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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: 473 [displaying comments 171 to 181]
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Masumi Oberlin from Anaheim, CA
(9/19/2008)
"I Love LA, but..." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 As a local resident, I want to support and run in this marathon and help to keep it going. LA minus the marathon - what is left? Not much for me. We have to help this event get going and bigger. Maybe the LA Dodgers will help turn it into a major event like New York and Chicago. Certainly the President's Day date in February will be cooler (happy Joe Reilly?). Will that be for 2009 or 2010? However... I must say that the course is not good. I mean it's ugly, I am sorry. I like to start from downtown and come back to downtown. It's the LA Marathon. I don't want to take Metrolink to get to Universal Studios. The street is too narrow and uphill. After that, it's downhill. Excuse me? Whoever decided on this course must not be a runner. So, please change the course. Thank you. Also, please separate the walkers' pack and runners' pack so that we will not collide or run over each other. And let us start earlier, like 7:00 a.m. at the latest. Everyone at the water stations was wonderful. I cannot say enough. Thank you. | |
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R. A. from Los Angeles, CA
(9/1/2008)
"It is too hot to run!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 2 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I have no problem with the scenery, and few problems with the course. For the love of God, please start earlier in the morning. All season, the training program begins at about 7:15 a.m.; it is a horrible thing to start the marathon so late in the day. The East Coast marathons begin earlier in the morning, and it is even earlier on the West Coast; they don't start later to accommodate us! Please make it earlier in the morning!! | |
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Francisco Arellano from U.S
(8/30/2008)
"This is the best marathon ever" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I feel proud that I ran this marathon because I wanted to prove my self and my friends that I could finish this race. | |
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invisible rays from Monterey Park, CA
(8/22/2008)
"Bad Marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I have run the LA Marathon three times, and it is certainly getting worse. There isn't really much to see on the course. You don't really get to see the true spirit and the beauty of LA. Instead, it takes you to some of the places that you just don't want to see. It is a very disappointing marathon. At the price you have to pay, it isn't even worth it. | |
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T. E. from Los Angeles, CA
(7/15/2008)
"Here's why it was better before" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 During the previous mayoral election, the churches in Koreatown lobbied to have the marathon moved out of their neighborhood, and I am sad to say that both candidates agreed to do so. Thus, we get the horrid last six miles that everyone, local and tourist, hates. The only advantage is to see the Valley (a bit) and Hollywood, but that does not compensate for the awful ending. I am also a Students Run LA leader, so I am glad that people appreciate the students and the work they do. Some other race participants (OC, I'm talking to you) are pretty hostile toward the kids. I've run LA since 2004 every year, and the crowd support on the old course was second to none, better than NYC or anywhere. The new course... not so much, but that will probably improve with time. | |
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E. K. from California
(7/12/2008)
"My Last LA Marathon!!!!!!!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I have run this marathon many times before, but I have to agree with a previous post: it is the worst big-city marathon in the country. They should cancel this mess until further notice. I would have given the new route 0 stars, but 1 star was the minimum allowed. The route has changed for the worse. Serious marathoners should look elsewhere for a big-city marathon; this isn't it. | |
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B. G. from Los Angeles, CA
(4/27/2008)
"Worst big-city marathon in the country" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 They should cancel this event event until they can get it right. How could such sophisticated town have such poorly conceived, managed and supported event? I've run marathons of all sizes and locations and this one is below average on almost every level. No one seems to have any passion for the event - not the officials, the town or the residents. It will only improve when someone who loves marathoning takes it over and starts fresh. Sorry, but it's true. | |
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S. B. from california
(3/23/2008)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Wow! Potential L.A. Marathon runners need to look at the number of marathons completed by each person who comments, look up marathoners times, and then make their own judgment. I've run the L.A. Marathon 11 times and I've seen it all. This year they DID have gels (if you were an actual runner and not a walker). I do believe that they need more porta-potties at the start, but this is a great marathon. I preferred the course when we got to run down Hollywood Blvd. and see all of the stars' names, but this course is still good. In a large marathon you will always experience a bottleneck at the start. You do notice that people keep coming back. That is one of the lures of a large race: the crowd, the friends you make along the way, and the excitement. If you want to get the refreshments at the end, you need to train to run a faster marathon. Yes, everyone can run or walk a marathon, and everyone is invited, but that doesn't mean that they are going to save food for the slowest runners or walkers. Marathoners who train very hard to get good times get the food. It's first come, first serve. I'll be back in 2009. Will you? | |
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Bob McGwire from NY, NY
(3/21/2008)
"Block Party Marathon" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Coming from New York, I really enjoyed running the streets of L.A. However, I wish that we could have seen other parts of Los Angeles, such as Santa Monica and Beverley Hills. I, like many others, was not happy with the start. Perhaps the race should have been started farther west in the Valley, such as Sherman Oaks or Encino. That way we would not have to run the first 2 miles on a hill. Also we may have been able to avoid the early bottlenecks. As in NYC, we could have started the race on two different streets (similar to the NYC Marathon) in order to reduce the congestion. L.A. is magnificent. Why waste 6 miles in the area east of Downtown (Boyle Heights)? I did like the excitement, the diversity, the block party atmosphere. But I guess that means that I enjoy a fun run. I agree with previous runners, however, that L.A. is not a major marathon because of this characteristic. I did get the impression that the route was meant to please the L.A. City Council members who probably wanted to showcase their own particular districts, warts and all. A major complaint that I did have was the finish line. What a mess? 1. The finish area was entirely too congested. 2. The officials were at times quite rude. One young girl was only 30 yards away from her family. Unfortunately, she was told to take a circuitous route to re-unite with them, which happened to be almost a mile. The poor girl was in tears. 3. The drop-bag collection was not very efficient. In fact, it was the worst that I have ever encountered. 4. I kept looking for drinks and for some great runner-type food after the race. No such luck. 5. I always like to do some major walking after the run to shake out the lactic acid. No room for that. That being said, I am glad that I ran L.A.. It was definitely an experience that I will cherish. | |
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Joseph Reilly from Orange, California
(3/18/2008)
"L.A. is a "fun run," not a major marathon" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First of all, let me say that I will continue to run L.A. in spite of my gripes because it is L.A. and I love L.A. Let me also add that 2008 was my 5th L.A. Marathon. I also ran in 1986, 1987, 1990, and 2007. Now the gripes: I am not pleased with the route for '07 and '08. I don't like the point-to-point. I especially don't like the idea of running the last 6 miles in and out of East L.A. Hey! The previous L.A. routes were excellent. Why mess up a good thing? I also think that we should run in February, not March. The last two marathons were definitely on the warm side. Also, how about starting at 5:30 a.m. like S.F., or maybe 6:30 a.m. like Carlsbad. Heck, even 7:00 a.m. is much better than 8:25 a.m. (that is when the gun finally went off). Starting at Universal is extremely wrong-headed. Three negatives: Starting on a hill for 1.5 miles is not a good idea. Allowing 17,000 runners is not a good idea. Having the initial route made up of narrow pathways is not a good idea. Can you say, "Bottleneck?" The aid stations were fantastic. But knock off the banana give-aways. Have you ever heard about slipping on a banana peel? I read that almost 40% of the marathoners were walkers. If L.A. wants to become a major marathon, they must become runner-friendly, not walker-friendly. I don't mind having walkers in the race, but not 40%. Logistically, L.A. should limit the race to 10,000 marathoners (or change the course). Also, if you are going to have a 6-hour time limit, why not enforce it? Rather than include Boyle Heights, why not route us toward the beach, or Beverly Hills, or UCLA? Almost anything, but not Boyle Heights. L.A. is too much like a fun-run. I know that is the appeal for many of the participants, but not me and other serious runners. It reminded me of the Disneyland Half-Marathon, which also has too many people, and most of them fun-runners. I did like Elvis, Hollywood Blvd., Loyola High School, the Coliseum, Downtown L.A. and the 6th Street Bridge. All that being said, I will be back in 2009. Whether I like it or not, L.A. has attracted me since 1986. Maybe it is a Love-hate relationship. But please go back to the old route and start in early February at 6:30. Oh, and no more bananas. |
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