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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 61 to 71]
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A. F. from California
(11/29/2011)
"I love L.A.!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. Challenging course, not the least because of poor organization. People were parking on the freeway to make it to Dodger stadium by start time; the start was delayed anyway. Here are my tips: 1) Don't support marathon owner Frank McCourt until he's GONE. Dodger fans who boycotted him until he sold the team will know what I mean. In other words, you can run this course on your own on a Sunday without shelving $200 in registration fees, transportation costs, and snacks. I did this by running various routes around the Westside, including the last 6 miles of the course and running in and around Dodger stadium weeks before the actual marathon. 2. Once McCourt's gone, enjoy the innovative point-to-point course...enjoy L.A.! I liked running through Hollywood and Rodeo Drive...but HATED the long, gradual hill at Century City, at which point I cramped up. But the fans were great, and provided me with copious amounts of potassium-rich bananas to attempt to get me to keep running. 3. Take public transportation. (Easier said than done). I had my mom drop me off and a friend's car waiting for me at the finish, but I think I would take the Metro Rail to the start (if a connector bus is waiting at Union Station) and BBB back if I could. | |
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G. C. from California
(4/6/2011)
"Some organizational issues are preventable...." (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Ran this course twice in 2010 and 2011. It is not particularly fast, so look elsewhere for a PR course. However it is highly scenic and shows a lot of Los Angeles. Spectator and volunteer support under the pouring rain was excellent. For people who had trouble with getting in time to Dodger Stadium (as I did in 2010): I got myself out of bed at 3 a.m., showed up at the shuttle at 3:50 a.m., and was at the stadium at 4:15 without issues. So the shuttle system works, as long as you get there early enough. For people who complained about the gear check and lost bags... do as I did, since I heard so many horror stories from the 2010 edition: do not use it. Main unresolved issues: - like last year, the start got delayed by ~30 minutes (for no obvious reasons). It messes up your nutritional routine, and this year it had a major impact with respect to the weather. Had the race started in time, we would have had better weather for at least another 30 minutes.... -the long distance to get from the finish line to the parking lots - it would have been long in normal weather conditions, but became painful with the pouring rain and gusty winds. At one point, you had to walk in a single line between rows of spectators/families. Not the best organized finish. I might run it again since I am local and I like the L.A. experience, but not for a PR attempt. I would probably not run it again if they keep jacking up the registration price. | |
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W. C. from Calgary, Canada
(4/6/2011)
"LA Marathon - great race even in the rain." (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed the course and the crowd support. It kept me interested up to Century City (but I always crash around 20 miles). As others have pointed the weather was awful but there is no way that was the organizers' fault. I would also add that there are a number of hills on the course but you expect that with any marathon and it just adds to the challenge. There were some improvements that I would suggest and I have outlined the pros and cons below: Pros: 1. Interesting course for the most part and I really enjoyed the neighborhood festivals. 2. Great crowd support along the route even with the terrible weather. Thank you to all of the people who kept me going by cheering my name!!! 3. The expo was good and I enjoyed the variety of vendors. I didn't spend that long there but it was easy to get around. 4. I took the bus to the start line from Santa Monica and had absolutely no trouble getting in. In fact I probably could have left later. 5. Thank you for the buses at the finish line festival. It was nice to have somewhere warm to recover. Cons: 1. After having done a number of big-city and small-town marathons, the gear pick-up stations were terrible. I understand that the weather didn't help, but when I arrived there were people everywhere going through boxes of stuff. There were no volunteers to help people get their stuff and the whole process was very chaotic. I didn't lose anything so I thank the other runners, but I don't think everyone was so lucky. It is disappointing that this was the final memory that a lot of runners will have had with this event and hopefully the organizers can fix this for next year. 2. The finish line festival is just too far away from the actual finish line. After running 26 miles, I don't want to walk another half-mile to collect my stuff. Some changes to the course would allow the finish line to be closer to the festival. All in all, though, I thought the event was enjoyable. | |
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R. G. from Los Angeles, CA
(4/5/2011)
"Great course; organization still sub-par" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 First the good: the slight adjustments to the course were great. Eliminating the loop around the stadium made great sense and adding a couple of miles at the front end so as to cross the finish line sooner on Ocean Blvd. was terrific. The crowds were wonderful despite the weather proving that LA loves its marathon. Ok, here's what didn't work: the expo - while a vast improvement from last year - was still too cramped. It's also clear that fewer vendors are participating. This is so sad for those who recall what the LA expo used to be. As I posted last year, there is no reason that we can't have a grand expo given the size of the stadium parking lot. Getting to the stadium the morning of: we left early and the traffic was still insane. Why cant there can't be a dedicated lane and highway off-ramp for marathon traffic at that hour? The weather: no one's fault. BUT... everyone running knew it was going to rain for days prior to Sunday. Thousands of spectators knew it was going to rain. Why didn't the race organizers know it was going to rain? Come on. Thousands of runners hit with hypothermia? There should have been precautions. Why weren't there tents set up on the other side of the finish line? Why were the hotels along Ocean the only places where runners could warm up? Where was the crowd control to keep spectators from closing in on the runners as we tried to walk south from the finish? Why weren't there warming tents at the "festival?" The lack of shelter was just inexcusable given the ample weather warnings available. Bag claim: what the hell happened?? Clearly the volunteers charged with handing out the bags split rather than standing in the cold. Shame on them. Trying to find your stuff while climbing over dozens of wet, cold, hungry, tired runners was a horrible way to end the race. Do I love this marathon? Yes! Will I run it next year? Yes! Do I have faith that the organizers will get their act together? A big yes!! | |
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K. M. from CA, USA
(4/5/2011)
"Organization an epic fail." (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I have run over 100 races from 5K's to two marathons, LA being my second, and never have I seen such horrible organization! From the 35-minute late start, to the lack of anyone knowledgeable on the race course, lack of porta potties, epic fail at the finish line- no food, water, volunteers to direct or help you to the bag check area or anyone at the bag check to give you your things - it was an utter disaster! The race organizers should be ashamed of the race they "organized" - and I use that term loosely! Thousands of people were left in the freezing rain to fend for themselves because no volunteers were at the finish area. Hypothermia was a true threat for myself and thousands of others who couldn't get our dry clothes back because they were either stolen, lost or left in the rain. If you want a great first marathon experience or a good marathon experience at all, I suggest another marathon. | |
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C. S. from SF, CA
(4/4/2011)
"Rain, rain, go away" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 From light sprinkle to monsoon and back again, it rained the entire race. Yet, the fabulous volunteers stood out there providing cheers, encouragement, entertainment, and refreshments. The race organizers must have read last year's comments, because this year the corrals were more organized and spacious, transportation and traffic to the start were flowing freely, and Dodger Stadium and runner tents were available pre-race for shelter from the weather. Now, the negatives all concerning gear pickup: the LONG walk from the finish line to the pickup area, the lack of signs at the finish line directing runners where to go, and no volunteers to return gear (it was every runner for him/herself... ugly). | |
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Eddie Hahn from Crestline, California
(3/31/2011)
"Weather conspires against excellent, improved even" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I disagree with some of the comments regarding race organization. Having completed the event last year, I saw much improvement. Santa Monica race shuttle buses to Dodger Stadium were nearly flawless. Freeway marquees indicated alternative drop-off routes to the marathon for vehicle traffic. The start was delayed for the security of the participants (high winds blew course markings over). Obviously the delay didn't hinder the elite male winner; maybe it even helped - how else does one explain the course record? For those of us normal runners, a marathon is something one plans out well in advance, and a 15-20 minute delay shouldn't break the bank. In terms of the long-walk to baggage pick up, maybe management overcorrected, perceiving last year's recovery area as congested. In any case, one can't necessarily place blame regarding the unpredictable record-storm - how could they have possibly modified location in such short order? The race has already e-mailed me an official apology regarding the disorganization and lack of security at bag pick up - and runners need to realize they should never place anything valuable such as keys, identification, etc., in their check-in bags. Thanks to the many volunteers - free Starbucks coffee helped stave off hypothermia. We got gummy bears, oranges and water from locals. Residents of many communities braved horrible weather to support us. I especially enjoy the culture, flavor and landmarks (Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica). | |
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R. Y. from California
(3/30/2011)
"Overall a fun run" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Nice course and really appreciate the volunteers braving the heavy rains. Packet pickup was fast and easy. Overall fun, but next time I hope they improve: Start on time: It was very cold standing waiting while the start was delayed. I'd like to see better organization/markings for starting groups. I felt I was dodging and cutting around people for over 5 miles. Control the crowd at the finish area: Long walk from the finish line to the bag check. Had to walk single-file through the crowd of people. Had to keep dodging umbrellas; as the people in the crowd turned, looking for people, they would move their umbrellas into our path. Very slow, long, COLD, painful walk. Bag Pickup was a mess. Couldn't find my bag. I was so cold and tired that I gave up and left. | |
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J. C. from So Cal
(3/30/2011)
"LA is making progress!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 First off, a HUGE thanks to all the volunteers who braved the rain to support the runners. We couldn't have done it without you. I ran last year and was pleased to see most of the issues addressed. Expo was much better, and the parts of the starting line transportation logistics I dealt with were better as well. We even managed to find porta-potties with no lines in the morning before the race. Course was better than last year too, with the crowded lap around the stadium removed. This course really does a nice job of highlighting LA and the neighboring cities. Be sure to train for the hills, as there are some tough climbs late in the race despite being net downhill. See you next year. | |
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J. R. from Vally Village, CA
(3/30/2011)
"Overall, Good Race" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 First thing: Volunteers, spectators, and entertainment were amazing. I mean, if I hadn't been running, there would be no way I would have been outside in that typhoon weather. They were crazier than the runners. But a big "thank you" to them! The only negative was the weather, and that was nobody's fault and nothing could be done about it. By the time I crossed the finish line, I couldn't feel my hands, I could barely walk, and I was frozen to death. It took me 2 days to warm up. But, I'll probably be back next year. In nice weather the course looks like it will be great! |
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