L.A. Marathon: Weight Watchers inspired man’s first at age 55

Lenny Jones
City of residence: Victorville
Age: 55

Like many that ran on Sunday, Lenny Jones, 55, of Victorville began his road to the Los Angeles Marathon with a training partner. It was his wife, after all, that inspired him to begin running. A Weight Watchers employee, she is a weight-loss success story who continues to spread the word about its benefits.

Her husband did the inspiring on Sunday, completing his first marathon at age 55.

“We had done some half-marathons together but it was actually my idea to save up and do a full marathon,” Jones said. “She started training with me, but she dropped out around November. She’s the reason I got started and it feels good to finish.”

Jones trained using a 16-week program that included runs up to 20 miles long. He joked about dreading the weekends, during which his longest runs were scheduled.

On Sunday, he only took breaks to sip water at the stations along the 26.2-mile course, which he finished in 5 hours and two minutes. He felt prepared, to say the least, based on his answer to an inquiry about any last-minute preparation.

“I trimmed my toe nails last night,” he quipped. “The training was hard, but the race wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It went pretty smoothly. The hard parts of the training paid off and made it all worth it.”

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