Whew! With 92 degree heat, it was something like a death march! The start went off without any problems so I thought things might be great! However, I did learn that going under the garden hoses feels good for a short while, but the resulting blisters from wet feet!! Ewwww! Worst time yet!

This race survives on the unbelievable support from the city. The spectators were everywhere and push you on constantly. The heat is unbearable towards the end and I wonder what it will take for the race director to realize that this marathon HAS to begin at least an hour earlier. Besides that, the race is near perfect. Water stations everywhere, a great expo, not too many hills, and once again, amazing fan support. Unless the race begins earlier, I would not recommend this marathon to any first timer. Do San Diego's Rock and Roll instead.

Don't expect a PR in L.A. Do expect cheers at every turn.

You have a marathon run by a politician instead of a runner. You get a race course that starts on a downhill, ends uphill making it difficult to pace yourself. You get a start time which makes it likely the temperatures will reach dangerous levels by the end. You get an uninspiring tour highlighting the worst that a city like Los Angeles has to offer. You have choas at the finish line because of the limited availablilty of space to accommodate the crowd. You even get a t-shirt with an iron on application covering a large enough area of the shirt to assure that when wearing it you will sweat like you are in a sauna. That's the LA marathon.

While most marathons iron out the glitchs over time, this one gets progressively worse.

I'm from LA originally so when I finally went back to visit some friends, I decided I had to run the marathon. Hilly, yes, but not as hilly as Flying Pig or USAF. 65F at the start was not a good sign. Finish was 75+ and sunny, I couldn't dump enough water on me to stay comfortable.

The starting pen was a joke. Several 90 degree turns within the first mile made for interesting times. Ended up running through planters, etc. to stay on my feet. The finish line was worse and extremely confusing.

I understand the late start is due to the bike tour. Some bike lady was at mile 10 holding up her medal and shouting 'This is what you're working for, this is what it looks like.' What a freaking joke. I wanted to shout 'You don't deserve a medal.' Besides the fact that the bike medals are square instead of round, 26 miles on a road bike is trivial compared to running a marathon. Sheeeesh!

This was the second time I'd run this marathon. Overall, I love L.A. However, the 8:30 AM race start was way too late for me and many other runners I spoke with along the way. This year it got way to warm for those of us on the course who were not among the elite. I love the LA expo, and though their shirts have not been among the best, the goody bag is great. I'll be checking in the future to find out if the start gets changed to an earlier time (I suggest 7 AM).

The only element missing in this great run is shade. Hilly, but much easier than Boston and much, much easier than Sydney [Australia's Olympic course 2000]. Need to pace yourself to about 20 miles then go for it. Drink plenty and run in what little shade you can find. GOOD LUCK.

Having flown from Manchester in the UK, I was not disappointed. The weather was fabulous the runners were such good company and the spectators around the course were wild with enthusiasm and kept me going... well worth the trip. I'll be back.. wonder who said that :-).

Ran this a few years back. Weather was good, course was flat but uninspiring and boring (many dull buildings) - there are many more scenic courses in the west and California, many that are as flat or have a net downhill. The phones I used from the Sprint reps couldn't connect with my wife's. Lots of goodies at the end - it actually was a bit chaotic. If your interested in a relatively level course and okay weather it's okay, but I wouldn't run it again - too many better marathons around.

Given the size of the budget from entry fees this is very poorly orchestrated. For years people have complained about the late start given the possibility of high temps, yet the organizers continue to ignore requests for an earlier time. Logistics at both start and finish result in unnecessary crowding and sometimes delayed starts, compounding the whether problems.

Los Angeles has many nice areas, however you won't see them in this marathon. The course does neither the city nor the runners justice.

Ran this seven times because it is convenient and I always held out hope that the organizers would one year heed the requests of the runners. It is clear that that will not happen. Will not run an eighth. There are far better alternative marathons around the same time of year.

This was my first time. LA was a great marathon. It was well-organized - lots of food, drink, etc. Got a kick out of the Sprint cell phone guys that let you call ahead. The fans were great. I still can't get over how many people come out to root you on and volunteer. First name on the bib makes it special. The course was flat, but could have been more scenic for LA. Not too thrilled about running up the incline in the end. People complained in previous postings about how difficult it was to get through the initial crowd. I found it relatively easy. I was running from the beginning. Overall, a great race to run.