New Marathon Races From Stadium to the Sea
By LOREL KANE
Updated 8:52 AM PST, Mon, Nov 9, 2009
The L.A. Marathon unveiled its new "Stadium to the Sea" race course.
The race is set for March 21. The drastically changed route will start at Dodger Stadium and end near the Santa Monica pier -- watch the YouTube video below to get an idea of points along the way.
For the first time, the 26-mile course will run through West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Organizers said the route has a landmark every mile, including City Hall, the Kodak Theatre, and Rodeo Drive.
The overhaul is part of a new effort to revive public interest in the marathon.
Last year's race was run on a loop course starting at Figueroa and Fifth streets in downtown Los Angeles, ending nearby in front of the Richard J. Riordan Central Library at Flower and Fifth streets. The previous two years the race started next to Universal Studios, with a course designed along the Metro Red Line, and ended in front of the library.
The City Council agreed in July to move the marathon back to a Sunday in March, siding with runners who said holding the race on Memorial Day meant hotter and potentiallydangerous temperatures. The council also called for a redesign of the course to minimize disruption of Sunday church services.
Ministers with churches on or near the course had said for years the necessary street closings resulted in church attendance typically dropping by about 50 percent on the day of the race.
The number of finishers declined from a record 20,000 runners in 2006 to just over 14,000 runners in this year's race, which was run on Memorial Day.
More than 24,000-thousand people have already signed up for the 2010 marathon.
Organizers said they'll cap entries at 25,000.
Copyright City News Service / NBC Los Angeles
First Published: Nov 9, 2009 6:49 AM PST
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