I ran the Los Angeles Marathon for the first time last year. It was the 25th anniversary running of the marathon in Los Angeles (outside of the Olympic games).
Last year was also the first year for the ‘Stadium to Sea’ course that takes runners from baseball’s Dodger Stadium, throughout all of the high points and tourist attractions of Los Angeles, to a beautiful finish at the beach in Santa Monica.
I’ve returned to run the L.A. Marathon again this year and thought I’d quickly list 10 of my most favorite things about the Los Angeles Marathon.
10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon
- Getting to stretch and get loose before the race on the outfield grass of Dodger Stadium
- Skipping the long porta-potty lines to pee on the Chavez Ravine hillside
- Following the tweets of the L.A. Marathon @lamarathon throughout the year
- Running down Hollywood Boulevard by Grauman’s (Mann’s) Chinese Theater where thousands of movie premieres have taken place over the past 100 years
- Struggling down Sunset Boulevard thinking of all of the celebrities and great rockstars that have had just as much difficulty making it up and down this strip in the wee hours of the morning
- Sprinting down Rodeo Drive
- The opportunity to run with all of the local kids and citizens of Los Angeles who train all year just to run this race.
- Finishing at the Santa Monica beach near the boardwalk & pier
- The finisher’s medal is always top notch (see the 2011 version).
- The crowd support throughout all the different areas of Los Angeles is top notch and extremely encouraging throughout the entire 26.2 miles. The crowd the last half mile before the finish line in Santa Monica makes you feel as if you were finishing an Olympic marathon with the gold.
Best of luck to all of those running the Los Angeles Marathon this year and for years to come!
Related Los Angeles Marathon Links
10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon
Markos Geneti Wins 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in Debut (Results)
Flea Runs Los Angeles Marathon in 3:53:00 (pic)
List of 2011 Los Angeles Marathon Elite Runners
2011 L.A. Marathon Finisher’s Medal
you manage to make marathon running appealing even to those who might never have run one before! best of luck for the race on Sunday!