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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 391 to 401]
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G. F. from Los Angeles, California
(3/12/2003)
 "Overwhelming" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 First time marathoner- Walked entire course in 8hrs. I believe the committee should pay attention to the many participants who walk the race. Sweepers are annoying blowing the horn. It was quite a blessing as I walked with a dear friend of over 15 yrs. We both walked across the finish line. I will participate next year and my husband is running. | |
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A. C. from Carson, California
(3/12/2003)
 "A great race but dissappointing results posted." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I can not compare it with any other race since, this was my first one. The race was awesome and I enjoyed it tremendously. The only regrets I have is that the posted results under my name is not mine. My Bib and Chip number is Bib#22084 & CB98942 and not Bib#22085 as shown under my results. When I looked at marathonfoto.com to see who the owner of this BIB # is, I found out that it belonged to a runner of the opposite sex. The ChampionChip I got issued probably malfunctioned so, they just picked-up the next BIB Number and posted the results under my name. I cannot find my results anywhere. I think that there were a lot of people who finished the race and got their results mixed-up with somone else's or, that they didn't get any results at all. I believe that a refund or a rain-check is due to all those people who finished the race but, received erroneous or no results at all. I don't know if the correct results will ever get posted. ADC | |
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J. M. from Laguna, California
(3/7/2003)
 "Thank you volunteers!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As my first marathon, and being new to the LA area, what an amazing welcome. Like all the best distance events, the highlight of the LA Marathon was the community support throughout the route. Thanks so much to the volunteers, music, and cheering for every inch of 26 miles. | |
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David Lazarin from Wilmington, CA
(3/6/2003)
"Simply Amazing!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and it was GREAT! I can't wait for next years! The crowd support couldn't have been any better. Thanks everyone! | |
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N. F. from Camarillo, CA
(3/6/2003)
 "Ready to do it next year" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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! | |
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Bill Abendroth from Portland, Oregon, Ecotopia
(3/5/2003)
"Wonderful Block Party--But Tough to PR" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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Ralph Acosta from Lancaster, CA
(3/5/2003)
"I'll be here again next year" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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!! | |
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T. W. from LA
(3/5/2003)
"A Spectacular" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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C. B. from San Gabriel Valley
(3/4/2003)
"Marathon starts too late!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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. | |
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J. F. from Oak Park, Ca.
(3/3/2003)
"New course... again" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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'. |
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