Blair’s L.A. Marathon team (Photo – PUSD)
Only a small fraction (about 0.17 percent) of the world’s population has run a marathon. Students from Blair School are part of the elite few after completing the 2023 LA Marathon.
By News Desk
Eight high school students and ten middle schoolers started training in August with Students Run Los Angeles (SRLA). They started with a 5k in September and increased the distance each month. Breck Sequeira, a 10th-grade runner, says his team was like a family running by his side.
“The hardest part of running is mostly happening mentally,” the 16-year-old runner said. “You must keep going and that is where it gets really tough. The most rewarding part is saying that you have done something that less than one percent of the world’s population has done and you did it as a student, a teenager.”
This is Sequeira’s fourth time completing the marathon. He is also a straight-A student, takes AP calculus, runs cross country and competes in track & field. He plans to continue running marathons until at least senior year.
This is Blair’s ninth season with SRLA, one of few schools outside of Los Angeles and the only school from the San Gabriel Valley to compete.
“It takes a lot of willpower to push through the miles, especially once you get to double digits,” said 13-year-old Eduardo Maroto Campos. Campos is one of Blair’s youngest runners and came in first for the team, finishing the marathon at 3:58! He said, “So far, the two times I’ve done the marathon I’ve learned a new lesson about myself and also about life.”
Another runner, 14-year-old Aurora Patlan, is in 8th grade at Blair and has also completed two marathons. “It was very challenging, but so worth it in the end! I enjoyed running with friends while also training for something that is very important,” Patlan explained. “The hardest part is the mental challenge of starting the run. There are many times when my head worries a lot and tells me that I won’t be able to finish it, but you just have to push those negative thoughts away and focus on what you’re doing.”
Coaches Veronica Yepez and Eric Glenn, who both teach at Blair International Academy, are incredibly proud of the focus and determination displayed by the entire team.
“If they can run a marathon, they can do whatever their hearts desire. It is an honor to share the course with our kids.” said Coach Yepez. “I would not be running marathons, or running at all, if it were was not for the students that we run with. They inspire me to keep going, and they are the ones that keep me coming back each and every year,” said Coach Glenn.
Source: PUSD. Edited by Ann Hunnewell
Fantastic! Thank you for this!