First-ever Altadena Forever Run draws thousands as Eaton fire anniversary approaches

More than 3,000 registered runners took part in Altadena’s first-annual Altadena Forever Run, a community-centered event meant to support residents impacted by the Eaton fire.

The event, coming just days before the one-year anniversary of the Eaton and Palisades fire on Jan. 7, saw runners traversing across eastern and western Altadena along various 1K, 5K and 10K routes, was co-chaired by Eaton fire survivor Victoria Knapp and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Captain Ethan Marquez.

It was a bid to finance temporarily-displaced and housing-insecure survivors ahead of the anniversary of the Eaton fire.

Each race started outside Altadena Hardware on East Mariposa Street, a fully-burnt building save for its facade, alongside Fire Station 11 and other empty lots. That was one of many intentional design choices Knapp made in preparation for the event once debris cleared.

“One idea that I had at the onset was that we should feature fire survivors on storyboards at each kilometer marker […] so every runner could get the full scale of what happened here,” Knapp said.

Featurettes described a survivor’s experience the night of the fire, and what Altadena means to them.

While many attendees were local, had friends or family who were affected, or lived within Los Angeles County – which Knapp expected – some travelled from out of town, or even out of state. A few runners drove up from San Diego, with the furthest participant being from New York.

In a statement, Knapp and her co-chair Marquez said the run “reflects the heart of Altadena: strong, compassionate, and forever connected.”

Altadena resident Heather Rutman lives just a few blocks away from the run site, where according to Rutman, about 60% of the homes are burned. Neither she nor many of neighbors currently live on their street.

Rutman, who ran the 5K alongside her neighbors and her relatives, was excited to “be with our community” ahead of the anniversary.

Before the race, she bumped into another Altadena resident, Colleen Hampton, who volunteered for the event. Their children attend the same school.

“I think [my family and I] really wanted to be part of the recovery,” Hampton said. “About six months ago, my family and I decided we’re going to lean in. This is our home, and we’re going to stay and be part of every event and activity that brings the community back to what it was.”

Other runners included those who participated in the active response during the Eaton fire, like Altadena Mountain Rescue Team’s Nick Dechant, who was among the first to finish.

“It feels like closure – the rebuilding of the community,” Dechant said, who attributed the feeling not only to seeing the surprising turnout, but also to seeing familiar boutiques and sponsors in the crowd.

Including L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and various other community partners, a major sponsor of the event was SoCalGas.

According to Capt. Ethan Marquez, there was initially a point when he considered cancelling the Altadena Forever Run, citing the unexpected amount of participants signing up for the race. He’d initially proposed the idea of a run for the sheriff’s department, which later evolved into the Altadena Forever Run.

Funding for shirts and medals was the main concern; without it, Marquez said they wouldn’t have been able to organize the run and fundraise for survivors and the Sheriff’s Support Group of Altadena, the latter of which had been “struggling to raise money.”

That quickly changed.

“We’re hoping that we are going to be able to give a six-figure check [to the Altadena] Eaton Fire Relief Fund, [which] is directly supporting the survivors,” Marquez said.

Marquez ran alongside his family. He ran the 10K with a stroller carrying his son Peyton, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

In a statement, SoCalGas Chief Executive Officer Maryam Brown said “We are here to continue to support them, our employees who lost homes, and all customers in fire-affected communities as they rebuild their lives.”

Both Knapp and Marquez hope to continue the Altadena Forever Run, so long as Marquez is captain, according to Knapp.

“As long as he’s captain, we’ll do this,” Knapp said. “I’m hoping that if we can get three consecutive years of [Marquez, and] then it will continue after he moves on.”

Joshua Silla is a correspondent with the Southern California News Group.