affirmative behavior.”
Also walking with Rodriguez and Uba volition beryllium Dr. Marvin Zamost, a chap doc with Uba successful the Optim Health Group.
Having 2 physicians, 1 of whom is his idiosyncratic doc (Uba), on for the marathons has helped Rodriguez’s comfortableness level arsenic helium approaches his daunting weekend.
“At slightest I won’t person to telephone 911,” helium said with a wide grin.
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