The 2009 edition was my first full marathon. (I ran a half in Detroit a month before.) And I must say the supporters did a great job. I could not have finished without them.

This was my first marathon ever, and I must say that the experience was wonderful! The one thing I could not stop talking about post-race was the great support from all of the spectators. I can't remember one spot where you didn't have support! With the live bands, the kids giving out gummy bears, and all of the people who cut up oranges for the runners, it was awesome! I give the course 4 stars only for the fact - and I think all locals will agree - that the pavement was not all up to par. The pavement on many streets was uneven, old and cracked. But it can't be perfect and nonetheless, it was still a great and fun course. I think we ran down the hills more than we ran up them. There were two pretty steep hills, but they weren't long at all. The rest of the hills were moderate. The entire course allowed you to pick up the pace when you really should, making for a great finish time. There were a group of people who passed out beer and pretzels, and that really threw me off, but it was funny listening to other runners joke about it! Organization was good, especially post-race. It's like everything was where it should be, preventing congestion. I can't thank the people at the massage booths enough! I cried after I finished, because it was a huge accomplishment and I even beat my own time from training. I will run this one every year!

The course was great, and the weather was perfect. May is not so good! But March has very good marathon weather - not too hot and not too cold.

This is my prayer run for my city, so I love it. My 22nd marathon and 8th LA, and okay, I'll admit that I'm biased, but I loved the course since it went by all my old stompin' grounds. With LA, you do journey through diverse neighborhoods, which is the beauty of LA. People of all colors were cheering on people of all colors!

The date changes don't work for runners... that's very inconsiderate. And the 2010 date was to be announced at the '09 expo, but we're still waiting! There are multiple marathons in the area, and runners need to plan (not a good idea doin' it a week before San Diego)! While I appreciate all of the hard work that goes into it, and offer grace to the new management, hopefully they'll get their act together for next year. Hallelujah - the weather was cool for Memorial Day! There seemed to be fewer fans this year than I remember from previous LA Marathons, perhaps due to the earlier start on a holiday, such that fans were still asleep (I would be). But those who came out were great! Cool tech shirt - plus you get a pin! The ribbon for the medal this year was the prettiest of any marathon!

This is the first marathon I have ever run, and I was happy for the date change because I happened to be in town. I grew up in LA and was a little disappointed with most of the course; it just was not a very interesting slice of the city. Spectators were great - reasonably abundant and super encouraging. Liquids were more frequent than needed. I decided the day before the race to register and run, and I'm glad that I did!

We lucked out with the weather as it could have been much worse. The expo was fine, but the lines to buy the official LA Marathon gear were just ridiculously long (and this was Saturday morning). There was another booth with no line, but they only took cash. Also, I do not understand why they did not have tank-tops available for male runners. On race day, I had a spot in the sub-4-hour corral, but I could never find it; instead, I was directed back to the general area, and there was no liquid available. So they get a one-point deduction for the organization. Not finding my start corral was a bummer, but I got over it after a couple of miles.

The route is interesting for local runners who live in LA, because you discover some areas that you don't really know... and it's also fun to run around familiar places in the middle of the road. However, for people who don't know the city, the route must have been incredibly boring; there were no real LA landmarks whatsoever, except downtown and the Coliseum.

Another issue is the overall downhill first half and uphill second half, which makes it really hard to run a negative split. Spectators were nice and supportive, although some portions were a little empty (compared to Chicago, which is packed from mile 0 to 26.2). Liquids were plentiful over the entire course, but there were no gels (I always carry mine anyway) - so that's another point deduction for the organization.

Overall, a very pleasant race - especially since I PR'ed by 13 minutes. But the organizers and City of LA were incredibly lucky that the weather cooperated. It's best for local runners, but not so much for travelers. Maybe next year that'll change if the rumored adjustments are made (making the course go around some L.A. landmarks and finish at the ocean).

After reading prior years' comments, I came to this marathon with very low expectations. However, I was so pleased that the race director(s) apparently took the prior results to heart and made the necessary corrections. The race and expo were well organized; there were so many water stops that I began hitting every other one; the crowds were great.

I would have enjoyed a more scenic run through LA (I'm from Dallas), but I assume there were problems getting some neighborhoods to agree to the road closure.

The other issues that I experienced were merely the "joys" of running a popular marathon - lots and lots and lots of runners for the first six miles, lots and lots and lots of people at the post-race booths, etc.

LA was only my second marathon (Chicago was my first), but it left me wishing I had gotten a lot more for spending over $115 bucks. The course was super boring (except the beginning and end, which someone else mentioned). The coolest part of the current course would have been running through USC, but since it was in May, there weren't any students there to watch the race anyway. Overall, there were a fair amount of spectators, but not as many as Chicago.

I went to the expo on the second day, so I realize that people were tired, but the volunteers had no idea where anything was. I found the packet pick-up on my own, but no one told me where to go next. One guy even told me he was sure I had everything I needed and I turned around to find a whole other station that I hadn't gone to yet. Totally disorganized.

Other than that, everything was just ok. I ran the race and scored a PR, so I can't be unhappy about that.

Bottom line, I would have been completely happy with this course for half the price, but $115+ is way too much for what the course provides. My advice: save your money and run somewhere cheaper, or at least somewhere that gives you value to warrant an entry fee of over $100.

As a seasoned marathoner (this was my 24th), I was disappointed that my 1st LA Marathon was a yawner. The route was boring, and there was no sense of the REAL LA to look at except at the start and finish. Did I really pay $130 to run through residential neighborhoods?? I will run this race again ONLY if the course and date change.

This was my 3rd marathon, and overall it was a great experience. Fun expo, great weather, great course, great fans. Well organized, especially given the huge number of runners. The course provides a glimpse of parts of LA that most people would never see but for the marathon. The complaints below are not well founded at all. I appreciate the Monday date to counter all of the big-city Sunday marathons.