Unit 26.2

Unit 26.2

Unit 26.2 is an LAPD-led run club and mentorship program spanning four Community Safety Partnership Bureau sites (Southeast, Newton, Hollenbeck, and 77th Street).

The Run Club trains youth toward completing the LA Marathon while building long-term relationships between officers and runners with expansion to other sites in the near future.

78

Marathon Finishers
(2024-2026)

60

Runners
(2026-2027)

6

Actively Involved
Officer Mentors

40

2026 Marathon
Finishers

Unit 26.2 began as a small, grassroots effort by Officer Ugarte in a South LA housing development. What started as a handful of officers and runners training together grew into something bigger: a shared mission between LAPD and community partners to use marathon training as a vehicle for mentorship.

How It Began

How It’s Going

Today, Unit 26.2 operates across four LAPD Community Safety Partnership Bureau sites (Southeast, Newton, Hollenbeck, and 77th Street) engaging 50–60 youth participants each summer. The program has grown from 15 marathon finishers in its early years to 40 last season, with a goal of 50 this year.

In Unit 26.2, LAPD officers step into the role of coach, mentor, and training partner.

They show up to every practice, run alongside their youth in all weather, and log the same miles the kids do, building trust through consistency. That presence extends beyond the race course as officers check in on runners’ lives, push them through the hard middle miles, and become trusted adults that the kids can count on. By marathon day, officers stand at the finish line as proof that someone from LAPD showed up for them again and again.

Role
Connection
Partnership

Runners Spotlight

Be A Part of The Unit!

Contact the following Officers or Project Blue to sign-up, donate, or get involved!

Officer Ortiz – Southeast Division
424-364-4618
37257@lapd.online

Officer Silva – Hollenbeck Division
213-458-9852
41593@lapd.online

Officer Ugarte – Newton Division
213-399-7418
41337@lapd.online

Project Blue
contact@goprojectblue.com

Program Needs

Funding

Equipment

Volunteers

Every donation helps Unit 26.2 go the distance but right now, the program’s greatest need is people. With 50+ runners training toward the marathon, Unit 26.2 is looking for more officers and volunteers to coach and run alongside its youth. Practical support matters too: running shoes and attire are always needed, and financial contributions directly fund the gear, meals, and race-day costs that keep runners moving mile after mile.

Ways To Support

Donate
Get Involved
Follow Us

Frequently Asked Questions

Unit 26.2 is open to any student ages 12–18, based on program capacity and funding. There are really no prerequisites beyond a willingness to challenge yourself. Runners of all experience levels are welcome, as long as they’re ready to commit to the training and dedicate themselves to their teammates and the process.

Unit 26.2 costs nothing to join. Donors cover race registration fees, so no family ever pays out of pocket to participate. The program provides training, race entries, and depending on availability, meals, hydration, running shoes, and running attire. Because these resources are limited and donor-funded, it’s especially important that runners come ready to commit fully to the training and the team.

Unit 26.2 practices three times a week — typically Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings, varying by season. Officers pick runners up at the station and drive them to that day’s training spot, which rotates across LA. Each session starts with group stretching and a course overview, followed by a run of 3 to 20 miles depending on the training schedule. Those miles side by side are where mentorship takes shape — one conversation, one mile at a time. Afterward, everyone stretches, sometimes shares a meal, and officers return runners to the station. More than training, these practices are where Unit 26.2 becomes a family.

Project Blue plays a vital behind-the-scenes role in making Unit 26.2 possible. Beyond funding, they provide case management for runners and their families by helping connect them to additional resources and support beyond the track. Project Blue also collects data to help track the program’s impact and helps amplify Unit 26.2’s story through social media, giving these officers and runners the visibility and recognition they’ve earned.

Role

In Unit 26.2, LAPD officers step into the role of coach, mentor, and training partner. They show up to every practice, run alongside their youth in all weather, and log the same miles the kids do, building trust through consistency. That presence extends beyond the race course as officers check in on runners’ lives, push them through the hard middle miles, and become trusted adults that the kids can count on. By marathon day, officers stand at the finish line as proof that someone from LAPD showed up for them again and again.

Connection

While it’s hard to single out just one, Unit 26.2 is powered by a team of officers who consistently go above and beyond for our student runners. Officers Mayra Ugarte, Liz Ugarte, Diana Silva, Gabby Barahona, Eddie Crisantos, and Erick Ortiz have each given up personal and family time — training runs on weekends, early mornings, evenings — to show up for these kids. They bring their LAPD training and experience to the program not just as officers, but as mentors, coaches, and steady presences in these young runners’ lives.

One moment stands out. Last year’s LA Marathon fell on one of the hottest days in the race’s history, and organizers changed the rules to allow runners to stop at mile 18 instead of finishing the full 26.2 miles. But because these officers were running alongside the students the entire way, encouraging them, pushing them, refusing to let the heat be the reason they stopped, every single one of them crossed the finish line together. That’s the heart of Unit 26.2: officers who don’t just show up for the easy miles, but run every step alongside these kids, especially when it would’ve been easier to stop.

Partnership

For many Unit 26.2 runners, this is the first time they’ve built a real relationship with a police officer. Officers become fixtures in these kids’ lives: the person who shows up every practice, who remembers their name, who notices when something’s off. That consistency reshapes how these young people see law enforcement. They see the Officers as coaches and mentors who are invested in their success on and off the course.

The marathon itself becomes a powerful metaphor. Kids who’ve faced real hardship learn they can push through pain, setbacks, and doubt because they’ve done it for 26.2 miles, often with an officer running beside them the whole way. That lesson doesn’t stay on the course. Runners carry that same resilience into school, into family challenges, into whatever comes next. For some, crossing that finish line is the first time they’ve proven to themselves, and to an officer who believed in them, that they’re capable of more than they thought.

Marvin Leon, 17, is a junior in high school and joined Unit 26.2 for the first time this past year, completing his very first marathon after months of training. Officer Silva, who has mentored Marvin for several years, helped guide him through the program and that relationship has paid off beyond running: Marvin has since enrolled in the Cadets and is excelling in school.

Grace Limon, 16, is a junior in high school who joined Unit 26.2 two years ago and is returning for her third season. She’s completed two marathons with improving times each year and is training toward her third this upcoming season. Grace’s leadership on and off the course earned her the role of team captain, and she’s also a cadet at Southeast. She plans on becoming a police officer after she attends college.

Alvaro Ramos, 17, is a senior at his high school and has been part of Unit 26.2 since it began, returning for his fourth season and completing three marathons with improving times each year. He shows up to every practice and race, excels in school, and has now brought his own sister into the program. Alvaro is planning on attending college after high school.

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