Start Line Stories: From LA with Santos Tec

Los Angeles runner Santos Tec will be taking on Eugene this spring.

Late last fall, Santos Tec crossed the finish line of the Philadelphia Marathon with a huge new marathon PR of 2:55. Not only had he broken the coveted three-hour mark, but he’d done it less than three years after starting his running journey. 

Three years prior to the Philly finish line, Santos was going through a rough patch in life. He’d never run before, but decided he needed something new and running fit. At first it was just an activity to help get him through the hard days; then he joined the Koreatown Run Club in his hometown of Los Angeles and soon after, running became much more.

“It’s a purpose,” Santos said of running. “It’s become a way to find freedom and a way to push my body in ways that I didn’t think was possible.” 

Santos is eyeing another PR in Eugene in just under 10 weeks. Check out more of his story and what will be getting him to the start line in April. 

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Name: Santos Tec

Age: 31

Where are you from and where is home now?

I’m from Los Angeles and I was born here too. 

What’s your local run club or training group and tell us about it?

I run with the Koreatown Run Club in Los Angeles. I joined in the summer of 2022. Prior to joining, I was running here and there on my own, but then I started running with the club and after that running became more consistent and a true passion of mine. KRC is a big club now. They meet up to run 4 days a week and usually 100-150 people show up to each run and generally it’s different people showing up for the Monday run or Wednesdays at the track for speed work or for long runs on Saturdays. My favorite day to run with the club is on Saturdays. 

Why Eugene 2025? 

I have friends who ran it last year, and when we were discussing potential spring marathons, everyone just kept saying how great Eugene was: the ambiance, the course, a great finish in the stadium. So yeah, it was friends who motivated me to sign up.

Current Total Marathon Count:

4. Eugene will be my 5th.

Favorite road race or racing experience?

My favorite so far was the Philadelphia Marathon in 2024. For every marathon you have to plan accordingly, look at the elevation, talk to those who’ve run the race, and on race day you have to execute, trust your training, and hope that everything comes together. That’s what happened in Philly last fall: my training, my nutrition, everything, it just clicked. 

What kind of training plan are you following and do you have a specific goal on race day?

My goal is to PR. A PR would be faster than my Philly time, which was 2:55. I don’t really want to talk about numbers, but I do want to set a big PR in Eugene.

Finish the sentence: What I love so much about running is___

The way that you can set your mind to something, then put in the work to achieve that goal. 

Why the marathon?

The marathon is special because it’s a physical and mental battle that you have to work on over a long period of time. You have to pace yourself, you have to follow the proper nutrition, and then you have to execute a great plan. Then, on race day, you gotta just trust in your training and that it’s going to work out. That’s why I love it, because it’s a long game. 

What started your running journey?

I was going through a really tough time, both personally and professionally when I started running. In running, I found an outlet to escape my troubled situation. I was extremely overwhelmed and stressed both at work and at home and it was taking a toll on my mental health. Running started as a coping mechanism, but now it’s more — it’s a purpose. Prior to the summer 2022, I had gained weight, I was stressed, and I decided to start running. I had no running experience, so I had to deal with injuries at first and I was doing a lot of things incorrectly, but I learned a lot through the club and runners there and over time and with training, I learned what was best for me. Now running has become a way to find freedom and a way to push my body in ways that I didn’t think was possible.

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Santos will be at the Start Line in Eugene with a big crew from the Koreatown Run Club and hundreds of other LA-based runners. Give him a follow on Instagram at @_he.s_ and a big high five on race morning.