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Santa Clarita Marathon To Welcome Thousands To Finish Line Sunday

There will also be road closures in Santa Clarita because of the marathon.

More than 5,000 people will be crossing the finish line at the Santa Clarita Marathon on Sunday, with thousands of different reasons why.


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For Lori Kozik, 42, of Canyon Country, running is a way to stay fit, but for this year’s marathon, her first ever, she’s running to remember.

Kozik, who’s done several half marathons, said something affected her deeply when tragedy struck in Boston.

“I am running for Boston,” Kozik said. “When the Boston Marathon tragedy hit in April, I decided I’m definitely doing the full marathon.”

She would be thinking about those who lost their lives or who might not be able to run anymore after the bombing during the Boston Marathon that left three killed and more than 200 injured.

She’s been training since January, originally intending on running a half-marathon, but she registered for the full marathon in July.

Kozik, who volunteers at KHTS AM-1220, said she’s sought and received a lot of advice from people.

One of the most useful tips, she said, was to not think about the run.

“A gentleman told me to focus on swinging my arms and then you don’t you think about how tired your legs are,” she said. “I started concentrating on my upper body and before I knew it I’d already gone a couple of miles.”

The 26.2-mile path is relatively flat, said Pat Downing, who’s coordinating the event for the city of Santa Clarita, and the weather is expected to be perfect.

“We have a couple of paseo bridges that you go up and over,” Downing said. “They’re not hard, they’re just annoying if you’re running that far.”

The event has become an international draw for the city, Downing said, adding that runners from more than 20 states and five countries are expected to participate.

For the marathon, the record time for men is 2:20.46, which was run by Brian Spandenberg, of Castaic; and for women, it 2:56.18, run by Mandy Granz, of Pasadena.

However, Kozik, who ran cross country in high school, said her main goal for her first try was to finish the race.

“I don’t want to be last,” she said smiling. “I don’t want the pacer car behind me, coming around and picking up the cones and telling me to hurry up.”

Kozik also wanted to thank all the volunteers who are making the race possible, her husband, Andrew, and two of her high school friends, Kerri Spurlin and Donald Tarin, who’ve been supporting her efforts.

“I’ve been told that after the first few miles, it’s all mental,” Kozik said. “You just have to get into the mindset that you can do it.”

There will also be road closures in Santa Clarita because of the marathon.

Here’s a frequently asked questions section put together by city of Santa Clarita officials. There’s also a map of the race available on the city’s website: scmarathon.org.


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.


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Santa Clarita Marathon To Welcome Thousands To Finish Line Sunday

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.