Students Run LA, also known simply as SRLA, is a community program to participate in the training and completion of the Los Angeles Marathon for middle and high school students. Our school gives all 7th through 12th grade students the opportunity to participate in this event.
Our SRLA team has a lot of new, and returning students, all having mixed feelings about their experience so far.
“[ I decided to join the SRLA team] because most of my friends were there that were in another class and I really wanted to be with them,” said 8th grade student Cheeno Tinio.
Tinio enjoys running with his friends, especially since he doesn’t get to see them that often. He also likes the sport in general.
“Running has changed my life. It has become my lifestyle,” he said.
Even though he is passionate about running and enjoys it with his peers, he might not join the track or cross country teams in high school.
Both track and cross are pretty similar to SRLA, except that SRLA is marathon training and the others are official running sports.
“I probably won’t [join track] but it depends…my schedule is very tight,” said Tinio.
“It feels really good [being on the team]. I really enjoy being on the team mostly because as a senior I’m a very experienced runner so I get to educate these middle schoolers about running and help them improve,” said 12th grade student John Gabuya.
Gabuya was on last year’s 2022-2023 SRLA team and had a lot more running experience even before then.
“It’s definitely a great opportunity to take,” he said.
Even though Gabuya missed last month’s event, he will be participating in the 10 kilometer/6 mile run on October 22nd.
“I think I’m prepared [for the 10k run],” said 8th grade student Eric Wei, “I have definitely seen improvement since I joined the team.”
Wei was motivated to join SRLA because all his other friends decided that they wanted to give the team a shot. He was also simply motivated by the competition.
“All my friends were there and I just wanted to see if I could do it. It’s pretty fun,” he said.
Wei also considers joining the track team, but it also depends on his schedule.
“I really like SRLA, it’s really fun. You get to run with the Gomezes and they make your experience fun,” said Mia Flores, 11th grade student.
Flores enjoys the company of both the Gomezes running with them and being encouraging.
“It’s really nice. You get free stuff and the community’s nice too; there’s a lot of people.”
Flores participated in it last year, the first time that they had the SRLA program at our school. “Last year the team was really good, the community was really good, and the experience was really good.”
“I joined it because of my friends and also just to work on my stamina and my running for future sports,” said 8th grade student Breanna Tolo.
Tolo really enjoys being on the track team and spending time with her friends.
“It’s so fun and also we get to do fun stuff throughout the years,” she exclaimed.
Tolo loves the running aspect of SRLA; she’s considering track and volleyball in high school and might do both.
“I figured out that I lost some weight and my speed and my stamina has gotten higher [since I first joined the team],” she said.
The SRLA program benefits both students’ physical and mental well-being.
“[I joined the team] because I needed to focus on my physical health,” said 8th grade student Melissa Lizarraga.
Lizarraga also really likes being on the team, but probably won’t do track or cross in high school.
“I like it, but it’s too hard,” she said.
Lizarraga also has seen improvement since she started running.
“My stamina is way longer and I can run faster,” she said.
Although it may be challenging, students enjoy the competition that the SRLA program brings. It helps them experience the benefits of goal setting and character development as they are provided with a life-changing experience. Let’s appreciate and cheer on our young marathon runners!
