MID-CITY The 22nd annual Los Angeles Marathon is more than about winning a race or crossing the finish line under a certain time.
For one woman, it’s about proving to herself and daughter that she can rise from the dark shadows of domestic abuse and overcome the challenges she has faced as a single mother on the streets.
It’s about hitting back at life. The mother of a 5-year-old daughter, Angela always considered herself to be an athletic and active person before she gave birth to her child. Being single and juggling jobs with the responsibilities of motherhood left Angela with very little time or energy for extracurricular activities.
Then last summer, the client at Sojourn, a battered women and children shelter at OPCC on 16th Street, was presented with the opportunity to train with the Road Runners, the official training group of the marathon.
It was always a lifetime goal for the former athlete to run a marathon.
A victim of domestic violence, Angela was referred to the GAIN Program at Sojourn to receive individual counseling for her and her daughter. The program is aimed to help women get off the welfare system by teaching life and parenting skills.
“The goal is to help them heal from domestic violence and become self sufficient so they can get out of welfare,” said Mayerly Vanegas, Sojourn’s GAIN Program manager.
After considering the chance to join the tens of thousands of people from around the world who participate in the LA Marathon every year,Angela, now 44, decided to sign up.
“I was in a very good place emotionally when I signed up,” she said on Friday.“Being through the hard times and facing the challenges of homelessness, once you’ve done that, anything else just looks easy.”
After registering for the LA Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, Angela began training with the Road Runner group, getting back into top shape in order to complete the rigorous 26.2 mile-course through the city of Los Angeles. After suffering from pneumonia the year before from complications with asthma, training initially proved to be a difficult task.
Being the athlete that she is, Angela was quickly able to regain her previous form.
“They’re an amazing group,” she said of the Road Runners.
This was the first time the LA Marathon partnered with Sojourn to provide a training program for battered women, Vanegas said on Friday. Angela is the only Sojourn client that decided to jump on board.
“We’re really excited that she’s doing this because in domestic violence, the batterer will systematically tear away the confidence of the victim,” Vanegas said. Running a marathon is a way for a battered woman to reconstruct that lost confidence.
Training with the Road Runners was going well until a few months into the program when Angela pulled a muscle in her waist, causing her pain whenever she made side to side motions.
That injury and ongoing personal problems shattered Angela’s dream of ever running in a marathon.
It wasn’t until one morning a few months ago that her little girl snapped Angela back into reality when she suggested that her mother should go running again. It was then that Angela decided to pursue her marathon dream and to give her daughter the medal that all participants receive upon completion.
Due to her nagging injury, Angela won’t be able to run the marathon. She’ll be forced to walk the entire course. Having walked 22 miles three weeks ago, Angela is certain that she can cover the entire course as long as she doesn’t develop another injury.
What started out as a goal to fulfill a life long dream has fueled her determination to prove her demons wrong and to show her daughter that anything is possible.
“I want to get that medal and when I see her at the finish line, I want to run up to her and put it on her neck,” Angela said, her voice quivering as she began to cry. “It’s about putting the medal around my daughter’s neck and showing her that I can do anything that I put my mind to.” (Editor’s note: “Angela’s” real name was withheld from the story to protect her identity.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 3, 2007. Read the original PDF.