The Roadrunners are led by wonderful mentors whose focus is to ensure that you cross that finish line in March 2006 with a smile on your face. Along the way, they guide you and provide the encouragement to get you ready for one of the most memorable days of your life.
Pat Connelly
What drives us to do what we do? This question plagues each one of us at every turn in our lives. Coach Pat Connelly defined the “Genesis” for his life’s accomplishments through his passion for continued self-discovery, perseverance for the human spirit, and relentless selfless acts. After graduating from the L.A. Police Academy in 1970, he has transcended his accomplishments by sharing them with the world through his work as a Los Angeles Police Department Sergeant, an accomplished runner, an innovative Coach, and boundless motivator and speaker.
In 1983, Pat Connelly was the first officer assigned in the development of the D.A.R.E. program; the genesis of which was a robbery gone wrong where drugs were the goal. When then-Officer Connelly arrived on the scene, he found a young girl grasping for life. This young girl, mortally wounded from gunfire, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, died in his arms. It was decided that day that his life would be spent helping others follow a path away from drugs, gangs, violence, obesity and toward health, fitness, and success. Sergeant Connelly received the coveted L.A.P.D. Meritorious Medal for his accomplishment. Pat Connelly’s quest to guide others in improving the quality of their life is a race he has run for many years and is one race he believes has no finish line.
As a runner, Pat Connelly has completed 49 marathons and will be running his 50th in the 2006 USMC Marathon. Pat’s extraordinary achievements are a culmination of a highly decorated running career that reaches as far back as an All-City High School Cross Country Honor and a Birmingham High School mile record in 1957. At Pierce College in 1959 he won the Western States Cross Country Championship setting a new school, meet and course record. Success as a member of the National Champion Southern California Striders brought him lifetime best performances running 1:53.8, 4:12.9, 9:11.6, 13:51.4 and 30:06 (all non-metric) His love of running continued during his 30 year career as a Los Angeles Police Officer where he participated in three Police Olympic trial qualifications that lead to the Police Olympic World Games and set age group records in the 800, 1500, 5,000, 10,000 and marathon. His 1972 time of 2.36:32 in the marathon is still a California Police Olympic record. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Seaman Connelly, USNR achieved and received numerous service medals including the Cold War Vet Service Medal. In the U.S.N.-S.C.C. Program Lt. Connelly was responsible for putting hundreds of men and woman into the U.S. Navy Fleet as well as the U.S. Naval Academy.
Just as his running career began on a high school track in Los Angeles so did his coaching roots. Pat began honing his coaching techniques in the late 1960’s in a high school coaching career that lead to 16 Los Angeles Cross Country City Championships over 20 years. Pat has never asked for payment coaching in high schools nor at anytime from juvenile runners during his coaching career. In the 90’s, Pat coached the cross country and distance track teams at UCLA and USC. During those years he assisted teams that placed in PAC-10 Championships, ranked in the Top 10 in the NCAA competition. At this time his USC women’s cross country team posted a better record than had been achieved at USC in 25 years. Pat Connelly is a proud member of the USC Coaches Club and associate member in the USC Football Alumni Club. Coach Connelly earned the Nike Arthur Lydiard Award - Voted L.A.’s Best - Coach of The Year – 2005. His L.A.C.S.D. and L.A.P.D Baker to Vegas Relay teams have won numerous team titles. There is now a race named in honor of Patrick Connelly. It is the Coach Pat Connelly St. Patrick's Day 5k-10k held during the month of March in Torrance, California.
Pat Connelly’s success as a coach reaches beyond the competitive arena and includes guiding thousands of amateur runners through marathons around the world. He as taken over 27,000 runners from "Novice to natural" during the last 16 years. His motivational skills and training techniques are the foundation of the program’s astounding 99+% finishing rate with an average of 48% being first-time marathoners. His book on running is titled, “Go the Distance”. Pat married his high school class mate Joan Jeffus 39-years ago and they have two daughters, Kerry, Christina, son in law Chip and grandson Brady Patrick Adams. Their home is in Valencia, California. “LET’S FIRE IT UP AND GO THE DISTANCE “.
Bob Hickey
For the past 15 years Coach Bob Hickey has been the walking coach for the Roadrunners. He is a former race walker and distance coach with the AAU, TAC, and USA Track & Field. Bob is a retired Sergeant from the LAPD, who truly believes that service to the Community is integral to a healthy and successful society. He was a member of the LAPD’s relay team that successfully completed three major runs across the country, and he was one of the runners who set a Guinness Book world record run of 3,871.6 miles in a little over 19 days.
Gary Deitsch
Paceleader Captain Gary Deitsch brings an extensive running, coaching and professional business background to the LA Roadrunner pace leader corps.
Gary started his coaching career in 1964 after serving in the U.S. Army and completing his Master Degree in Physical Education at Pepperdine University. After teaching and coaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District for several years, Gary entered into his family business were he eventually progressed to the position of President at Westrim Crafts, Inc. CEO Gary Deitsch while using his coaching and leadership talents made his business one of the most successful in the United States.
After many years of a sedentary life, Gary turned to getting back into shape running. He started training for a marathon and obtained the services of running coach Pat Connelly. He has since run twelve marathons. In 1994 he joined the LA Roadrunners and completed his first LA Marathon. 1999 found him serving as the first Pace Leader Captain for the LARR Training Program. His leadership coupled with the efforts of his partner, Paceleader Captain Ken Murphy, help guide the LARR program to it's current reputation and making it the outstanding marathon pace group training in the country.
Gary is married to his wife of thirty-five years, Barbara. Barabara is also an accomplished marathon runner and LARR Paceleader. They have two daughters, Dr. Laurie Lazarou and U.C. Berkley student Lindsey (2001 Pace Leader). Son-in-law Nick Lazarou is also a second year LARR Paceleader. The Deitsch family has run an accumulation of 28 marathons.
Barbara Deitsch
Barbara has been involved with the L.A. Roadrunner's for the past 10 years and has been a paceleader with both Groups 10 and 11 for the past 6 years. She has run 10 marathons, 4 of which were L.A. and 2 Boston. She has been chairman of our after-marathon party for the past 3 years and will do so again in 2006.
This year Barbara will be Coach of our Run/Walk program and is looking forward to a great year.
Barbara got involved in running because she got tired of waiting around for Gary to finish his marathons and decided she would join him.
Besides running, Barbara plays tennis, loves to travel on her boat and enjoys reading. She is the wife of Gary, one of the LARR coaches and lives in Woodland Hills. She and Gary have 2 daughters and one little grandson, Alex. Both their daughters, Laurie and Lindsey and Laurie's husband, Nick, are all marathon runners.
Lindsey Goldbloom
Lindsey Goldbloom joined the LA Roadrunner program in August 2001 as a participant. After completing her first Marathon in the 2002 Los Angeles Marathon, she decided she wanted to play a more vital role in the LARR walking program and approached Coach Hickey with her ideas. Under her leadership, the Walking program has expanded from two to six pace groups and increased the membership with an impressive number of walkers. She has trained with Race Walking coaches Bob Hickey and Elaine Ward to improve her technique and she inspires and teaches her fellow Roadrunners to improve as well.
Lindsey is married to Jeff Goldbloom (not the actor) and they have two boys, Noah and Alex. She has a B.A. from UCLA. Lindsey represents buyers and sellers of residential real estate.
Lindsey's dedication and leadership combined with her magnetic personality has contributed to the make the LA Roadrunners' Walking program the elite program it is today.
Salya Mohamedy
Salya enthusiastically joined the Los Angeles Roadrunners in 1994 to train for the 1995 Los Angeles Marathon and check off "run a marathon" from her "must do" list. Eleven years and nineteen marathons later, she is still heavily involved with the running world. To give back to the sport and to the Roadrunners, she served as a Pace Leader for Group 6 for three years and as Senior Pace Leader for two of those years.
During the 2004/2005 season, Salya was promoted to Pace Leader Captain/Coach and was in charge of the Run Only and Run/Walk Pace Leaders. She is looking forward to concentrating on the Run Only program during the 2005/2006 season and is committed to elevating the Roadrunners program to a higher level.
In 2002, Salya along with seven Pace Leaders and Coach Pat Connelly created the Los Angeles Running Club to serve the running community during the off-season from Roadrunners. She served as the President of the Board in 2003/2004 and currently chairs the Public Relations Committee.
Salya attended the University of Southern California and is a huge fan of Trojan Football. She also enjoys traveling off the beaten path, good books, great music, tennis and professional football. She is a gourmet chef in her own kitchen and loves to create fancy desserts. Along with achieving her personal goals in life, she is committed to volunteer work and outreach programs in the Southern California community.
Ken Murphy
Ken Murphy started running when a depth perception problem interfered with tennis playing. After watching his younger sister finish the 1996 L.A. Marathon, he decided that age 60 was the time to see if he could do it. Ken signed up with L.A. Roadrunners to train for the 1997 L.A. Marathon and has been a Roadrunner ever since.
Ken was one of the first group of pace leaders in 1999. He has been a Pace Leader captain since the 2002 training season.
Ken attended the Loyola High School in Los Angeles, Santa Clara University in the Bay Area, and received his law degree from USC. He served three years in active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, leaving the service as a captain. He has been a practicing attorney in Los Angeles since 1964.
Ken maintains a full schedule of professional activities. Running provides exercise, discipline and a release from the tensions of a competitive and contributive life. Training with the Roadrunners has meant involvement with people who share life values of camaraderie, commitment and compassion. It has been and remains the best kind of community.
Ken lives in Santa Monica with his wife, Kitty. Two married children reside away from Southern California, along with grandchildren, Reilly, Megan and Quinn Murphy.
Ken has run in 11 marathons, the most recent being the 2004 Boston Marathon. Age group concessions have been kind; he has medaled in several 5 and 10k races.