LA Marathon: Weho City Manager Ready to Run

West Hollywood City Manager  has competed in 30 marathons—"about three a year for the past 10 years," he said. The 2011 Honda Los Angeles Marathon will mark the Pasadena resident's second time running from "stadium to the sea.” West Hollywood Patch caught up with Arevalo to talk about his goals and expectations for this year's race.

West Hollywood Patch: What has been your most memorable marathon?

Paul Arevalo: My first marathon in Honolulu (December 2001). A group from the city was running for the AIDS fundraising program. I ran with a friend of mine. We just ran slow and took photos. Since then, it has been more about just finishing it [the marathon].

Patch: You have participated in LA Marathons on and off for the last 10 years. How has the race changed?

Arevalo: For a number of the years, I was not happy with the course. Last year and this year are a superior course. The organization of this is better. Being able to run through the region and go through different cities and different highlights of the region make it more appealing. There are challenges..., but the course is much nicer.

Patch: What are you looking forward to most about running through West Hollywood?

Arevalo: Just from a personal perspective, this last time I was running, it was really a fun course, a faster course, but it was truly memorable when I crossed into West Hollywood. You do see friends and colleagues—people from the community that you know. That was a real motivator for me. It is right around the half point for me—the perfect adrenaline boost. It's going to be great running through West Hollywood, seeing my friends and having them throw things at me.

Patch: Will you be listening to music while you run the marathon?

Arevalo: When I'm running the marathon, I'll listen to music, because it motivates me. I like to listen to "This American Life" podcast. It is phenominal and it just kind of takes your mind away. For 24 miles, I can listen to four episodes, all queued up on my players. But I can't do that on my marathon. I need something faster. I'll be listening to Pandora.

Patch: Any words of wisdom for newbies?

Arevalo: Just keep going - one foot in front of the other!