Allstate Life Insurance(SM) Los Angeles 13.1 Marathon® Kicks Off New Year On Jan. 13th

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Allstate Life Insurance Los Angeles 13.1 Marathon

Jan 08, 2013, 05:06 ET

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The fourth annual Allstate Life Insurance^SM Los Angeles 13.1 Marathon® and 5K hits the streets on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. The half marathon will start at 7 a.m. at the corner of Venice Boardwalk and Rose Ave., with the 5k following at 7:15 am at Dockweiler Beach and both events ending at the finish line located on Vista Del Mar with the post race bash at Del Rey Lagoon Park.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130108/CG39281)

Participants will enjoy a scenic route along the beaches of Venice, Marina del Rey, Playa del Ray and El Segundo. After the race participants will be treated to live music, free pizza from Fresh Brothers and ice cold refreshments courtesy of Mich ULTRA. More information is at www.131LosAngeles.com.

Of course, no event is complete without celebrity guests! Running in the race are people from all walks of life, like E. J. Scott and Deborah Ann Woll. Scott, born with Choroideremia that has slowly robbed him of all but 15% of his eyesight, will run in the half marathon alongside his girlfriend, most famous for her role as Jessica Hamby on HBO's True Blood. To raise awareness for his disability, Scott dedicated himself to running one marathon each month for an entire year, completely blindfolded, in an effort to raise $100,000 for Choroideremia research.

Also running in the race is an elite group of athletes, all competing under the name Team Knockout. Leading the group is World Class boxer Victor Ortiz, excited to run in the race as a means to push him towards recovery after suffering a broken jaw in his last fight. Ortiz has overcome every obstacle life has thrown at him: the abandonment of his mother, the near absence of his father and even issues with his weight and bullying. Racing along with Ortiz are the Magdaleno Brothers, Diego and Jessie, both national champions in their boxing weight class. Also, seven-time Oregon All-American and elite distance runner Milena Glusac, who has a marathon best of 2:31.

Another group participating is Team Reality, led by Alex Boylan, winner of The Amazing Race 2. Team members include Parvati Shallow, winner of Survivor in 2008 and a Survivor Hall of Fame inductee. Also on the team is Jeff Schroeder, who managed to win America's Favorite player twice on Big Brother, and has appeared on "Around the World for Free" and "Jeff and Jordan Do America." The final team member is Brennan Swain, a certified race car driver, extreme sports enthusiast known for winning The Amazing Race with friend, Rob Frisbee.

Other celebrities running the half-marathon include Ken and Austin Andrews, a father/son team from the show, The Biggest Loser. Austin, after weighing over 435 pounds, lost 174 pounds on the show and now has a new girlfriend, a new job and a new sense of purpose. Ken, a Pastor who previously weighed 377 pounds due to a childhood trauma that triggered his eating issues, has now lost over 100 pounds.

Charity Partners include World Vision and Give Your Sole. World Vision helps transform communities through child sponsorship–the best way to change their world is to foster self-sufficiency within their communities–this is what World Vision child sponsorship does. Give Your Soleand Allstate Life Insurance have partnered to collect moderately used athletic shoes from Allstate Life Insurance^SM Los Angeles 13.1 Marathon® race participants and spectators. Shoe donations can be made at the Allstate Life Insurance zone at the Finish Line Festival. Free flip-flops will be distributed to those who donate their shoes.

Event: Allstate Life Insurance^SM Los Angeles 13.1 Marathon® Series is a series of half marathons serving America's top running communities with a stand-alone half marathon for locals to embrace and visitors to experience. The Los Angeles stop will kick-off the 2013 calendar for the series. Following the Los Angeles race will be events in Miami Beach (March 8), New York City (March 23), Chicago (June 8), Boston (September), Atlanta (October 6), Dallas (October 26) and Fort Lauderdale (November 10).