From Tagger to Runner : A promising program helps Los Angeles kids run away from trouble

If you’re trying to break a bad habit, a replacement activity is extremely important. Otherwise, those old ways will haunt you. For Jason Bender, the bad habit was being in a graffiti tagging crew.

One of the most obvious eyesores in Los Angeles is graffiti, an ugly, somehow psychologically threatening phenomenon. (Not surprisingly, many of the readers who wrote in about the flogging sentence for an American tagger in Singapore applauded the harsh penalty.)

One clue to dealing with tagging perhaps can be found in the story of Bender, who has traded in his spray paint for running shoes. “They (the taggers) just aren’t my friends anymore,” explained Bender, 18, of Reseda. The reason is a five-year-old program called Students Run L.A., which helps at-risk youths develop self-esteem and motivation by training for the L.A. Marathon. The March 6 marathon attracted 970 teen-agers from Students Run L.A. More than 90% of them finished the race, according to Students Run L.A. co-director Marsha Charney. It took Bender more than 6 hours to finish, but, Charney says, the point “is to complete it, not compete.”

Another benefit of the program is the link forged between youngsters and teachers. For example, Bender says that Paul Trepani of Aliso Continuation School in Reseda is “like a father to me.”

For those who stick it out, Students Run L.A. has produced gratifying results. “If they smoked, they stopped,” Trepani said. “If they were normally late for class, they began showing up on time. If they had no plans to graduate, they made them.”

For his part, Bender plans to become a police officer. Sounds like those taggers had better start training, too.