Students Run LA: Private 5K Run at Dockweiler Beach

About SRLA (Student Run L.A.)

The mission of Students Run L.A. is to challenge at-risk secondary students to experience the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by providing them with a truly life-changing experience: The training for and completion of the Los Angeles Marathon.

• Founded in 1989 by three teachers, Harry Shabazian (from East LA), Eric Spear and Paul Trapani
• More than 90% of the young people who attempt The Los Angeles Marathon each year complete the entire 26.2-mile course.
• Students Run L.A. is a physical fitness and mentaring program. While running is the core activity of the program, SRLA students learn discipline, perseverance, and how to set and achieve goals. These lessons translate directly into their education: SRLA students enjoy school, stay in school and graduate at a higher rate than do their peers.
• 34,000 students served in 19 years
• More than 90% of seniors who complete the marathon with SRLA graduate from high school.

SRLA Objectives:

• To provide teacher mentors who assist students in their training and who reinforce the lessons of responsibility, discipline and goal-setting;
• To support students in tackling a supremely difficult goal, to break down their mental barriers to this goal, and to create "can do" attitudes;
• To create an opportunity for students of all ethnic groups, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds to meet one another and experience an important sense of belonging; and
• To offer a program in which all students are welcome, all have the same chance to achieve the goal, and all become winners.

Current Demographics:

During the 2007-08 season, more than 3,500 students participated in Students Run L.A. These students were 12 to 19 years of age, with the majority being high school students, ages 14 to 18. The students were a diverse group: 54% were male and 46% were female; and 75% were Latino; 13% were White; 1',6 were Asian; 3% were Black; and 2% were Pacific Islander, Native American, or of other ethnic backgrounds.

Impact of SRLA:

The need for Students Run L.A. arises from the facts that young people in Southern California are increasingly overweight and inactive, are dropping out of high school, and are at risk of juvenile crime.

SRLA stands out as a solution to these problems by providing youth the opportunity to create life-long habits of running and staying fit, to connect with their teachers and their schools and increase their chances of finishing high school, and to be involved in supervised after-school activities.

Independent studies of SRLA have compared students participating in SRLA and their peers both before and after the Marathon. These studies show that SRLA participants

• Have better grades
• Miss fewer days of schools
• Have fewer behavior problems
• Are more likely to have plans to attend college or university after their high
  school graduation.

Student Wins:

"Since joining (SRLA) my academics have (improved) from being a 3.0 GPA student to becoming a 4.0 GPA student." (Andres from Lincoln High School

"Running gives me ... the feeling that I have accomplished something great ... Running bas become the foundation on which my world stands balanced." (Melissa from Verdugo Hills High School)

"Participating in Students Run LA has changed my life forever ... With discipline, determination, confidence, strength, and pride, you can accomplish any of your dreams." (Adolfo from Hollywood High School)

"When I started the year I only considered going to a community college. But being a part of SRLA, I had a change of mind and began to want to go to a University of California ... 1 have been accepted to UC Santa Cruz." (Jeremiah from Verdugo Hills High School)

"If I can run 26.2 miles four times and run all those races, I can surely succeed in college and become a successful woman." (Sally from Camino Nuevo High School)

SRLA Scholarship Program:

An important component of the Students Run L.A. experience is the scholarship program. This initiative provides scholarship awards to graduating seniors who have completed the Marathon with SRLA. The money may be used for their college tuition and expenses. Students fill out an application describing themselves, their experience with SRlA, their experience in school, and their need for financial assistance. Applicants are evaluated on their grades, essays, financial need, and participation in SRLA and the marathon. In June 2008, SRLA awarded 181 scholarships.