CDF Team Gluten-Free is proud to be an Official Charity Partner of the 2017 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon- March 19, 2017. With one of the most exciting courses, participants will run from “the Stadium to the Sea”! Each mile of the 26.2 mile Marathon Course starting at Dodger Stadium passes by renowned iconic Los Angeles Landmarks including the Disney Hall and Music Center, Rodeo Drive and Chinatown and more before finishing on Ocean Avenue alongside the Pacific Ocean! This is truly a life changing race.

Meet the Team

Lauri McCallister Vining
I am running with Team Gluten Free in an effort to raise money for the treatment and research of Celiac Disease. This will be my third marathon, and I’m proud to run this one for such an important reason. My little brother is only 7 years old and has been diagnosed with this autoimmune disorder. Watching my family struggle to ensure that he is eating a nutritious diet while also avoiding all food groups that contain gluten has been a hard thing to do. Watching them try to explain why he can’t have the same pizza as all of his classmates is even harder to do. Because of what I see my family and others go through, I vow to go gluten free until race day in order to better understand the difficulties involved in maintaining such a diet.

Lauren Record
I am a 35 year old wife and mother of a 8 month old baby boy.  I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and am now currently living in Simi Valley.  I completed the LA Marathon back in 2010 which seems like a different lifetime now. I use the word “complete” as I can’t honestly use the word “run” as there were long stretches of nothing close to that. But I finished, got my medal and told myself that one day I would like to do it again and I felt like this year was the year.  As many Moms can relate, after having a baby you become obsessed with wanting your body back. I thought “Go big or go home!” In addition to completing this goal personally, I wanted to offer whatever help I could in getting awareness and funding generated for Celiac Disease. My sister’s 4 year old daughter, Olivia, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease a couple of months ago and I have watched my sister and brother in law struggle with this diagnosis and how it has affected all of their daily lives.  I never realized the extreme attention to detail regarding everything your child eats and the stress this brings parents especially when their little ones are spending more and more time away at friend’s houses and birthday parties. The temptations are everywhere and the risk is usually not as obvious which results in parents having to be on “high alert” all of the time.  I empathize with my sister as I can literally see the strain this has put on her for wanting her daughter to have everything and miss out on nothing.  Olivia will grow up to be a healthy, happy, productive, little girl but it doesn’t negate the worry and work it takes to ensure that.  As I mentioned earlier, I want to do whatever I can on my part to get the word out there that this is a disease that affects many families and “going gluten free” is not always the trendy choice people want to make to be more like celebrities.  It is an extremely difficult adjustment that directly directs the health of your child and needs to be taken more seriously, in my opinion.

Why Join Team Gluten-Free? All runners receive…

• Training and fundraising tips
• Official Team Gluten-Free race shirt
• Personal online fundraising page
• Fundraising incentives and prizes
• Gluten-free swag bag
• and more!

Get Started!

We only have NINE Charity Bibs left for the Los Angeles Marathon.

1. Commit to raise a minimum of $650 for Team Gluten-Free
2. Claim your bib and register for the Los Angeles Marathon as an invited member of Celiac Disease Foundation Team Gluten-Free
3. START FUNDRAISING – we help you set up your own fundraising page

To claim your bib, email [email protected]

The money raised by Team Gluten-Free participants funds Celiac Disease Foundation’s education, advocacy and research programs. Team Gluten-Free is Celiac Disease Foundation’s community-based fundraising program for athletes and non-athletes alike.