American record holder Deena Kastor will run in the Los Angeles Marathon March 17, organizers announced Tuesday.
"I was on the L.A. Marathon course last year as part of the broadcast
team and I was so impressed with the course and the energy of the event that I knew I needed to compete in 2013," said Kastor, who has not previously run in the Los Angeles Marathon.
The event is her first marathon since the birth of her daughter two years ago, according to a press release.
Kastor, who will turn 40 on Feb. 14, set the women's American record for the marathon -- two hours, 19 minutes, 36 seconds -- in winning the 2006 London Marathon. She won a bronze medal in the marathon in the 2004 Olympics and is a 25-time national champion in track, road and cross country races.
Kastor graduated in 1991 from Agoura High School, where she was a five-time state champion and was one of an elite few to make National Championships for four consecutive years.
The 5K race in the annual Dole Great Race of Agoura Hills is named for the famed athlete, and last year, she was inducted into Agoura High School's first annual Athletic Hall of Fame.
“Getting all the glory is sometimes embarrassing,” she said at the award ceremony as she accepted her plaque. “Because behind every accomplishment is a group of people.”
Kastor currently lives in Mammoth with her husband Andrew, along with their 2-year old daughter, Piper.
