For SCU law student JT Service, the March 4th Los Angeles Marathon was a bittersweet experience. On the downside, he was not able to accomplish his goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials due to hot weather during the race (Read the related article). On the upside, he was the top American and finished in 6th place in a major marathon, barely missing qualification by less than two minutes. He started the race at an aggressive but comfortable pace with a group of about ten Americans. They worked together for about half the race since many of them had the same goal in mind. However, the group began to break up around mile 13. By mile 20, eight of the ten Americans in his pack had either dropped out or fell off the qualifying pace. In the meantime, the temperature had been steadily rising. By mile 22, it was close to 80o F in downtown LA, a temperature far too high for a fast performance. Even the experienced African runners were surprisingly pedestrian over the last 10 miles. Running the last 5 miles by himself, Service was able to pass two Kenyan athletes who were suffering from the heat. However, this only served as a small moral victory as he knew that his goal time was out of reach. Service recalls, "My only thought was to continue running and finish the race because my body was quickly beginning to shut down. When I crossed the line I literally could not move another step as I whisked off to a medical tent. I think the medical staff kind of freaked out, because although I could recall my name, when asked my age, I failed to remember if I was 26 or 27 years old. I’m happy because when I get to that state, I know I have given everything I could."
Although Service cannot deny his disappointment in his time of 2:24.50, he remains very optimistic about achieving his Olympic Trials time in the near future. Those who know him say that he’s not a person who delves in self-recrimination but instead works harder for the next race. As for the charitable effort behind his marathon, Service added, "this race was won even before the gun went off. Leading up to the marathon I was able to start a charitable effort for the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center called ‘Swift Justice.’ I received and continue to receive tremendous charitable support from friends, family and the whole SCU Law School community. People have donated both time and money to a great cause in the name of ‘Swift Justice.’ I personally want to extend my gratitude to everyone who contributed because you made this marathon one of the most meaningful races in my life."
Service went on to say, "This has been such a huge success that I am interested in making it a year round event in which other members of the community could compete and raise money in the name of KGACLC through ‘Swift Justice’. There is a strong connection between distance running and the work performed by the Community Law Center. Similar to running, the work at the Law Center requires tremendous amounts of effort and each is often unheralded by the community at large. In the end, when you get a great result from a case or even a personal success in a race, there are few things in the world that provide such satisfaction. I believe in this cause and I encourage everyone to take up the task for themselves and their community."
Stayed tuned for invitations from JT Service and the KGACLC to participate in events in the name of "Swift Justice."
Information about the LA Marathon:
Over 25,000 racers participate in a 26.2-mile marathon every year in Los Angeles. It starts near Universal Studios and makes its way to downtown LA. There are about one million spectators at this major event. More information at http://www.lamarathon.com/
