Santa Maria’s Adolfo Lopez had plenty to be thankful for after the city Parks and Recreation Department’s Turkey Trot Fun Run on Nov. 21.
At 50 years old, Lopez schooled some much younger competitors, winning the adult division of the 2 1/2-mile event with a time of 13:41.
“I was very pleased,” Lopez said. “I just had a pace I wanted to go, so I just tried to keep the same pace throughout the race, and I think that helped me win.”
Lopez began his athletic career as a national runner for his native Peru and continued on the track at Allan Hancock College before getting into road racing. He’s been running in marathons for 22 years, including the Long Beach and
Los Angeles events. His top career time is 2:24:41.
“It gives you the time to be out there in the open with nature,” Lopez said. “It’s a way to maintain your fitness and gives you time to be on your own or running with friends.”
Formerly a track coach at Santa Maria High School, Lopez now teaches Spanish at Pioneer Valley High School. However, that doesn’t mean his days of imparting running wisdom are behind him.
“I love to talk to people about running and get together and run with friends,” Lopez said. “That’s something I will always try to share with other people.”
Lopez said he was encouraged to see the city’s recreation department promote running among young people through its 13th annual event.
“That’s something that the whole family can do without having expensive equipment,” he said. “All you need is a pair of good running shoes.”
In addition to his regular daily training, Lopez runs for World Vision, a team that raises awareness and money for children in Africa suffering from extreme poverty. He’s currently preparing to run the Boston Marathon for the first time in April 2010, and hopes to get a better starting position by running the Santa Barbara International Marathon in less than three hours on Dec. 6.
This article appears in Dec 3-10, 2009.