L.A. MARATHON RECAP
And Why I probably won’t run this Marathon again.
I did it.
I ran the LA Marathon!
I crossed the first item off my 30-year-old bucket list to the tune of 4 hours, 26 minutes, 57 seconds. I loved and just as equally hated, every single minute of it.
I simultaneously never want to run again and am itching to sign up for my next race. (NYC? Could I train hard enough to qualify for Boston eventually?? Maybe a race overseas? I hear London is fun!)
Before I can recap my experience with this marathon I have to preface that I’ve run the Chicago Marathon twice, 6 and 7 years ago respectively. It’s a much different race! One obvious reason being its a completely different city. Next, Chicago is FLAT AS A PANCAKE. Chicag a great race to PR or even qualify for Boston (completely different topic, but yes I would like to qualify for Boston one day) so I think it says something about my training that I nabbed a PR running LA. Beyond that, the vibe, the energy, is just so much more. The whole reason I still run is the energy and power I felt during those Chicago races. Complete strangers yelling your name, saying they believe in you! What an experience! It’s rather indescribable actually.
Everything missing from this marathon is whats known to be missing from LA in general. The spirit of the marathon is not just in you, but in the city where you’re running.
LA has some fantastic neighborhoods- no doubt! But there is something missing from the ones on the route. To put it plainly, LA is just really choice about when it wants to come together. The city hosting a marathon really isn’t one of them. Maybe it has to do with a good chunk of the route not actually being Angelenos? Sure, people live downtown and in Hollywood- A LOT of people- but people who are excited to cheer on their fellow neighbor at 8AM on a Sunday? Nah ah, not like that.
Perhaps the landmarks are enough for some runners. Or the fact that it has a declining elevation for others. For me, not my favorite race!
Enough of that, let’s get to a recap of the race.The route does undeniably offer a tour through most of LA’s major attractions. The tagline is even “stadium to the sea”! And you do just that, take off at Dodger Stadium and cross the finish line in Santa Monica right next to the beach.
My Race Day experience:
The Starting Line:
The night before the race I scheduled an Uber to come between 4:00AM- 4:10AM. We made it downtown to Dodger Stadium in about 15 minutes. I gotta say drop offs were a well oiled machine. As soon as I got out of the car, security was shooing my uber away to make room for the next car. Since we arrived close to 4:30 there was a consistent dribble of folks coming in, but nothing too crazy. I would highly recommend getting to this race early. It seems they’ve made strides in drop off coordination but I also read horror stories from previous years where runners had to get out a mile or so before the stadium and walk/jog to the starting line due to traffic. Considering the beating your legs are about to take in addition to the mental toll of being late to the start…let’s just say thats a no from me, dawg. Just be early!
As I approached from the parking lot I got a nice couple to snap my pic with this Dodger’s sign. Remember there are usually two sides to these signs! It was funny because the other side had like 20 people in line and this side none. I blame it being 4:30 in the morning.
As you continue in you’ll pass the start corrals. You will need to sign up well in advance and have a previous marathon time to qualify for one of the seeded corrals. It looked like each of the corrals had an entry point along the fence with volunteers checking your bib to make sure you belonged there. The open corral is the last and largest. Most folks, like me, end up here! Its self seeded, so ideally if you are a faster a runner you place your self closer to the front and if you are a slower runner, to the back. This helps a lot with the starting line congestion. I was sort of surprised at how small the corrals felt. Again (as with most of this post) this was in comparison to Chicago. I looked it up afterwards and Chicago has almost double the runners compared to LA! makes sense now.
I continued on and got in line for free snacks! I was pretty impressed with what they had available that was complimentary- bagels, bananas, gels and water. I grabbed one of each! I was already loaded up with gels, but figured one more couldn’t hurt. After that I found myself a little spot to warm up. Right near the tent handing out food was a band that started around 5. This was fun to watch- I give them props for having so much energy at 5AM!!! This put me in a pretty good mood and clearly pumped up some folks.
There were 2 sets of bathrooms- the first one is as you cross through the parking lot to the start corrals. The second set was farther in, past the corrals and the music. Lines got a little heavy at the first one as its the first set of porta-potties folks arriving hit.
I would say about 45 mins before the race starts the corrals really get packed. Eventually you are just stuck where ever you can fit in the open corral! I would make sure if you are in a seeded corral to be inside the runner area well before start time to ensure you can actually get to that corral. There were quite a few runners around me that were placed in seeded corrals they couldn’t get to.
In terms of weather- I don’t think I could have asked for better. I was perfect with my throw away sweatshirt over my t-shirt. I also just kept walking around to keep the blood flowing.
Miles 1-10: Downtown & the East Side
It only took me about 5 minutes to cross the starting line- not bad! Honestly I thought it would take at least 20 mins. Not the case! The route first takes you around the stadium where there is an almost an immediate incline. I didn’t think this was so bad, just something to be aware of out the gate. As soon as you are up, you come right back down to leave the stadium. The next six miles take you around downtown. We passed through China town where there were drummers to lead us onward as well as past the Disney Music Concert hall. And another REALLY big hill. I made it up this hill running, but a lot of folks walked.
After mile 6 you pass through Echo Park and Silverlake, making your way onto Hollywood Blvd and into Hollywood. I actually really liked the view getting close to Hollywood. There was a moment right before turning onto Hollywood blvd where it was a straight-shot and runners as far as the eye could see! It looks like they were running right into the hills of the Hollywood sign.
Cheer Squad again in Beverly Hills!
Miles 10-20: Hollywood, Weho, & Beverly Hills
Coming up the Walk of Fame was cool, the crowds thickened a bit, but honestly I think some of it was legit tourists who had no idea what was going on! There was a good decline leaving Hollywood Blvd to swing down to Sunset. There were some fun drag queens and cheerleaders here keeping the energy up. Soon enough I came through Beverly Hills, which also had some great crowds! My sister showed up around here which was exciting, she surprised me with a sign that said “ You’re doing great, sweetie!” If ya know that one, ya know.
Enjoying a well deserved beer at the Finisher’s Party
The Final Stretch: Brentwood & Santa Monica
Brentwood is where the energy really picked up! And thank goodness, because this is where I really start to dig deep. Those last 6 miles seem so short and so long at the same time. Turning onto Ocean Blvd is pretty surreal! Once you make that turn its a straight shot to the finish line! I loved seeing the Santa Monica pier off in the distance get closer and closer. I crossed the finish line with my best split of the day, somewhere around 8:20! Honestly don’t know where that came from!
After finishing, I got my medal, some water and went to find my family! We regrouped about a block away at the finisher’s party. This was section of block that was blocked off for finishers and their family. I thought was rather small! I enjoyed my free beer and then we wandered around Santa Monica looking for somewhere to celebrate and have brunch!
Final Thoughts:
Production: 5/5
Scenery: 3/5
Swag: 4/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Run Again? Not anytime soon.
Recommend? I think this is a decent first-timer Marathon. Its easy to sign up for, there isn’t a lottery yet and it usually doesn’t sell out until a month or so before the race. Its well organized, and although the beginning of the route is hilly, once you get through it, you’re pretty much running on flat road. There are plenty of bathrooms, water stations, snack stations, etc… Ending in Santa Monica is also pretty epic, and the weather is an additional plus. For those looking to visit LA, I do think this a good reason.
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