On Sunday, March 17, two longtime friends and law enforcement colleagues met up in the dark A.M. hours to join several thousand others at Dodger Stadium. The occasion?…To run the largest marathon on the west coast – the Los Angeles Marathon – from the stadium all the way to the sea, and do it to raise funds for charity. Scotty Devereaux ran for the Foundation for Second Chances, while Alex Fernandez ran for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and the L.A. Phantoms baseball team.
The scenic route traverses through our town’s many hot spots, including downtown, Silver Lake, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Westwood. However, while running through Brentwood after the 22nd mile, Alex’s kidneys and muscles began dramatically shutting down. Hallucinating and becoming delirious, though undaunted, with the help of his friend, he finished his goal of all 26.2 miles on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. Alex was rushed to the hospital after running through the finish line, where he would spend a week recovering. Charity-minded and envelope-pushing, both friends refuse slowing down in their efforts to help the community and those less fortunate.