With highlights of LA every mile, this course kept me motivated during the training leading up to it, and kept me going during the race itself. The two years of monsoons during expo and race day notwithstanding (L.K., comment below: whining about rain-related 'organizational' issues is kinda unreasonable, plus it wasn't that bad, and outdoor tented expos are perfectly legit for LA), everything was well organized.

The shuttle system worked like a charm. The race started on time. Volunteers and route support were great. No issues with traffic. Very unique experience to see and own all the major streets and boulevards as runners for one day. The course is NOT EASY, so don't look for PRs, but it is definitely a course that runs through 90% of all the highlights of LA. Will definitely do it again! (And there's NO WAY three years of rain in the row, so look for a sunny, dry race weekend next year. I guarantee it....I Think)

Expo: The expo was big and diverse, and I had no problems with the process of getting my bib and T-shirt. I do agree that they could have chosen an indoor location, since if the weather is bad (as it was this year), then you're out in it. Maybe a couple more of the large tents that the main expo was in could be erected in the future.

Course: Good course that goes past some iconic LA landmarks. I really enjoyed the Dodger Stadium start and the Santa Monica finish. The course is moderately hilly, although most of the hills were very gentle. There was one pretty steep hill around mile four, and the series of hills between miles 19-22 were tough simply because of their location within the race. If you prepare properly, this course is not significantly daunting; I trained in the hills in the Otay Lakes area east of San Diego, and I felt that I was more than adequately prepared for this course.

Organization: Great! The bag check was set up by bib number...what a great idea! I had not problem checking in before or retrieving my bags after the race. Plenty of port-a-johns before the race and on the course. My only complaint would be that the entrance to the seeded corrals was jammed with people. It was not adequately marked so they had to turn around non-seeded runners that mistook the entrance for the open corral, which added more chaos to the confusion. There was no lack of water stations or crowd support; I could have run without an iPod and would have been thoroughly entertained during the entire race.

Swag: Loved the medal and T-shirt! Lots of food and other good stuff being given away at the expo and after the race.

I would highly recommend this race! It was a remarkable experience.

The rules state that the runners are supposed to be pushed to the sidewalk 6 hours after the start of the race (aka 1:30PM). At 12:10PM, Beverly Hills police pushed us of the street, in clear view of SEVERAL signs stating that the road would be closed untill 1:00PM. BHPD motorcycle cops said that 'we have to open it some time'. Granted, some were at the 14 minute pace. But that would be the gun pace. Some did not get to the starting line untill 25 minutes after the horn sounded. Next time I will just push to the front of the line

I've run the LA marathon every year since 1998 and the past 3 years have been the most poorly organized of any major marathon I've run. Awful expo with no protection from the pouring rain (it used to be held in the Staples center, putting it on par with NYC, Chicago and Boston) terrible traffic getting to the start and finish lines, not enough rest room facilities in the staging area, If they want to return this race to it's prior stature among the premier races in the US, go back to the Convention Center and move the start back downtown. That said, it is a great course, albeit not particularly fast, and the spectators are great.

What a great course; fantastic views, great sights, beautiful neighborhoods. Add to that the best spectators I've come across outside of New York (but still in the US), and it has become my favorite marathon course. Perfect. And really great organization too by the way, I wanted for nothing.

I love the whole deal! the course, the organizers, the finish is the best! even though last year the weather wasn't in our side! I still challenge myself by finishing under 3:40

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.

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.

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.

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!!