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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 441 to 451]
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A Runner from Irvine, CA
(3/4/2002)
 "LA is OK, but needs some changes." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 2002. It was too warm, especially with an 8:45 start delayed until 9:20. Temp at the start was 60. It hit 70 but felt like 80 in the sun. My big gripe concerns the finish area. We were packed into a small area and it was tough to find family at the reunion area. There were thousands of people packed in like sardines - no one was happy. Typical problems with too few toilets along the course. Who wants to wait on lines 5 or 6 deep to pee? At one point early in the course around 8 miles they had toilets along the course. The toilet lines actually blocked half the road and forced us to stop and funnel to the left to get around. The cross street 30 feet away was empty and closed off. Why couldn't they have put the toilets there? Several water stops ran out of gatorade. Listen here, I finished in 6,500 place out of 22,000 starters. That means no luck for the 15,000 people behind me. I hope they at least had water for them. Crowd support was great. People had bagel pieces and candies to hand out and were very supportive. The course was fine. Not too hilly. The heat was much more punishing. Expo was large with lots of run & bike vendors with good deals. At the carbo load dinner, the entertainment was the national sport aerobic championship. A bit expensive at $15 but I only paid $60 for my hotel. Finisher's medal looks good, my first one. | |
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A Runner from San Diego, California
(2/5/2002)
 "I Love LA!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Last year (2001) was my first LA Marathon. I'm a bit new to marathon running over the last two years, but have run Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Rock 'n Roll (San Diego), Tampa and Richmond. All were fun, but nothing matched LA. The course is (was) hilly, but that's what it's supposed to be I think. Flat and fast, that's for track runners. Road runners should embrace the hills, the crowds, the weather and the overall experience. The LA Marathon offers the best of all these things, and the organization is spectacular. If you're not an elite runner, this is the wrong place to come for a PR attempt given the crowds and hills. However, the atmosphere that the city puts together makes even middle of the pack runners like me feel like Olympians! I highly recommend this marathon to anybody who just loves to run! | |
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A Runner from California
(1/23/2002)
"It was the greatest race I've ever took on." (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 When I ran the LA marathon a few years ago, I still think of it everday in my life. I can recall every enduring moment of the pain, pleasure, camaraderie, happiness, personal accomplishment of just passing over the finish line in one piece. I'm still recovering from internal injuries from it. The race was well organized and I certainly would recomend it to anyone; especially for a first time marathon runner. Good Luck | |
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Kenna O'Leary from New York
(1/1/2002)
 "Native New Yorker loves LA Marathon!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As a competitive runner in high school and college, I decided to continue running as a leisure activity beyond school. My first marathon was the Chicago LaSalle Bank Marathon in 1999. It was great. However, realizing 26.2 miles of running is not all fun and games, I decided to make it fun and games for me. Always dreaming of visiting Southern California, I entered the 2001 LA Marathon. What a blast! I stayed at the Biltmore and loved the city, course and truthfully the greatest part was the support of thousands of cheery spectators. Did LA give them pre race cocktails? What a happy crew. At mile 14, I realized my pre marathon flu was not over. Finishing in 3:52:00, I was content. The crowd carried me from mile 15 to mile 25. Miles 25 to 26.2 were a fog for me. Thanks to the audio system toward the final stretch of the last mile, I heard over the loud speaker 'Kenna O'Leary will make sub 4 hour time.' Whom wouldn't want to hear their own name at this point. Fame for ten seconds. Or at least completing my second marathon in style. Thanks LA, see you in 2002. | |
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A Runner from Los Angeles, CA
(11/20/2001)
"LA ROCKS!" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this marathon in 1999 and 2000, and loved it both times! The spectator support is unsurpassed, and the water and aid stations are well stocked and well manned. This is definitely one of the more FUN marathons; lots of bands and entertainment along the way. My only complaint is that for us middle of the pack runners, often the bands were on a break while we ran by. But all in all, this is an awesome marathon, with a fantastic race expo! | |
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A Runner from the Inland Empire
(7/26/2001)
"Party in L.A.!!" (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran LA in 2000 and 2001. Yes, I was part of the Secong Coming of the Flood in 2000, but I, as thousands of others, survived it and came back despite the inclement weather. It seems like the course will be changed for 2002, which really needs a flatter final 3 miles. The organization is superb, with a great expo. Lots of things to see there. The people along the course are also fantastic. One mile you can hear someone on their front yard playing mariachi music, and gospel music the next. Not to be missed. | |
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A Runner from Los Angeles, Ca.
(3/30/2001)
"walking my first marathon at age 40" (about: 1999)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I did not participate in the 2001 marathon. However, I did finish the ones in 1999 and 2000..not by running them, but by walking. I admire the runners. I am a distance walker and having had heart surgery as a child, my physical activities are limited. I reached my goal by walking the 26.2 miles and plan to finish it again in 2002. I encourage others to be in this marathon. Know in your heart that you can finish it...just like I did,( I was not able to be in the 2001 race due to the flu.) | |
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A Runner from Beverly Hills Calif.
(3/14/2001)
"great run, what a sense of community" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the first LA Marathon in 86, missed the last 14. It was a different course then. This time, I truly understood what running a marathon was all about. The community, the humanity both running and watching, it was the best, a true life experience. The hills weren't too difficult, the city was great to see. The people, the music, the help along the way. All truly inspiritational. | |
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A Runner from Los Angeles, California
(3/14/2001)
"first marathon" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great crowds. Great volunteers at the water stations at every mile. Music and ethnic performances along the route. Being from LA, I had the benefit of veterans who warned me about the hills. It doesn't make them any easier but knowing they were coming up helped the mental aspect of tackling the course. Going down that final strech along Wilshire with the left turn onto Flower with crowds on both sides of the street cheering us on was wonderful. The Kenyans had won the race 4 hours earlier and the fans were still out there cheering us, the average Joe's and Jane's, to the finish line! | |
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A Runner from Los Angeles
(3/9/2001)
"Outstanding participation by the community and org" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 LA residents deserve a big round of applause for their continuous support of the LA Marathon. Rain or shine they'll be there for you. Ditto for Mr. Burke and his staff and all the wonderful volunteers. I've run Santa Clarita, Long Beach and Culver City Marathons. Although small compared to LA but community support are nowhere even if the route is right on their neighborhood. Hopefully, I'll be back for my 11th LA. Thanks again. |
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