2,000 Take Part in Heart Run : Race: About 1,600 runners and 400 walkers participate in Woodland Hills after obtaining pledges expected to raise more than $50,000.
It was called the Heart Run, but the quartet from Thousand Oaks were walking.
The runners, however, went only five or 10 kilometers. But the four women--Kelly Ann Hubert, 54; Melinda Atwater, 47; Olie McClellan, 51, and Marianne McInerney, 56--kept on going, eventually completing three five-kilometer loops for a total of 9.3 miles on the streets around Warner Center.
They’re aiming to get in shape for a marathon walk, Hubert said.
“We work out regularly so we’ve already planted the seeds,” she said. “Walking adds another dimension. We enjoy the social aspect and we’re more concerned about the time we spend walking than we are about the distance.”
The four friends were among some 400 walkers--along with 1,600 runners--participating in the seventh annual Woodland Hills charity race on a cool, overcast Sunday morning. Like many others, they had obtained pledges of contributions from sponsors that, in all, are expected to raise more than $50,000 for the American Heart Assn.
Robert Barraza of Pacoima, who finished 16th in the five-kilometer race in a personal-best 17 minutes 35 seconds, used the event to tune up for next month’s Los Angeles Marathon.
Barraza, 33, a security guard who works in Glendale, hopes to complete his second marathon. “I ran 3:07 last year and I want to break the three-hour mark this year,” he said.
A former amateur boxer, Barraza said he ran his first road race in the Heart Run four years ago to stay in shape.
“I gave up boxing because I didn’t like hurting people,” he said. But “running is a lot like boxing because you’re out there competing as an individual.”
The Thousands Oaks group has been walking at least 90 minutes twice a week for the past two months. Hubert, who operates a health club, estimates that they would be able to complete a marathon in about seven hours.
“We’re strong enough to finish it,” she said.
Finishing first Sunday were Michael Conover, 22, and Christi Bengston, 29, in the men’s and women’s 5K divisions, recording times of 15:59 and 18:04, respectively. Mario Guttierez, 28, and Christina Lightfoot, 27, won the 10K race in 32:18 and 40:03, respectively.
Jacqueline Carlson, 21, of Westwood was part of a group from UCLA’s Bruin Belles service club and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity that shouted encouragement to competitors along the final mile.
“We were sleepy and at first you don’t feel like getting up,” said Carlson, a sociology and business major. “But once you see all the people here, it gets pretty exciting to see that you’re helping.”
The event, which has raised $153,300 over its first six years, was sponsored by the Warner Center Marriott, James R. Gary & Co. Ltd. Realtors and The Times’ Valley Edition.