Enderle, Mota Rekindle Careers With Roadrunners

Brenda Enderle just wanted to make some new friends. Darlene Mota was hoping to make up for lost time.

Their goals varied as much as the climates they left behind, but Enderle and Mota found a common thread after moving to Orange County last spring. They joined the South Coast Roadrunners, an Irvine-based running club that quickly put a spark back in their running careers.

Enderle, 26, moved to Fountain Valley from Phoenix in May, following her fiance who was beginning his residency as an orthopedic surgeon at various hospitals in Southern California.

Enderle was a junior college All-American in cross-country at Mesa (Ariz.) College from 1992-93, then ran the next two years at Grand Canyon University. After that, she dropped out of competitive road racing and planned to stay away, even after locating the Roadrunners via the Internet about two months after moving to the area.

“I just wanted to get into running again for fun,” Enderle said. “Then I saw some people who were quality runners and that inspired me to begin racing.”

One of those who inspired Enderle was Mota, who moved to Orange County from Seattle in March. Mota, 36, is a former Olympic trials marathon runner who has been in and out of competitive running since high school.

She moved to Irvine following a transfer from her employer, Boeing Co. A new co-worker invited Mota on a training run with the Roadrunners.

Mota was initially hesitant because of a back injury she suffered two years earlier in a car accident. It had prevented her from running since. But Mota finally felt good enough to give the club a try about the time Enderle signed up.

“We don’t really know too many people, so it’s nice to have each other for support,” Mota said. “It’s great to have a female with her potential to train with. In the past, I only had men who would train with me.”

The weekly structured workouts gave Enderle and Mota the discipline they needed and soon they began inspiring each other to go faster. Before long, their legs felt like they used to.

“Getting together with someone a little better than me made a big difference,” Enderle said.

A month of training paid dividends for Enderle on Aug. 13. In her first competitive race in five years, she finished 13th in the women’s division and third in her age group at the America’s Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego. Enderle’s time of 1 hour 23 minutes 53 seconds broke her five-year-old personal best by 2 1/2 minutes and was 12 minutes faster than her time on the same course in 1998.

Mota’s is targeting the Long Beach Marathon in November.

Mota ran in the Olympic trials in 1996, then ran a career-best 2:40 marathon in late 1997, which qualified her for the 2000 trials. But shortly after that race she was involved in the car accident, which sidelined her for more than two years, including the trials.

Part of what drives Mota is her belief that another lifetime best is within reach.

“I feel like I need to try again and give it everything I have,” Mota said. “A lot of women my age are still running fast times.”

NUTS AND BOLTS

The South Coast Roadrunners include members of all ages, speeds and styles who train for races ranging from 5Ks to marathons.

The club gathers twice a week on the Irvine High track near the Heritage Park Youth Center, and hosts a Saturday run at locations throughout Orange County.

The club supports one local race a month and members usually get a discount. Club dues are $25 per year or $40 for families.

For more information on the Roadrunners, check out their web site at www.roadrunners.org.

If you have an item or idea for the running report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at dan.arritt@latimes.com