This is my first marathon and I was not sure I could finish it. Luckily I did at 6:21! After the soreness subsided a few days later, I felt like I could run another marathon. I loved the support from the spectators- they kept me going throughout the course, but especially at the end, when I didn't think I could go any farther.
It was great overall, and hope that I can do it every year from now on!

Anyone who gives this race less than five stars for 'organization' should be sent to bed without supper. This is by far the largest marathon I've ever run, and the organization ran much more smoothly than I could even dream. Face it, when you have roughly 25,000 people doing anything (let alone a marathon) without half of them getting lost, rioting, or simply falling over dead--it is a high grade miracle. Nothing of the sort happened at the 2003 LA Marathon, for which the race organizers deserve certificates of Honourable Mention from the Large Event Organization Hall of Fame.

How crowded was this marathon? Crowded. Really Crowded. I arrived at the start line about half an hour prior to the start, looking for the 4:00 pace group (that's 'four hour,' not 'four mpm,' just to clairify). Sorry Charlie. The entire street, four maybe five lanes--big street--is solid bodies, shoulder to shoulder. I see about one hundred yards in front of me a sign for the 5:30 pace group. Yeah. And there was a TON of people behind me. My chip time/Gun time differential was TEN MINUTES--it took that long to even get to the start line. After the start, I am weaving in & out (as best I can) hundreds, if not thousands, chanting 'on your left...On your right...coming through...' over & over, like some kind of deranged parrot.

The LA streets were never less than four lanes, and runners are STILL shoulder to shoulder. In fact, it wasn't until I passed the nine mile marker that I could finally just run my whopping nine minute pace without constantly weaving around Gang Walkers. It was mile eleven before I had runners at least a full arm's length away from me.

So--if being packed in like a sardine (only tighter), and a wildly crowded start and a wildly crowded finish bothers you, do not run this marathon. Corrals at the start would be nice, but still.....Considering the number of people, there is nothing much else the organizers can do. Do not plan on a PR in this race. It's just too crowded.

On the plus side, I was thrilled at the organization of the finish. Yeah, it was totally crowded, and a long walk to get food, and the 'Meet the Family' place was a disaster, and the finish exit area took forever to get through----But look at how many people passed through that area, for god's sakes. I would put the organization at nothing short of 'genius.' You want to see a screwed up finish, try the San Diego Rock & Roll.

The course was fast & flat. The only 'hills' were very short, and not steep at all. This marathon is about as 'hilly' as the San Diego Rock & Roll. I really liked seeing the different neighborhoods in LA. I thought the course was a beautiful, urban run.

Crowd support was the best I have ever seen. It seemed like both sides of the course was lined with spectators the whole twenty-six miles. The aid stations very efficient & huge, the volunteers friendly & helpful. Entertainment was good all the way.

The expo was massive--probably three times bigger than the expos I usually see.

LA is great 'first timer' marathon, as there are loads of peole at all levels, easy course, great water/gatorade/gel support, and unsurpassed crowd support. But -- You have to go with the flow, and don't sweat the runner traffic. Just play it cool, and be in the parade--it's a blast & a half. Me, I sweated the traffic, worked way to hard the first ten miles, and folded like a cheap suit at the end.

Ah well--See you next year, because I Love L.A.

This was only my second marathon (Honolulu in Dec., 2002, was my 1st) and i really enjoyed it, especially the support and energy from the spectators. Yeah, name on bib was great. Lots of water stations, aid people on the alert, a beautiful CA day. An earlier start would be better. Honolulu provided a 'Finisher' t-shirt afterwards, which i missed on this one, plus a certificate. PLEASE, next year make it easier to find the Port-a-Potties at race end!!

This was my 2nd LA Marathon, 2002 was my 1st. The start and finish line this year were a big improvement over last year. The new personalized bibs made for wonderful crowd support. The crowds as a whole seemed to be bigger all along the course and more enthusiastic than last year. Two new hills on the course made for a new and unexpected challenge. It got just a bit warm at the end, but easy to deal with. The organization is quite good for a big city event that has 50,000+ people involved. The 8:30 start is a bit late for SoCal, but LA has a unique bike ride on the Marathon course at 6:00am. The finish line is a slight 4 block incline but what a thrill is was to run up a wide street with huge crowds on the sidewalks and to hear your name called out from the crowd. The tall buildings on Flower St gave the crowd noise a great canyon effect. I look forward to this great finish line again.

START EARLIER!! MARATHON SHOULD START AT 6:30 AM!! It gets way too hot in L.A. for such a late start, especially for the 5-hour-plus participants... The heat radiating off of the asphalt bakes the energy out of folks... Uphill climb to the finish is pretty tough, too. 2003 course & water stations were great!! Bibs with names on them were super, too!! I noticed more crowd support this year than ever before.

This was my 8th LA marathon. I wasn't a big fan of last year's due to the changed course and the weather. I'm not a great hot weather runner. Over 70 degrees and it feels like 90! It just so happened (again) that race day was like early summertime with temperatures reaching into the 70's. Of course today, Monday, it's overcast and cool!!! The course was slightly changed from last year. Nothing drastic, just two rather short steep hills. Aside from the slight change in course (how exciting can any part of LA be?) the coolest thing was having your name printed on your bib number. It was great hearing all the spectators shout out words of encouragement throughout the entire course. As usual, LA has the best spectators and the marathon volunteers were terrific.

It would be a real blessing if the race could start at either 7am or 7:30 at the latest. Yes, the TV ratings wouldn't be as high, but the runners would be much more comfortable. Plus everyone would have more time to enjoy the 'afterglow'.

Well - this one gets a bad rap by some - starts too late, hilly course, hot, bad start, but I can't complain - everything is as advertised. The hills are there, the course isn't all that easy, but it is possible to run strong if you prepare right!

The start could use some improvement - perhaps corrals or better organization, but this isn't a real big deal - Figueroa St. is plenty wide to handle the runner traffic. The spectators are great, and 2003 provided great weather. Yeah, a bit warm towards the end but nothing intolerable!

I'd love to do it again given the chance. It was a lot of fun!

I ran this race in 1997, 98 and this year 2003. The race needs to start at least one hour earlier since this new course offers very little shade on a warm day such as this year. I love the support from the crowds. The race was well organized considering the large number of participants.

This was my first ever marathon. I had read all the other posts saying how bad the LA marathon was so I wasn't expecting much. What did happened was that I had a really great time. I think the people of LA should be commended for coming out and cheering the runners. I didn't notice the 4 across walkers or anything bad. The volunteers were great and there were ample water stations throughout the course. The worst part of the race was the last half was mainly uphill. Like I said, this was my first marathon so I have nothing to compare it to but I thought overall everything was handled just fine. I can imagine the logistical nightmare to put on an event like this. I happen to like the late start of this race. (I'm a nightowl). I will run this again next year.

I'll have to do it again it was great.