Wheelchair Winner at Home in the Rain

Count Saul Mendoza among the few who are actually looking forward to another waterlogged Los Angeles Marathon when more than 23,000 competitors take to the streets today for the 16th running of the event.

The four-time men’s wheelchair division champion said rain-slicked streets help his finishing time.

“That’s actually one of my favorite times,” Mendoza said. “It’s hard for us, but I always enjoy racing in the rain and I’m ready for that. There’s a special groove on the wheels that helps us to go faster.”

Mendoza, 32, blew away the field in winning last year’s race, which began with an inch-an-hour downpour, in 1:42:33, nearly two minutes ahead of second-place finisher Joel Jeannot of France.

“It might be a little harder on everybody,” Mendoza said. “But I think it would be nice if it rained--it would keep it cooler.”

Mendoza, who was born in Mexico City but lives in Snellville, Ga., has been in a wheelchair since he was a child after contracting polio.

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The L.A. Marathon is the largest participatory event in the United States with some 23,000 professional and amateur participants in the marathon, 15,000 cyclists, several hundred wheelchair racers and 3,000 participants in the 5K run/walk and about 1 million spectators.

Plus, with 17,192 finishers in 2000, the L.A. Marathon was the fourth-largest marathon in the country last year, behind New York (29,375), Chicago (27,889) and Honolulu (22,652).

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Marathon participants who finish the 26.2-mile course within 5 1/2 hours of the overall winner will be able to download a video of their finish off UPN13’s Web Site https://www.kcop.tv 24 hours after the event. The videos will be available online until April 4.

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Due to the chip technology that was introduced to the L.A. Marathon in 1997, individual finishing times will be available online at the marathon’s official Web Site https://www.lamarathon.com almost at the exact moment a participant crosses the finish line.

A chip is attached to each runner’s shoe in order to get a more accurate time and dissuade runners from cutting the course and cheating during the race.

L.A. Marathon XVI

* When: Today.

* TV: Channel 13.

* Races: Bike tour (begins 6 a.m. at USC); wheelchair race (begins 8:20 a.m. at 5th and Figueroa); marathon (begins 8:45 a.m. at 5th and Figueroa); 5K (begins 9:45 a.m. at Staples Center).

* On the Net: https://www.lamarathon.com

COURSE MAP B2