Run for it!

After months of training, buckets of sweat and countless tasteless energy bars, they’re ready -- or hope they are.

More than 26,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes will take to the streets Sunday as the Los Angeles Marathon kicks off its 23rd year with a 26.2-mile race through Hollywood, Koreatown, Boyle Heights, downtown and points in between. Many of those chugging along will be first-timers who have loaded up on carbs, checked the batteries in their iPods and prayed for cool weather and overcast skies.

Some have studied the course and read up on the vagaries of race day. But nothing compares with hearing from those who have gone before. These five L.A. Marathon runners have been through it all -- achieving personal records, hitting the wall, throwing up, getting drenched and battling an almost overwhelming urge to give up. Here, they offer tales of their best and worst races, reveal this year’s marathon strategies, give advice for newbies on how to make it past the finish line -- and divulge their own personal quirks. Full story, Page 8.