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This is what happens when you let politicians dictate how to organize a sporting event. In September, the City Council mandated that the Los Angeles Marathon change from a Sunday to a holiday Monday, citing "complaints from religious leaders, who blamed race-day road closures and traffic congestion for making it difficult for their congregations to get to church," according to the LA Times.
At first, that forced the new organizers of the race, a company from LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, to change the date to President's Day in February. But that drew complaints because not many runners and volunteers have the holiday off from work. So now the new date is Memorial Day, the last Monday in May--a much hotter and more popular day for family vacations and get-togethers, not races. A week later is the popular Rock n' Roll Marathon in San Diego.
Tina Dupuy, Editor of FishbowlLA, sounds off in the LA Times Opinion section today about the date change. She, like many, are not happy. "This date change is like moving a minimally popular television to Friday night. It's a death rattle. It's about to be canceled for ratings." A running acquaintance told her "Great. First we don't have a football team, and now we don't have a marathon."
LA Marathon LLC President Russ Pillar still was positive when he spoke to the LA Times about the second date change to Memorial Day. "He said the complaints are balanced out by responses from other runners who 'are planning to participate now who couldn't when the race was to be held on Presidents' Day.'"
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Getting around the marathon is annoying as hell, but it would never occur to me to complain to City Council that it shouldn't be held on a Sunday. "Religious leaders" really need to learn how to function in a city in which there are many other lifestyles and priorities beyond their own.
We all have shit to do on Sunday (marathon has made me late to really important things on two occasions) but as adults it's our job to figure it out and stop bitching.
Wow, is LA slowly turning into NYC, where people complain about everything as if it were the end of the world? Change happens people, roll with it.
Churches and harvests are the reason we vote on a Tuesday in November. I'm not sure why I'm making this point.
This isn't Shelbyville Tennessee, why is Los Angeles moving one of the city's biggest events because some Churches said so?
I just got my $$$ back and am looking forward to running the Pasadena marathon instead. The organizers there actually have a brain and cancelled their marathon because of the extreme health risks. It is now in March, and although the route sucks - it goes on washington in Pasadena, the bottle recycling and asian incall rub and tug capitol, it is now in march.
As for L.A. in May - i want the over under on deaths - i will give action as follows - if the forecast at 6 a.m. that day on weather.com is for 85 or more, i will take 5 deaths or over - remember, the last deaths in L.A. were 2006, when it got quite hot after starting cold. It has never started hot in l.a.
I imagine this will be the last year for the l.a. marahon - there probably will be mass heat stroke and mccourt will do some tie in with the dodgers so that the dodgers can be drageed down in this fiasco.
Have it on a Saturday.
Move it back to Sunday. While they're at it, why not reconfigure the course so that it can start near the ocean, run a few miles in Santa Monica and take the entire 16 mile stretch of Wilshire to finish in downtown? You close one major street, but at least people aren't trapped. Start the race earlier too. Say, 6:30AM. By 11 am they can start reopening the streets.
The end of May? Are they kidding? I really wanted to run this year, but now I can't because I'm doing the ALC at the end of May.
Thanks a lot, you stupid fucking churches.
You know, my morning commute to work would be so much easier if religious people didn't have driver's licenses. Who can I complain to? This is the most ridiculous thing I've read all week.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
"Have it on a Saturday."
What about Jews?
The point is, there is always somewhere people need to be in this city, whether it's Church or something else that's important to them.
It's arrogant for "religious leaders" to completely screw up something that people have been training for for MONTHS to accomodate their congregations, instead of just passing out maps of the route at the service prior to the marathon. I mean, duh, it's not that hard.
I'm just sick and tired of organized religion throwing their weight around and acting like they have some devine right (ahaha) to everything that takes priorty over others.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
It is a simple fact that if latinos and blacks do not go to church on sunday the world will end.
I just have to laugh at the memorial day idea. The best and most delicious part of this is that for some reason, no other major city has their marathon on memorial day - i wonder why. Do you think it may have something to do with the sanctity of the holidays and turning los angeles streets into a burning man type mania of public urination and defecation (you try and wait for a port a potty in boyle heights while trying to make a nine minute pace when you can just as easily decorate a cinder block fence guardian some valuable chickens) is probably inappropriate.
whatever, this is LA's last marathon - the ration of shiatsu that mccourt, the dodgers, the council and these religious leaders will have to take when there are half a dozen cadavers and 500 people with extreme heat stroke will finish off the la marathon for good. we do not deserve it - we are a horrid city with a mayor who has his dick anywhere but his pants and is getting reelected without a contest.
The marathon is ONCE a YEAR and only for a few hours! There are road constructions that are more inconvenient then the marathon. Hollywood Bowl during a concert is more convenient than the marathon.
Everyone living, commuting around the route is inconvenienced. Hell, (no pun intended) I lived in Hollywood for a few years and just made sure on that Sunday I stayed close to home or was out of the area bright and early.
Hey churches how about starting an hour or two later than usual so everyone can compensate for the traffic detours.
I meant to say, "Hollywood Bowl during a concert is more inconvenient than the marathon."
Top 10 Reasons to Run the LA Marathon on Memorial Day: http://tinyurl.com/c9llv6