By Lisa A. Goldstein

Los Angeles, CA - Mar 6, 2008 - Winning a marathon is nothing new to Cheri Blauwet. But somehow, this win is different. Having taken the last few years off from full-time training in order to finish medical school, the 2008 women's wheelchair division winner of the Los Angeles Marathon has shown that she's back, and a force to be reckoned with.

"In many ways, in 2008, I'm the comeback kid," says Blauwet. "I felt a great deal of positive pressure to come through strong and prove myself early in the season with a win in Los Angeles."

Blauwet - who has won the L.A. Marathon four times now -- has also won the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon two times each. At the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, she brought home one Gold and two Bronze medals.

Despite her achievements, Blauwet says that every win is thrilling and unique. In fact, the course this year at the L.A. Marathon had changed since she last raced it in 2005. The race used to start on a very fast downhill, and now it starts with a substantial climb that is at least one mile long, followed by a very fast downhill coast for miles two and three. "I climbed well and then bombed down the hill, hitting a max speed of 35 mph," recalls Blauwet. "The start was very exciting. As the race rolled on, I began to feel more confident in the quality and quantity of training I've been able to get under my belt over the [past] several months - which ultimately paid off with a win!"

Blauwet calls the race an exercise in both mental and physical endurance. It's all about racing smart and running your pace while also responding to the moves of your competition. Your primary focus is to sense how your body is feeling, while also trying to prevent someone else from running away with the race early on.

"My goal for L.A. was to keep above 14.5 mph average, so I was constantly watching my speed and making sure to push through to maintain this pace," says Blauwet. "There is also a great deal of drafting that goes on, so for the duration we're always changing position and trading the draft back and forth in order to conserve energy. At mile 18 I pulled away from a Mexican racer who had been my closest competition, so I pushed the last eight miles of the race solo. This is when it gets very challenging to maintain focus. Crossing the finish line in first place was totally awesome and it was a homecoming I'll never forget!"

Indeed, this win gives Blauwet confidence to push through to more success over the rest of the season, especially with the Boston Marathon coming up in April. She has now qualified for the Paralympic Games in Beijing this September.

Blauwet is looking forward to being able to focus on racing. Juggling Stanford Medical School and training was tough. Once she started clinical rotations, it was obvious that some things had to change. Now she'll be taking a year off between graduation and residency to compete and capitalize on the platform she's been given as an athlete to speak about disability rights issues. "People often refer to athletes with a disability as 'inspirational,' but I'm constantly motivated and inspired by the people around me who are working so hard to get by, using the tools they've been given to say - 'Hey, I'm active, I'm empowered, I'm an athlete," says Blauwet. "We come in all shapes and sizes and from all socioeconomic backgrounds, but we can all strive to take on that identity of athlete."

During her break from racing, Blauwet realized how important sport and physical activity are to her sense of self and lifestyle. "I absolutely treasure my career in medicine, but so much of my energy and zest comes from being an athlete," says Blauwet.

And wheelchair racing has become increasingly competitive. "Women wheelchair racers now are competing more like men did five years ago - that is - faster and more aggressive," she says. "I'm constantly challenged by the fact that, in my comeback year, I not only have to get as good as I used to be - I actually have to figure out how to get better in order to have a stab at winning a medal in Beijing. I think this is an amazing challenge and it's one that I'm ready for!"