As more than 26,000 marathoners raced past historic landmarks of the City of Angels in the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon, local track and field coaches Sergey Sushchikh and Ryan Painter didn’t just cross the finish line commemorating the 26.2-mile trek — they powered through and placed in the top 20 .   The dedicated runners were determined to complete the LA Marathon for their own personal reasons, and persevered through extensive training before arriving at Dodger Stadium on Sunday ready to endure a course that traveled across Chinatown, palm-tree-filled boulevards, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Rodeo Drive.    Sushchikh, who coaches the Saugus High School track and field team, placed eighth overall and West Ranch track and field coach Ryan Painter placed 18th, according to the Los Angeles Marathon results available online.  Having competed in previous marathons, including the LA Marathon only a few years ago, Sushchikh’s participation this year was deeper than just placing high in the overall results and earning himself a medal.  In memory of Emilio De La Torre, Sushchikh and a few of his college friends decided to run the LA Marathon as a way to celebrate their friend’s life, honor him and his dedication to working with special education youth.   “This one was kind of special. We were in college together and he ran marathons, so to celebrate his life we decided to all do it, that was the motivation,” Sushchikh said.  Sergey Sushchikh and his friends run the Los Angeles Marathon in memory of Daniel De La Torre, who often went by Emilio, and raise funds to support underprivledged youth on March 16, 2025. Courtesy photo. De La Torre died in July last year at just 29 years old. He was a teacher at Almansor Academy, a special education school in his hometown of South Pasadena. In his honor, the collective of runners also simultaneously raised over $10,000 for a cause he deeply cared about, which was providing essential resources to underprivileged children.   Sushchikh described his training plan as “a pretty short turnaround” as he had just completed and placed 28th in the California International Marathon in Sacramento held in December.   “I only had about 10 or 12 weeks to recover from that one and prepare for this one. About half of my training is running with the distance kids on the track team that I coach,” he said, and “just getting a lot of mileage, making sure that I had a good, solid long run every week to start building up that distance that you expect during the marathon,” was how Sushchikh further prepared for the LA Marathon, he added.   But taking on the challenge of two marathons back to back came with its challenges as well. Sushchikh found himself experiencing fatigue when he wasn’t fully recovered from December, he said.   “I think I brought the intensity back too soon. I really had to back off training quite a bit in January to make sure that I was recovered and just modified training and made sure I had plenty of rest,” Sushchikh said, adding that what helped him and his friends stay motivated was a group chat where they encouraged and poked fun at each other.    Sergey Sushchikh runs the Los Angeles Marathon on March 16, 2025. Courtesy photo. He also credits the support of his wife, Amber Sushchikh, for his success, noting that “she understands the commitment and what it takes” to accomplish a marathon. Amber was also a runner at their alma mater, UCLA.   “I really just can’t say enough about how much she’s just helped, and having her on board. I’ll train early mornings, I’ll train late at night, and a lot of our weekends. We’re kind of sacrificing part of our weekend together so that I could get the training so just having that stable and supportive home life helped a lot.”   For Painter, who reignited his passion for competitive running toward the end of the pandemic, the focus was on rebuilding his strength and endurance for the marathon distance. In the past he only competed in half marathons, but used it as a blueprint to train for the LA Marathon.   “I really wanted to do it here in L.A. on home streets, close to family, in a place that felt very special and familiar,” he said. “Began to work specifically toward this goal of the LA  Marathon probably about four months ago and the training consisted of a steady increase in weekly mileage from anywhere from 80 to 100 miles per week.”   A challenge the 26-year-old had to overcome was climbing out of a mental and physical hole after he was scheduled to run the California International Marathon in Sacramento but came down with the flu.   Ryan Painter runs the Los Angeles Marathon on March 16, 2025. Photo courtesy of Ryan Painter. “Training went perfectly, exactly according to plan, no setbacks. Everything went flawlessly, all to wake up with a very severe case of the flu four or five days before the race,” Painter said. “It was a difficult hole to climb out of, both mentally, physically and made me really question whether or not training was worth it.”   “Navigating the fallout from that situation, getting back to training at full capacity and putting the disappointment behind me. In pursuit of this, this new goal was difficult but ultimately made the process and the result even more rewarding,” he added.   What kept the runner motivated was describing running as a “type two fun” and “it’s maybe not always the most fun thing in the world when you are doing it in those last couple miles of the race, when it feels like you’re just holding on by a thread. But in retrospect, it’s just so rewarding, and it feels like such an incredible accomplishment.”  Painter had his mind set in making the top 30 and figured it was a realistic goal. “I was happy to notch that up even one level and finish top 20. I knew that L.A. was going to be a challenging course, just given the layout, the topography, and the design.”   Coming back from a low point in December taught Painter his true resilience and dedication to the sport even when he questioned himself.   “I had the mental toughness and strength to be able to come back. I wasn’t sure that I was after that disappointment, and so to make it across the line it was the result I wanted,” he said.   At the finish line, Painter was met with his parents and extended family, and some of his teammates were strategically along the tougher parts of the course to cheer their friend on, he said.   His post-marathon celebration was “limited” he said as he chuckled. “I was pretty tired, but it was rewarding, and it’s still sinking in honestly,” he said.   Sergey Sushchikh and his friends at Barney’s Beanery in Westwood during their post marathon celebration on March 16, 2025. Courtesy photo. Although Sushchikh never thought he’d finish in eighth place, he remained competitive, which helped him exceed his expectations, he said.   He and his friends were also met with loud cheers from friends throughout the course who were camped out in the more rigorous parts, he added.   After crossing the finish line, the group reunited at Barney’s Beanery in Westwood, where they spent the afternoon reminiscing, sharing stories, and reflecting on the journey that brought them together. For many of them, it was the first time in a decade they had seen each other.   “I’m sure Emilio would’ve been proud of us,” he said, knowing their shared effort had honored not just a race, but a lasting friendship.  The post Conquering 26.2: Santa Clarita coaches place in top 20 at LA Marathon   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less