No, you don't have to do the Los Angeles Marathon -- or any other race for that matter. Fair warning though, once you start, it is highly likely that you will get caught up in the momentum of the group and you'll actually *want* to do the marathon :) Many of our members choose to only do half marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, or simply run with us for fun and fitness.
Our program though does center around training for the LA Marathon and supporting those runners, so many of our members end up doing the race.