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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: 472 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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j. e. from Pennsylvania
(2/16/2016)
 "Pleasant surprise for a big dirty city" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Loved it from start to finish. Organized, fun, well aided and then some. Great medal, easy to navigate shuttle. great way to see the city. They took you thru the best sights. A difficult course due to hills & heat but gorgeous finish. Really enjoyed the course. The spectators were amazing. I stayed at the Double Tree in Santa Monica. It was perfect. It could sleep 7, best price was thru the marathon website, 2 blocks from shuttles, few blocks from finish. | |
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Debbie Vibbart from Ventura , ca
(2/16/2016)
 "Roads opening too soon" (about: 2016)
3 previous marathons
| 3 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Openings the roads after 3 or 4 hrs, making running move to the sidewalks was horrible. We felt very rushed, water stops were limited medic stops were cut short . Worse LA marathon I've run. | |
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C. M. from Chicago
(4/3/2015)
"Great Way to See the City and the People of LA" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I knew going in that the course would be awesome, and I was not disappointed. There were amazing landmarks all along and running the race is a perfect way to experience the city in a whole new way. The volunteers and spectators were great, and they cheered us on throughout the course. I also knew as the run drew nearer that the high temperature was going to make it tough. That was the case, but the organizers did a great job of taking all precautions to keep us safe and informed. There were ample water and Gatorade supplies all along and spectators were also generous in providing bottled waters, etc. I took the shuttles from downtown to the stadium in the morning and back from Santa Monica afterward and had no trouble at all. The only pointer on that would be that some directional signage to the buses would be good. It is a great race all around and I highly recommend it. It is one of the best big city races that I've done. | |
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T. J. from Chicago area
(3/29/2015)
 "A hot marathon with limited spectator support" (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The Los Angeles Marathon was an extremely hot race again this year, especially for someone like me that came from somewhere where there was a real winter going on. Unlike last year (from what I heard - I wasn't there last year), there was plenty of fluids, including sports drinks, on the course, even at the end. I guess I am spoiled by the Chicago Marathon and its usual million plus spectators, but the L.A. Marathon was not a big item in the local media, and the spectators that were out there were usually few and far between. There were some pockets of spectators along the course, but for the most part there were not a lot of people out there. I saw some unusual things in this marathon I had never seen before, such as several spectators that were spraying suntan lotion on runners (nice!), a 'sloppy greasy chili hot dog' offered for 'runners only' at about mile five (no thanks - maybe at the end), and a runner dragging a tire behind him the whole race. The volunteers along the course were friendly and supportive, and the miles were clearly marked for the most part. The scenery was interesting, although the next day I discovered some landmarks along the course that I didn't notice when I was running the race. I hear next year the L.A. Marathon will be held in February, which is a good move. The irony about the timing of the L.A. Marathon this year was that two days after the race the temperatures were lower by fifteen to twenty degrees, which definitely would have made the race more tolerable. The course was also hillier than I thought it would be, especially for the first five miles or so. | |
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M. E. from Los Angeles
(3/17/2015)
"Hot Footing Across LA" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I'm a Los Angeles native, so I know it can get hot in LA at the most improbable times. A good example was the 2014 Los Angeles Marathon when the temps got into the low 80s in Downtown LA. That was unfortunate, but not freakish by local standards. In 2015, though, it got up to 90 at noon at the Santa Monica Pier. That was freakish... and uncomfortable to run in. In a good weather year, runners should be shivering in the pre-dawn at Dodger Stadium. This year we were shedding clothing. The heat slowed everyone down. Check the Marathon Guide's average time for the field. It's about 19 minutes slower in 2015 than it was in 2013, when the weather was typical for mid-March. I figure the weather in 2015 cost me at least 10 minutes, a bummer because I finished about three minutes away from qualifying for Boston. But I didn't get sick or cramp up or faint or injure myself, so I really can't complain. The expo was OK, but the schedule of speakers changed at the last minute which defeated the purpose of showing up when I did. And the race shirt was nearly all-black, which doesn't work on warm days or when I'm running on city streets before dawn or after dark. The rest stops were well supplied and the volunteers were wonderful (as they always are). The crowd was supportive and good-natured, but a little smaller and less enthusiastic than in previous years. An exception to that was Cheer Alley where local middle school cheer squads made us feel like heroes. Thanks kids, your enthusiasm and energy really helped! The finish line in Santa Monica was nice, but we were given the choice of turning left for the beer garden or turning right for the reunion area. A complimentary Michelob Ultra OR reuniting with my sweetie? No sweltering marathon finisher should be forced into that decision. | |
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A. B. from Tennessee
(3/16/2015)
"Best marathon, especially for large city" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the first time I've felt compelled to review a marathon, but I ran the LA Marathon yesterday, 3-15-15. Most large city marathons I've participated in (14 of them), it seems like you run on the outskirts of the city and maybe only see the landmarks from a distance. Not this one. LA did a great job of taking you by many of the top tourist destinations, starting at dodger stadium, going through west Hollywood, Beverly hills, running on rodeo drive, and finishing in Santa Monica. Great crowd support, water and Gatorade every mile, cool medal. An overall EXCELLENT marathon and one that I would highly recommend! | |
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I. I. from PA
(11/15/2014)
"Enjoy every year" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 2 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've completed this marathon in 2013 and 2014. The scenery on this point to point course is diverse and interesting. 2014 was exceptionally hot 85f. Under more normal conditions the course cools as you get closer to the coast, if your fast enough, so you avoid the crushing heat like in 2014. The crowd is great, very supportive and people really come out in numbers. The official aid stations are organized well and there are plenty of unofficial aid stations. I don't see how anyone could complain of a lack of hydration or nutrition, unless the tail end of the race starts to run out of supplies. The race volunteers are great. In 2014 I stumbled around a bit after crossing the finish line from over exertion and the heat. One of the volunteers grabbed me and looked after me for half an hour, which was unnecessary but actually very cool. | |
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K. M. from New York
(4/8/2014)
"2014 Raceday Organization A Disaster" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 For a world class marathon to run out of gatorade AT EVERY STATION for ONE THIRD of their runners is unbelievable and unacceptable. Especially when the forecast was for record hot conditions. Add to that ridiculous delays getting to the start and no one directing traffic at what could have been easily managed bottlenecks. Reading other people's comments for 2014 seems to back this assertion. This was completely different from my 2013 LA Marathon experience which was fantastic. Yes the course was great and the spectators did an amazing job to make up for the many shortcomings of the race directors. Still there are so many other California marathons, I would avoid this one until they show they've fixed these problems. If you are going to run 2015 which will be the 30th, aim to be self reliant and don't depend on the marathon for course amenities. Bathrooms included. Also double your time allotment for doing most anything race related. | |
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Eddie Hahn from Crestline California
(3/20/2014)
"Herculean Improvements, Now a Signature Event" (about: 2014)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am glad I waited to post comments so I could compare what other marathoners thought of 2014 first. I note predominately favorable reviews. For those of us that suffered through many growing pains, and being kind of a pariah of the big city marathons, I feel management has finally got it right. Favorables: plenty of water and gatorade on course every mile (at least for me and I took 5 :15). Great supportive fans handing out everything from water to popsicles to snickers bars, city showcase course: Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Dodger Stadium, Long Beach (no particular order here)...ALL the city icons! Shuttle: we waited in a relatively short line for the shuttle to Dodger.... As to the pre race wait some comlain about: its all part of the experience for me, I enjoy getting there nice and early, socilalizing with friends and relaxing, and if you participated in the abysmal shuttle inaugural new course year of 2010, you would gain an appreciation for the current fluidity of the shuttle operation! Negatives-I do not like the Grey on Orange Ascis 'fast food' style shirt-even if it is synthetic material-ugly. Parking-Always horrible in LA-You have to pay at least $10 and still walk a huge distance. Yes I reserved my parking pass on line...but still-why cant the marathon committee work something out with the city of Santa Monica???? Heck, marathoners are bringing plenty of revenue to the city on race week end. | |
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C. H. from Aberdeen, SD
(3/17/2014)
"Great experience" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My wife and I are on a quest to finish a marathon in all 50 states. We selected the LA Marathon as our CA race and it was our 30th state together. Could not have picked a better race. With this many marathons in the bag we have a pretty good idea of what we are looking for and this race hit it all. We loved the course but the most amazing part for us was the logistics. From packet pick-up to the finish line everything flowed beautifully. This race was a joy to be a part of. Job well done on the part of race management. |
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