Menifee man runs LA Marathon in honor of late grandmother – NBC Los Angeles

For one Inland Empire man competing in the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon this Sunday, every stride will be for someone near and dear to his heart: His grandma, Lisa, who died last spring after being diagnosed with dementia.

“She’s great,” Menifee resident Cole Petrikas, 24, told NBC Los Angeles. “I was her first grandkid, so [we were] best friends from when I was born.”

Petrikas is keeping his grandma Lisa’s memory alive by running the LA Marathon to raise awareness for those battling dementia.

The McCourt Foundation, the organization that produces the LA Marathon, uses the marathon as a fundraiser where runners can partner with nonprofits to raise funds to cure neurological diseases.

“Things like ALS, MS, Alzheimer’s, and dementia,” Meg Treat, of the McCourt Foundation, told NBC Los Angeles. “Things that really change somebody’s life in a drastic way.”

Petrikas’ grandma died in April 2025. Watching her deal with dementia was incredibly difficult for Petrikas and his family.

“Once she got diagnosed it was really, just really upsetting,” he told NBCLA. “There’s nothing you can do. It’s just — spend time over there. By the end, she didn’t recognize us half the time. Her type of dementia was not treatable at all.”

As thousands of runners prepare to hit the streets for the Los Angeles Marathon, California Live correspondent Paul Costabile chats with LA native and endurance athlete Nadia Ruiz, who’s about to run her 28th consecutive race. From hydration and fueling to pacing and mindset, Nadia shares expert strategies to help runners feel confident, prepared, and strong all the way to the finish line.

After his grandma’s death, Petrikas decided to turn his pain into something positive and start training for the 2026 LA Marathon.

Preparing for the 26.2-mile race hasn’t been easy.

“It’s exhausting sometimes; a mix of nervous and excited,” Petrikas told NBCLA.

But as Petrikas trains around his Menifee neighborhood, it is easy for him to remember why he’s doing it.

“It’s remembering my grandma,” he said.

Petrikas teamed up with the McCourt Foundation to make every mile of the LA Marathon count, and he hopes other runners are doing the same.

Karen Sternheimer will run her first marathon and get one step closer to returning to the Pacific Palisades. Keenan Willard reports for the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 2, 2026.

He’s one of more than 26,000 runners participating in this year’s marathon spanning some of LA’s most iconic neighborhoods.

“Our course is one of a kind,” Treat told NBCLA. “You end up on this 26.2-mile tour of some of the most iconic and special places in the City of Los Angeles. Starting at Dodger Stadium, heading to Downtown LA, running through Hollywood, Beverly Hills.”

Petrikas knows his best friend would approve of his marathon endeavor.

“She’d be proud,” he said, smiling. “She’d be impressed that I was doing it, because we’re not a super athletic family, so she’d be pretty shocked that I’m even trying to do it, I think.”

“It’s going to be something a little extra special,” Petrikas added.