SANTA MONICA—Runners from all 50 states and more than 60 different countries met at Dodger Stadium at 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 19 for the 32nd Annual Los Angeles Marathon.

About 24,000 people ran the 26.2-mile route, called “Stadium to the Sea,” which began at Dodger Stadium and ended in Santa Monica – the course turns south toward downtown before traveling through Silver Lake, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Santa Monica. The finish line is just north of Santa Monica Pier, at the intersection of Ocean and California avenues.

Elisha Barno and Hellen Jepkurgat, both of Kenya, were 1st place winners of the men and women’s divisions. Barno took first in the men’s division, clocking in at 2 hours, 11 minutes and 52 seconds; Jepkurgat won the women’s race in 2:34:23, nearly two minutes faster than Kenyan Jane Kibii, who was behind her, at 2:36:12. The LA Marathon offered its 26.2 course for runners 16 and older, and its LA BIG 5K race for all ages.

Several of the marathon’s participants came from non-profits, such as Students Run LA – an organization that challenges at-risk secondary students to “experience the benefits of goal-setting, character, development and improved health by providing them with a truly life-changing experience: The training for and completion of the Sketchers Performance Los Angeles Marathon,” according to its mission statement.

“We do this for fun,” said a 15-year-old participant, who attends Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Boyle Heights, to CBS Los Angeles. “We do this because we live for running and we do this because we love running.”

For results from both races, visit the LA Marathon website at www.lamarathon.com.

Written By Callie West and Sabrina Bush