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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 381 to 391]
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John Brown from Warrington england
(11/2/2003)
"Fantastic experience" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Having flown from Manchester in the UK, I was not disappointed. The weather was fabulous the runners were such good company and the spectators around the course were wild with enthusiasm and kept me going... well worth the trip. I'll be back.. wonder who said that :-). | |
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S. S. from Sacramento, California
(10/24/2003)
"Boring Course" (about: 1997)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Ran this a few years back. Weather was good, course was flat but uninspiring and boring (many dull buildings) - there are many more scenic courses in the west and California, many that are as flat or have a net downhill. The phones I used from the Sprint reps couldn't connect with my wife's. Lots of goodies at the end - it actually was a bit chaotic. If your interested in a relatively level course and okay weather it's okay, but I wouldn't run it again - too many better marathons around. | |
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M. S. from Los Angeles
(10/19/2003)
"Skip This One" (General Comments)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Given the size of the budget from entry fees this is very poorly orchestrated. For years people have complained about the late start given the possibility of high temps, yet the organizers continue to ignore requests for an earlier time. Logistics at both start and finish result in unnecessary crowding and sometimes delayed starts, compounding the whether problems. Los Angeles has many nice areas, however you won't see them in this marathon. The course does neither the city nor the runners justice. Ran this seven times because it is convenient and I always held out hope that the organizers would one year heed the requests of the runners. It is clear that that will not happen. Will not run an eighth. There are far better alternative marathons around the same time of year. | |
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R. P. from Palo Alto, CA
(8/8/2003)
"Great marathon for 1st-time runner" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first time. LA was a great marathon. It was well-organized - lots of food, drink, etc. Got a kick out of the Sprint cell phone guys that let you call ahead. The fans were great. I still can't get over how many people come out to root you on and volunteer. First name on the bib makes it special. The course was flat, but could have been more scenic for LA. Not too thrilled about running up the incline in the end. People complained in previous postings about how difficult it was to get through the initial crowd. I found it relatively easy. I was running from the beginning. Overall, a great race to run. | |
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N. B. from Los Angeles
(7/9/2003)
"Just fun, fun, FUN" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The music and the fans really make this marathon a blast. The course is mostly flat, but why oh why do they save the worst hills for the very end? Names on the bibs = raise the bar for every other major city marathon. Why didn't anyone think of this sooner? | |
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c. g. from Redondo Beach, CA
(4/16/2003)
"exciting, emotional, hot, fun :o)" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Before I ran LA, I read some of the comments from last year and was a little scared that it would be a nightmare. But it wasn't at all! It was, overall, a really great race. The start is a little hectic, but with 20,000+ registrants I think that's a given. After about mile 6 it really opened up and hitting the water stations wasn't a damper on time. The fans are fantastic!!! There are very few points on the course where there aren't any spectators. At one point, a bug flew into my eye around mile 12/13, and a nice woman handing out her own water helped me get it out - it was so sweet! I would have been very annoyed if I had to run with a gnat in my eye the rest of the race. Water stops and gatorade are plentiful - they didn't run out, and there were more ClifShots available than I knew what to do with - I probably didn't even need to bring my own. Only gripes are start time - needs to start earlier, it got very warm if you didn't finish before noon (i.e. under 3:30), and the last straighaway - it is like a half-mile long and though you can see the finish the whole way up, it feels like you're running forever, and the finish doesn't get any closer - and it's on an incline! That last straightaway is a toughie. | |
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C. L. from Michigan
(3/17/2003)
"Enthusiastic fans" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 We loved the sun. My whole family ran in 2003 including my Mom's first marathon at age 55. We loved the sunshine after training all winter in slush, snow and ice. Also loved having our names on our bibs. Fans seemed to really enjoy cheering, even for those near the back. The crowd was awe inspiring. Favorite entertainment...definitely the drums on the USC campus. | |
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R. K. from Los Angeles
(3/15/2003)
"not a runner's marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 One must go into this race thinking they'll enjoy the crowd and the atmosphere, and not even think about running a good personal race. As it's been pointed out numerous times, and this organization seems to not care: THE START IS TOO LATE!!!!! LA is warm. Period. Have the stupid bike tour on another day, and don't worry about the TV ratings! But seeing as how there's money making involved with both of those aspects, the likelyhood of an earlier start is pretty much zero. One thing they should be able to fix is the start. Why not corral? There is nothing worse than having to work your way for numerous miles around people who lined up where they shouldn't have. It can get quite draining, but if you don't do it, you may be stuck for awhile. I do have to say this a good marathon to experience crowds and entertainment though. though. | |
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E. H. from New York, NY
(3/13/2003)
"So much more than expected!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 After signing up for this race and reading the comments on last year's marathon, I was a little nervous to be coming across the country for a race that got so much negative feedback. Compliments to the organizational staff for acting upon those comments, because the race was great!! Coming from NY where the weather was 15 degrees, I thought the weather was magnificent- nothing that a little water poured over the head can't remedy. The names on the bibs provided smiles late in the race when total strangers are yelling your name, encouraging you. The hills were shorts and sweet, and make for a good story to friends. I would suggest that the finish photos are placed where there is shade, as many photos were ruined from sun overexposing the picture-- this is too important of an achievement for people to not be able to see their finishing picture! Compliments to the city of LA- a terrific race! | |
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S. M. from Phoenix
(3/13/2003)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon and an overall great experience. The crowd support could not have been better. Putting the names on the bibs helped so much. The organization was great as well. The water stops were fully stocked and never ran out of anything. I love this race. Thank you LA!!!! |
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