From the L.A. Times report on yesterday's L.A. Marathon:

Of course, no event representing the true diversity of L.A. could be 100% family-friendly. Hence the lap dancer at West 6th Street and Fairfax Avenue, near mile 18.

Her name, she said, was Venus De Mid*l. Her sign read, "Free Lap Dances - Runners Only." Her goal: "Tempting runners with things they should be doing instead of running."

What they forgot to mention is that I and about a dozen others were there alongside Venus tempting runners with various treats, such as beer, candy, and donuts. Last year I held up the giant donut pictured here. This year I made an even larger donut out of an innertube and felt. I had this vision of holding candies aloft on an air hose or something like that, but I didn't start on my prop until the night before. Thus the large felt donut.