At 9:39 a.m Sunday, Wesley Korir crossed the finish line first at the Los Angeles Marathon with a time of 2:09. Just 16 minutes later, Edna Kiplagat was the first woman to break the tape, clocking in at 2:26. Both runners hail from Kenya.
At the same time that morning, thousands of children in Kenya and across the African continent also won an invaluable prize thanks to the L.A. Marathon as hundreds of runners representing “Team World Vision” ran the same 26.2-mile course for the purpose of raising funds for these needy little ones.
Ryan Hall, U.S. Olympic Marathoner, supported the team.
“Joining Team World Vision was an answer to prayer,” Hall said. “Now we have something very tangible that we are fighting for out on the track, roads or grass — to help the sick, orphaned and poor all over the world.”
Andrea Wittig, West Coast director of World Vision, was busy last weekend.
“We sponsored 90 runners in the 5K on Saturday and 80 in the marathon today,” Wittig said.
“Our goal is to raise $50,000 to $75,000 specifically earmarked for providing clean water in Africa, and, most recently, Haiti.
World Vision wasn’t the only organization supporting children in the L.A. Marathon. Finishing in five hours and 14 minutes, well behind the top 10 finishers, Mike Smith had a different purpose for running the marathon. He ran 26.2 miles to support Students Run L.A., which challenges at-risk youth to experience the benefits of setting goals and developing character.
In addition to Smith, 2,800 students and volunteer leaders participated in the race for SRLA. The organization supports and funds at-risk secondary students. As part of their mission and ministry, they help children learn how to set and achieve goals, develop character and discipline and improve overall health.
The SRLA participants participated in a life-changing experience by unleashing their potential and running the L.A. Marathon as a hard-working unit. Sporting lime green jerseys, Smith and his teammates were hard to miss.
Smith shared his energy while reflecting on Sunday.
“I wanted to serve with this ministry because I love to work with kids and enjoyed the running aspect of it,” he said. “I got into the marathon with the students, and I enjoy all the support from fans attending the event.
By running, you see a lot of different things, and that keeps me from getting bored. I love helping out the students and supporting them.”
40,000 students from SRLA have finished the L.A. Marathon over the past 21 years, according to the Los Angeles Times,
