Over 2,000 runners take to the streets in the 2024 Bakersfield Marathon.
- The 2024 Bakersfield Marathon took place on April 7, 2024.
- 23ABC neighborhood reporter Avery Elowitt spoke with some of the participants about what drove them to the finish line.
- The next Bakersfield Marathon takes place on March 30, 2025.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Finding the motivation to run can be difficult for many. But runners in the Bakersfield Marathon take things one step at a time.
“It wasn’t the what or the how, but it was my why.”
The 2024 Bakersfield Marathon took place on April 7, and included a marathon, half marathon, 10k, and a 6k.
Roaming through Downtown Bakersfield, each runner finds their own purpose to run.
Whether it's their first race, like Frank Pham, “I’ve never been to Bakersfield except for like the Little Fight School nearby, so I want to actually try the cuisine, see how the people are. And they’ve been really friendly and I’d love to come back…”
Or if they’ve run since the start, like Jeff Cornell. He said, “I’m a legacy runner. Ran every year since it started, so I’m not gonna stop now.”
“I wouldn’t stop doing it. Ever.”
Some runners even making friends along the way.
Juan Bustamante ran into Frank Pham before the race even started.
“Yesterday we met outside and we were kind of the late guys that came,” said Bustamante.
Having never met before, the two felt tied together when they coincidentally bought shoes at the same time, same place– only to be reunited at the end of the race, wearing those exact shoes.
“We both [bought] new shows, that’s how we bonded. So these are our new shoes that we use for today. And then we saw each other and the end of the race,” Bustamante said.
The next Bakersfield Marathon takes place on March 30, 2025.
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