Natalie at her graduation from John H Francis Polytechnic. She will attend Cal State LA!

Natalie didn’t think she would be good enough to run the LA Marathon after two years of being quarantined and doing little to no physical activity. When she decided to join, her parents were apprehensive, nevertheless, her parents motivated and supported her all the way through. Natalie completed the marathon and became her mom’s role model, so much so that Natalie inspired her to sign up to run the LA Marathon next year! Natalie is a graduating senior from Polytechnic High School and will attend Cal State LA this fall.

Before quarantine struck, I was regularly doing cardio workouts at my local gym to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, after the two-year isolation, I stopped being active in order to avoid contracting the virus that could endanger my family and me. As I was unable to do exercise, once we returned to school I decided to join a sport as I never had the chance to participate in one before. I came across a program in my school called SRLA that prepares students to train for the LA Marathon. After a long break from running, I was convinced I couldn’t meet the expectations that SRLA had but I decided to do it anyway because it had been a lifelong goal of mine to run a marathon. At first, the process was extremely hard and oftentimes I was thinking of quitting the team but despite my doubts, I motivated myself to devote my time to running.

Natalie and her teammates wearing their 2022 LA Marathon bling!

Running took up a lot of my free time as I stayed after school four times a week, and my Sunday mornings for long distance runs. With running being one of my top priorities, I explained to my parents about my decision of joining SRLA and asked for their support. They were both apprehensive about me joining the team because of my poor nutrition and selective eating habits. Their primary concern was that something would go wrong because I had never participated in a running sport before and had little expertise with long-distance runs. Even with my parents' concerns about my training, I wanted to show them that I was capable of running the marathon and entirely devoted to my own nutrition like eliminating unhealthy foods. They understood it would be difficult, but they believed in my ability to make these adjustments in order to improve my health habits.

My mother has always been my biggest supporter and we both share a common hobby of running. We had countless running days where we ran together and supported each other with each step. She would even come out of her way to volunteer by handing out water, food, and other essentials to the runners on the days of long-distance running. After she was kind enough to prepare healthy nutritious meals for everyone on the team. I would not have had such a wonderful time in SRLA if it hadn't been for her and the other parents' support and their constant motivation.

Throughout my journey with SRLA, I felt welcome as a member of the team. My SRLA leader would give us encouragement and reminders that we didn't have to be the quickest runners but what mattered was that we finished the designated miles. They inspired me and my teammates to keep running. While I had encouraging team leaders, I also had supportive team members who became close friends of mine. Every time we passed each other while running, we'd all motivate each other to keep going and that was the best part of running long distances with them.

I didn’t realize how my mindset takes a huge factor when dedicating my time to running. I often had fallen outs where I felt like my pace wouldn't improve and felt incapable of running more than 18 miles. Although I had these doubts, I continued to run to prove that I am able to achieve anything if I set my mind to it, and so I did. With countless hours of training and dedication, I got more confident in my ability to run long distances. The day had finally arrived when I ran the Los Angeles Marathon. My parents came to support me in mile 20, despite the fact that it was impossible to come with so many people cheering the runners on. When they came to the event, I was automatically encouraged to complete the marathon. As I was running, I came across a student who was sitting on a curve in the street, face down. I walked up to the student and asked what was wrong, they explained to me that they felt like they couldn’t continue running. I reassured them that they could do it and that they had been training for this very moment. They got up and kept running, eventually finishing the marathon and thanking me for my kindness. Even after receiving the medal, I felt more accomplished after inspiring someone to believe in themselves. It was a heartwarming experience, especially because I was able to make my parents proud of my accomplishments and willingness to help others. This was enough to inspire my mom to run the LA Marathon next year and it's remarkable how I became a role model for her in the same way she is for me. This proved to me that I should not be afraid of the challenges that life throws at me as I will find a way to overcome them.

Overall, my experience as a member of SRLA was amazing, and I could not have done it without the donations that enabled me to do so. With the endless support from my family and SRLA team, I was able to complete my biggest accomplishment of completing the LA marathon.

Although I am disheartened that I will not be a part of the SRLA, it being my last year of high school, it inspired me once again to run the marathon next year. Every end of the finish line is a start for another run.

Rapid Fire!
My favorite race has been...
Definitely the LA Marathon because it was my first and I felt the most accomplished!
Something you can’t run without…
My energy block gummies and my phone!

A special SRLA memory was when…

When my team and I had a post celebration of congratulating ourselves with our training and our accomplishments of running the designated miles.

Favorite post/pre run snack…

Bananas and oranges!

Someone/ something that inspires you to run…

My mother was the one who motivated me to start running and also inspired myself with my long-held goal of finishing my very first marathon!

DO YOU WANT TO HELP STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING THEY SET THEIR MIND TO?

Learn more about our programs to get involved. Donate, volunteer, or sponsor our students to make a difference with SRLA.

Senior Stories: Natalie, Achieving Anything and Everything

Students Run LA