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City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 4.4
Number of comments: 473 [displaying comments 261 to 271]
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T. L. from Los Angeles,CA
(4/26/2006)
"OK, not stellar" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my fifth L.A. Marathon. I do miss the old course from the first few years, when we went through Chinatown and Little Tokyo and up through the Echo Park area. Fairly well supported, with a great expo, and an okay start, but the real problem was that there were not nearly enough porta-potties, particularly in the first few miles. I waited 10 minutes for one at mile 10. Volunteers were nice, and thank goodness, no Ultima. The weather was kind this year, which is another good thing, but I'd really like to see this start earlier. The bike tour should be the day before. And it would be nice to have better finish organization. If I'm parked at 8th and Figueroa, why do I have to walk up to 3rd and Flower before I can cut through to Figueroa? And they really need someone directing traffic at the foot of the ramp from Hope to Figueroa just north of 4th Street. Because of the constant pedestrian traffic, the cars could not make a turn. I very strongly recommend using the subway to get to the start/finish. The Red Line was easy to use and saved a lot of hassle getting in and out of the downtown area. With the Gold, Red, and Blue Lines heading to downtown, there are a lot of ways to access the start/finish without having to park. I'm local and will probably be back, but it's not my favorite marathon. | |
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G. C. from Los Angeles, CA
(4/22/2006)
"Big race, OK, but unspectacular" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I've run this race as an official t-shirted entrant, and other times run most of the course as a training run for something else. This year I ran 22 miles in the pack as a training run for Boston. While the course avoids some of the dreariest parts of the city, it is definitely unspectacular. If LA wants to get on the map, it needs to take in the best: the ocean, west-side, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Koreatown, Chinatown, downtown, SC, and maybe a finish with a loop around the track in the Coliseum. I totally agree with other comments about an excess of strip malls and Burger Kings along the route. Tacky and boring. Maybe this means we need a point-to-point race, with the accompanying logistical challenges, compared to a loop course. Fans along the route are variable. Some sections are great with excellent high-five's and water/cheers/snacks/etc. Thanks! On other sections, particularly through SW LA and along Venice Blvd., I sometimes feel like I'm just out for a training run on some anonymous weekend - nothing. Fans in general are very weak compared to Boston or NY. The course starts and ends in downtown LA, guaranteeing a downhill start and uphill finish, due to the topography, being on a hill. Not PR-inducing, but it's a "medium" course overall - not too hard, nor easy. All water/aid stations were well staffed and supplied for the 8-minute-per-mile pace I ran this year. I'll most likely run LA again due to being a local, but I can't imagine flying 1000's of miles here for a "destination" race. | |
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C. L. from Youngstown,Ohio
(4/11/2006)
"Best Walker/Slow Runner Friendly Marathon Ever!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My husband, daughter and I have done 16 States and over 20 marathons and the LA Marathon is the best yet and the flatest course ever. I would recommoned this Marathon to anyone. The support & enthusiasm were great and aid stations were well stocked for the slower people. all Marathons should be this walker/slower runner friendly.The race director did a superb Job. | |
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m. g. from Los Angeles, CA
(4/5/2006)
"This LA Marathon not as great as past LA Marathons" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 6+ City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run this marathon for the past several years, and it hasn't been as great as those times before. I mean, back then there were a lot more supporters (more last year for sure). Not only that, but I think the past LA Marathon course was better too (2001 and earlier).... Where it went on Sunset was the best part. | |
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victoria fuentes from mexico city
(4/5/2006)
"Good experience overall" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 6th marathon, and although I had planned on a PR, I was totally exhausted for the last 7 or 8 miles. Incline, slight incline, some more inclines. I loved the organization, the course is nice, and water stations did not fail. I wouldn´t recommend this marathon for first-timers, but that´s just me. Thanks L.A. | |
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J. N. from Glendale, California
(4/1/2006)
"One of the best ones around." (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was not too excited about the entertainment, except for the taiko drums. I finished in 6 hours, but I still had a great time, although by then the bands were getting tired. The crowds were just great, calling my name even when I was too tired or out of it to aknowledge or wave back. Thanks to all the spectators, support crews, and fellow runners. All those little kids handing out water and other things to the runners deserve a medal themselves. This is my third L.A. Marathon, second in a row, and the memories keep getting better. I just love LA. Definitely will do it every year from now on. | |
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M. C. from Orange County, CA
(3/30/2006)
"Great 1st Marathon Experience" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. Having nothing else to compare this to, here are my thoughts from a novice's point of view. Organization: Not bad. I got to the start line just fine. The mile banners weren't placed perfectly, but then again they were hung onto existing lightpoles, so there's no way for it to be perfect. The clocks were set in the right position, though. Water/Aid/Porta-Potties: Water and Gatorade were plentiful. However in some of the late teens, there weren't volunteers passing them out. Aid stations were marked. More potties are needed in the earlier miles. The lines were at least 20 people deep for the first 10 miles. What I didn't care for was the Salon Pas stations. The smell was overwhelming. If they have it around next year, place it downwind. Ugh! Volunteers: Great - polite and courteous. Crowds: Amazing. I knew this marathon had a lot of crowd support, but I wasn't prepared for how big the crowds were. People came out of their homes banging on pots and pans, provided fruit, water... anything. I thought the crowds were almost better than the provided entertainment. Course: Of course it's boring. LA is nothing but a bunch of strip malls. Sure it could be rerouted to something more scenic... but there'd be more hills. And good luck trying to get a permit in the tourist traps. Finish: I managed to return my chip, get my medal and find plenty of water and food... just had a hard time finding my family. Need better signs at the reunion area. Misc: I thought the expo would be a mess. Boy was I wrong. It took less than 5 minutes for me to pick up bib, t-shirt and goodie bag. The only problem is that there was SO much to see and I wanted to stay off my feet the day before. Plenty of goodies in the goodie bag, too. Carbo-load dinner was a waste of time and money. Horrible, over-salted food. Annoyed that they made the runners wait ouside in the rain, too. The official hotel should be called the Wilshire Not-So-Grand Hotel. Stay somewhere else unless you like filthy, noisy, overpriced rooms. Official Training Program: The LA Roadrunners is one of the best programs out there. My pace group got me to the finish exactly on time. Wonderful, supportive group. And they know how to throw a post-marathon party. | |
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J. W. from Chicago ,IL
(3/30/2006)
"Not what I had hoped for..." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The course was well marked, but painfully boring. The start proved confusing & crowded... I could barely break a full stride for the entire 1st mile (my fault for getting to the start late, I suppose). If you want to run a "walk-a-thon," this is the race for you. This race might be ranked as the nation's 3rd biggest marathon, but it is a distant 3rd compared to Chicago & N.Y. I've read statistics that there are over one million spectators.... I am very doubtful of this, and find it very hard to believe. However, it should be noted that the volunteers were wonderful! Thanks L.A., but I won't be back... perhaps I expected too much. | |
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M. S. from Springfield, MA
(3/30/2006)
"Not New York!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 If you're out on the west coast, LA is the marathon to do, but if you're from the east like I am and have done New York City before, there's no comparison. NYC is the big marathon to do. LA does a better job in the goodie bag at the expo and refreshments at the finish line, but that's about it. If you want a big marathon, do NYC (interesting course, mega spectators and user-friendly city) - you won't regret it. | |
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L. Q. from Omaha, Nebraska
(3/25/2006)
"Big Letdown" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my 7th marathon and one of my least favorite. I have run big marathons in the past with no complaints until LA. The spectators were silent for most of the course. They were good for orange slices and water though. The course was boring. If I wanted to run though residential areas and past a bunch of Burger Kings I would have stayed home. The on course runner shuttles were nowhere to be found. What was a runner to do if they had an injury or had to drop out for some reason? If you have shuttles on the course map, they should be there. This was not a good course for family and friends either. It was nearly impossible to meet runners at different points on the course. I will not run LA again! |
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