Move over, Evian Championship trophy. There’s going to be some new hardware on the shelf. Perhaps a framed photo, too. Heck, Angela Stanford might wear her L.A. Marathon medal to the first tee. The 42-year-old Stanford, a six-time winner on the LPGA, crossed an item off her bucket list on Sunday afternoon.
“I kind of had to prove it to myself,” said Stanford. “Running is really the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
It took Stanford 5 hours and 41 minutes to complete the 26.2-mile course. She got an email afterward that said she was 616th out of 1,086 runners in her division (females age 40-44).
To celebrate, Stanford dined on a burger and beer with her mom after the race, and then headed to Napa for a wine-tasting adventure with friends, a package she bought at one of Betsy King’s Golf Fore Africa fundraisers.
“Everyone talked about this feeling you have when you cross the finish line,” said Stanford. “I didn’t have it. I feel like I’m about to die, so I feel like that’s my cue that it’s a one and done.”
Actually, Stanford wanted to quit around the 13-mile marker, saying both of her runner’s highs happened early in the race. But then she thought of all the money that she was trying to raise for her own foundation and dug deep.
Related: Angela Stanford pays it forward with charitable foundation
“In the back of my mind I’m thinking, it’s money for those kids,” said Stanford, who raises college scholarship money for kids who have been impacted by cancer. She raised over $10,000 through the marathon and will fund a scholarship.
Toward the end of the race, Stanford ran past Brentwood Country Club. She remembers looking over at the people playing golf and thinking, “Yeah, that seems a lot easier now.”
Stanford will get back to her regular job next week at the Volvik Founders Cup in Phoenix, when the LPGA resumes after a month-long break.
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