This was my second year doing the LA Marathon. It remains one of the most well organized races I’ve run, an amazing course, second to none course support and obviously the thrill of crossing the finish line.
This year however there were a couple of issues.
As with last year, Dodger stadium is open pre-race. However, due to construction going on in the Stadium it was VERY dusty inside. Not really the best thing for runners (especially ones like myself with Asthma) to be breathing before the race. A little warning prior to the race would have been nice. I noticed quickly, hopefully others did as well.
The start was fine, I do wish they’d space out corrals a bit better and that people would learn to not drop their sweatshirts in the middle of the course and that non-runners should stay out of the corrals. They should really make some announcements regarding this.
The course is great. Course support is great. Other than twisting my ankle at mile 6 and having to run 20 miles on a bad ankle I have no complaints.
The finish remains one of the big issues with this race. Getting your blanket, medal, bag-check and post-race picture is pretty easy. Yet spectators continue to crowd the finish and not let runners get through to family members who actually utilize the family reunion area. It’s kind of rude that the runners that just ran 26.2 miles have to then fight through crowds who don’t want to let you through.
Other races don’t tend to have these issues, it’s something that should be addressed.
Overall, it’s a great race. I’ll be running again next year for sure.