Thousands of runners participate in 37th annual Long Beach Marathon

Sunday, October 10, 2021
LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Thousands of runners participated in the 37th annual Long Beach Marathon on Sunday.

This was the first in-person marathon and half-marathon for some runners as the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was the first year Ken Richardson participated, and he ended up winning it.
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"I almost cried," he said. "It was a lot of fun. Always fun to win. You know I ran around 2:27 which is pretty close to a lifetime PR for me. PR is the personal best or the personal record."

Richardson said he has not done any in-person marathons this year but he did complete several prior to the pandemic.

"It's fun to get out to an event and fun to see people. I know there's a lot of changes still even with COVID but it's nice to get through it and come out and do the race."
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Some runners say it's not just the physical preparation, but the mental work that is a challenge.



"It's a lot of miles and a lot of time," said Richardson. "It's just months of training and a lot of early mornings. Getting your miles in before work and a lot of just trying to stay disciplined. Keep your workouts coming and keep the mileage coming and stay healthy."

About 20% of those who participated Sunday said it was either their first marathon or half-marathon.

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