The Santa Barbara International Marathon returns to La Playa Stadium on Saturday. (Presidio Sports Photo)
It?s Veterans Day weekend and the Select Staffing Santa Barbara International Marathon is doing its part to pay tribute to the men and women who have served our country.
The fourth annual marathon and half marathon is on Saturday. The half marathon begins at 7:15 a.m. at the Page Youth Center and the marathon goes off at 7:30 a.m. from Dos Pueblos High. The finish for both races is at Santa Barbara City College?s La Playa Stadium.
Race organizers have set up events that will honor veterans during the races.
There will be a fly over of four U.S. T-34 aircraft and the last mile of the courses will be known as the ?Veterans Mile? (Shoreline Park to La Playa Stadium). The mile will be lined with military vehicles, American flags and campaign flags from all the wars/conflicts of the 20th century. All veterans are encouraged to line up along the last mile.
The official marathon shirts will have the words: ?The first 25 miles are for me, the last mile is for the veterans.?
A vintage World War II Army Jeep, named the “Pierre” from Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Museum, will lead the way for the full marathon. Pierre will be driven by retired Lt. John W. Blankenship, co-founder of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Museum and Library.
The SBIM has partnered with the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Museum.
?The Santa Barbara International Marathon takes place annually on Veterans Day weekend, so it is a perfect time to celebrate and honor some of our greatest and most dedicated citizens ? our veterans,? SBIM Technical Race Director Dan Campbell said.
?Santa Barbara has a large supportive veteran population, and we want to make Santa Barbara the place to celebrate Veterans Day weekend,? said Blankenship. ?Training for a marathon takes a lot of dedication and tenacity; both are values that service men and women exemplify.?
The marathon field will include runners who are veterans, among them is the 25-member National Guard Team of Elite Runners. They are led by Sgt. First Class Michael Hagen, the team coordinator. His team members are from all over the country and have won numerous awards, most recently at the Kauai, San Francisco and Missoula marathons.
The combined races will attract more than 5,000 runners to Santa Barbara. The runners come from all over the world
Kenya?s Moninda Marube returns to defend his title. He holds the course record of 2:22:38.
The half marathon will feature elite runner Alvina Begay. She placed fifth at the 2012 USA Half-Marathon Championships in June, finishing in 1:12.25. She also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters.
Local favorite Andrea McLarty will be running the half marathon this year. She won the inaugural SBIM Marathon, the Half Marathon in 2010 and took second in 2011.
?We are excited Santa Barbara is drawing runners of all abilities from the elites to the first-time marathoners,? race co-director Rusty Snow said. ?It is a great course with a very supportive crowd of people lining the streets and cheering on runners. Santa Barbara is an amazing place to run.
?Growing up in a single-parent home, I learned first hand that the strength of a running community is a positive influence on kids and the community at large,? Snow added. ?SBIM?s dream has always been to make Santa Barbara a world-class running destination and empower local youth runners and encourage and enhance running at all levels.?
The Santa Barbara Marathon has partnered with the Santa Barbara Athletic Association (SBAA), a not-for profit that supports running in the Santa Barbara community.
SBIM will donate thousands of dollars that will go back to support youth running programs in Santa Barbara County. As well, SBIM has partnered with the Community Environmental Council (CEC), a not-for-profit with a mission to educate and wean Santa Barbara off of fossil fuels and Sansum Diabetes Research Institute research center devoted to the prevention, treatment and cure of diabetes.
Other events worth checking out:
FRIDAY
High school football? CIF-ss Ford Championships: Cathedral (8-2) at Santa Barbara (8-2), 7:30 p.m. — After scoring an emotional win over crosstown rival Dos Pueblos to earn a share of the Channel League title, the Golden Tornado (school?s playoff nickname) open the Western Division playoffs against a team that has a quarterback headed for LSU. Hayden Rettig, a 6-4 senior, has thrown for 20 touchdowns in leading the Phantoms to an 8-2 record. The team finished third in the tough Mission League.
High school football ? CIF-ss Ford Championships: Culver City (6-4) at Dos Pueblos (7-3), 7:30 p.m. — The Chargers received a psychological boost when they were granted a home game after falling to Santa Barbara in the Channel League title game last week. They?ll be looking for someone to step up and help the running game in the Western Division playoffs. Culver City has a balanced attack, led by the passing and running of quarterback Xan Cuevas. The Centaurs finished third in the Ocean League.
High school football ? CIF-ss Ford Championships: Bishop Diego (10-0) at South Torrance (4-6), 7:30 p.m. — Bishop figures to have a chip on its shoulder after the CIF-SS ordered the Tri-Valley League champion to play all their playoff games on the road because of an alleged rules violation. South, the fourth-place team from the Pioneer League, has lost four of its last five games.
College football ? West L.A. at SBCC, 7?p.m. — The Vaqueros look to finish the season with a .500 record.
SATURDAY
College women?s basketball ? SBCC Bash by the Beach: The third-place game of the season-opening tournament is at 3 p.m. and the championship is at 5. Joining the host Vaqueros are L.A. Southwest, Fullerton and Glendale.
