Sweat dripping down their faces, the sound of their feet touching the ground and their hearts speeding up is all students participating in Students Run LA (SRLA) can feel as they run their practice miles.

On Saturdays,  they are up by 6:30 a.m. and preparing for the Los Angeles Marathon, which will take place on March 15, 2014.  The marathon will start from Dodger Stadium and wind 26.2 miles to Santa Monica.

“I have run distances of about three to four miles before around my neighborhood,but this will be my very first marathon,” sophomore Sandra Aguilar said.

SRLA is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Over 3,000 LAUSD students participate in the Los Angeles Marathon every year. SRLA’s mission is to challenge at-risk students by helping them set goals for themselves and help them become more well-rounded. This is the first time that Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) has had a SRLA team.

Along with Aguilar, seniors MyGemLee Guzman, Robert Tapia, Anthony Melgoza and Waldir Henriquez make up the DPMHS SRLA marathon runners. Social science teacher Robert Hoeks is the sponsor of the team and has run the Los Angeles Marathon three times before and is looking forward to seeing the students participate.

“I wanted students to have an opportunity to accomplish something big like running a marathon to empower them because once they think they can accomplish that, they will be able to move on to big and greater things,” Hoeks said.

They practice every Saturday at Sepulveda Boulevard and Plummer Street for a couple of hours, preparing them for the marathon, which will be the students’ first.

“I feel confident that I can finish it. I put all my effort when we practice so when time comes to run the marathon I will be able to,” Melgoza said.