Rep. gives marathon medals second wind

With the 2009 Surf City USA Marathon in Huntington Beach right around the corner, the medals given out to every participant nearly didn’t make it through the last lap. But officials at Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s office said they gave customs officials an extra nudge to make sure the prizes made it to the race.

A shipping container that held the thousands of medals, along with dozens of other unrelated freight, was flagged for extra inspection when it hit the Port of Long Beach, officials said.

Marathon organizers called Rohrabacher’s district offices, who asked U.S. Customs officials to speed up their inspection because the medals were needed by Sunday. The inspectors agreed, and the medals will arrive on time.

“I’d like to the thank U.S. Customs personnel for a job well done,” Rohrabacher said in a statement released to the media.

— Michael Alexander