But by the time he was a senior, Tejeda was taking advanced placement and language classes, was elected president of his class, and headed the high school's Latino Knights Club.

Tejeda, 18, now a student at Laney College, attributes his change in attitude to his involvement in Students Run Oakland -- a nonprofit running program that serves the city's low-income high school students.

"Before, I was doing average in everything," Tejeda said. "(The program) showed me how to go beyond that -- to go the extra mile."

Tejeda is now volunteering for the Students Run Oakland program, encouraging students to follow his lead in striving for something more in life.

"I feel it's my responsibility to give something back (to the organization)," he said.

Montclair resident Len Goldman, president of the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders competitive running club, serves as the organization's executive director. Lake Merritt-area resident Spencer Hooper, who previously served as executive director, will be taking on that role again soon. Alphonzo Jackson, a running coach for the local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training group, serves as the program's athletic director.

Launched in 1999, Students Run Oakland is modeled after a long-standing, successful program in the Los Angeles area that uses the concept of training for a marathon to teach at-risk youth the values of goal-setting, discipline and commitment, which can become lifelong skills they can use in academics and other areas of their lives, said organization officials.

Teens participating in the Students Run Oakland program commit to a five-month training regimen, which involves running three days a week after school, with one longer run each weekend. The students also do cross training at the downtown Oakland YMCA once or twice a week.

Under the guidance of experienced coaches and other volunteers, the students begin running in the fall and gradually increase their mileage as they prepare for running the Los Angeles Marathon, scheduled for March 6 this year.

On Jan. 15, about 50 students participated in a mandatory time trial held at Lake Merritt. The students had to run around the lake four times -- about 14 miles -- at a 14-minute per mile pace to be considered for the trip to Los Angeles for the marathon.

Edgar Moreno, 16, a student at University Preparatory Charter Academy in Eastmont Mall, was the first to finish the time trial, covering the distance in 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Moreno is training for his second marathon with Students Run Oakland, and hopes to improve on his 2004 marathon time of five hours.

Health concerns spurred Moreno to become involved with Students Run Oakland.

"There's a lot of people in my family that have diabetes," he said. "I want to stay healthy."

Moreno said he gets a lot of enjoyment from running.

"It's like meditation, almost," he said. "You have so much time to think on your own and reflect."

Moreno's mother, Stacey Albiso, is proud of her son. She attended last year's marathon in Los Angeles to cheer him on.

Piedmont resident Christine Chapon volunteers for Students Run Oakland, running with students on Saturdays, and helping with fund raising.

Chapon said many local companies, including Transports on College Avenue in Oakland, have been generous to the program. The store provides discounts on running shoes and custom fits each student runner, sometimes opening before regular store hours to accommodate the students' schedules.

Students do not have to pay for any of their running equipment or expenses related to their participation in the Los Angeles Marathon, including travel and hotel costs. Chapon estimated that Students Run Oakland spends $1,500 per student for the season, which is covered by corporate and individual donations.

Hooper said it's inspiring to see the transformation in the students who participate in the program.

He recalled going to a local school to recruit runners two years ago.

"This little kid walked up to me and said, 'I want to do it.' But he never looked up at me -- the whole time he talked, he looked down," Hooper said.

The youth trained and completed a marathon, then spoke about his experience before a group of about 60 people at a banquet.

"He said that if it wasn't for this program, he never would have been able to stand up there," Hooper said. "That's the kind of stuff that keeps me going. It isn't about the running so much as it is about the whole life teaching thing."