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The LA Marathon
- Sapphire Running Team
- Jul 20, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 6, 2025
Why is the LA Marathon not the biggest and best in the world?
Los Angeles is one of the most talked about cities on the planet and one of the most fascinating to visit, so you'd think the LA Marathon should be at the very top of every runner's wish list. OK, it's not one of the World Marathon Majors, but that shouldn't be the limiting factor. It traverses some of the world's most famous landmarks, with a near perfect climate. And it doesn't sell out. It should do. We take a closer look.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a sprawling Southern California city and the center of the nation’s film and television industry. Near its iconic Hollywood sign, studios such as Paramount Pictures, Universal and Warner Brothers offer behind-the-scenes tours. On Hollywood Boulevard, TCL Chinese Theatre displays celebrities’ hand- and footprints, the Walk of Fame honors thousands of luminaries and vendors sell maps to stars’ homes
History of the LA Marathon
The first LA Marathon was held in 1986, and was a legacy event from the 1984 Olympics held in the City. It had more than 10,000 entrants making it the biggest inaugural marathon in the world. The course has changed many times since then and this has inevitably affected its potential growth. The original route in 1986 started at Exposition Park and ended at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The route around the turn of the millennium both started and ended in the Downtown area and then from 2007 to 2008, it started south of Universal City and ended in Downtown Los Angeles. The iconic "Stadium to Sea" route started at Dodger Stadium, finishing in Santa Monica. It changed again in 2020 as a result of spiralling costs associated with hosting the finish in Santa Monica. It now finishes at the Avenue of Stars in Century City.
The event website explains that 'this exciting change allows for a more vibrant and interactive finish experience than previously possible. It will provide the opportunity for much greater spectator participation for family and friends with enhanced post-race activities including the Finish Festival with concerts and sponsor activations and puts runners close to hotels, transportation, and nightlife in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the best of LA'.
Race Organiser
The McCourt Foundation
When is the LA Marathon?
The event weekend is held annually in March
Distances
Marathon, half marathon and 5k.
Is there an Expo?
The 2024 Los Angeles Marathon Health & Fitness Expo takes place at the iconic Dodger Stadium on March 15 - 16 and hosts over 50 exhibitors and live entertainment. All runners need to collect their bibs from the expo.
How many runners?
30,000 across all distances
The course
If you're coming from out of town there are of course a multitude of options when it comes to accommodation choices. Most choose to stay near the finish and there will be plenty to go for, whatever your budget. You'll need to head to the Expo on either the Friday or Saturday before race day to pick up your bib, so factor that into your timings. Speaking of timings, remember that the traffic in LA is pretty unique. It almost doesn't matter what time of day or night it is, there will always be traffic. Uber and Lyft rides are good value here and there is always one nearby.
Race day at Dodger Stadium starts early, so make sure you've had a good night's sleep and are well rested. Parking is open at 3am, baggage check in at 4am and the start corals at 5am. The wheelchair race is the first to start, at 6.30am and the mass field goes at 7am. There are a number of reasons for the early start, one being the need to get the roads reopened as soon as possible and another being the climate. It will be warm, with temperatures typically being around mid 70s Fahrenheit, early twenties centigrade, by mid afternoon. Beautiful running conditions!
The course crosses the majority of east-west span of the city, and includes some of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods, including Chinatown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City, The majority of the route is along large sections of Sunset, Hollywood and Santa Monica boulevards. Constructing a course through a city like LA is no easy task and it's the challenges associated with this and the huge costs that have caused so many course changes. Hopefully the current course will be fixed for a while and its reputation will grow. There are no issues with hydration. There are plenty of water stations and those supplying Electrolit energy drinks.
From Dodger Stadium in the east of the City, it's south to Chinatown's Dragon Gate at mile two and Los Angeles City Hall two miles later, where you start to head north and then it's Little Tokyo. Founded in the 1880s, Little Tokyo is a major cultural and civic center for Japanese Americans living in Southern California and it's one of only three official Japantowns in the United States, being declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1995. It's a cool place and the locals give runners plenty of support. Still heading northwest you pass the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and where you join Sunset Boulevard. It's on to Hollywood Boulevard at mile 9, and you'll soon run past the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and the Capitol Records Tower. 'The Hollywood Pantages has a history as grand and diverse as the stage and screen fare which audiences have flocked to enjoy there for half a century. These days it's one of Los Angeles' leading homes of legitimate theatre, (the five highest-grossing weeks in L.A.'s theatrical history were all shows at the Pantages), and a favorite "location" for tv shows, movies and music videos. In the past, it has been a movie house, with live vaudeville acts between features as well as the site of many gala premieres and "spectaculars." For ten years the Hollywood Pantages Theatre was the home of the glittering Academy Awards Presentations.'
At halfway you're in West Hollywood, the height of chic design in LA. you'll pass Hollywood & Vine, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theater. Since 1927, this ornate Asian-themed movie house has been hosting films, and it’s still a top place for premieres in Hollywood. It’s the courtyard out front of that gets even more attention, where more than numerous celebrities have left their hand and footprints in cement, then signed them personally. By mile 17 you're in one of the glitziest parts of LA, Beverly Hills. You'll get a good look at this area and the rest of the course up to mile 22 as you do it twice. The course turns at mile 22 at Brentwood, a super wealthy part of the City, and you then run back on yourself. This is where it previously carried on to Santa Monica, but not any more. No runner particularly enjoys running back on themselves and it's no different here. The one bright spot in this instance though is that this is one of the best parts of LA so you don't mind seeing it twice.
The stretch back along Santa Monica Boulevard to the finish at Century City is also well supported by residents and tourists alike. It's inevitably quiet early on in the race but as the clock ticks by so more and more people come out to cheer on the runners. Early start times and relatively small marathon fields lead to fewer spectators in any race and that's certainly the case here. It's not like New York or London, but they both have over 50,000 runners and start much later, but the buzz at the finish here is good. There are lots of activities and sponsor activations that will keep you occupied for a while, but once you're done head into Beverly Hills and become one of the in crowd for a few hours!
What's unique?
There are no other opportunities to run this route. It's a fascinating city and this is an incredible way to see it.
Do charities benefit?
There is a charity programme that encourages runners to raise money for charity but this is generally only for those who have already secured their own entry. There's not only a marathon on race day there is also a half marathon. focused on supporting charities and a 5k. The whole event is owned by a not for profit organisation.
Our verdict
There are so many positives about this event: it's easy to get an entry, LA has great weather, it's an amazing city, the course has top landmarks, there's good entertainment and much more. With a fixed course there is every chance there will be more and more running every year and it will grow to the point where it needs a lottery. It deserves it.
How to register
Online via the website. It may sell out in the weeks leading up to the race but there is no lottery. Entries are also available via partner charities in exchange for an agreed amount of fundraising.
Being able to enter a major marathon like this without having to apply via a lottery is a rarity these days. Here you can enter until close to event day, which makes it even more unusual.
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