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Now that the Los Angeles Marathon is back on a Sunday in March--the 21st to be exact--the new "Stadium to Sea" route is being hashed out. Under current Santa Monica law, only 5K and 10Ks are permitted, but on Tuesday the City Council instructed staff "to return with an ordinance or policy change that would allow marathons to be held in the city," according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
"A route starting at Dodger Stadium, traveling through Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica can truly lay claim to highlighting the icons of LA," states the official Marathon blog.
An earlier report about the finish line indicated the race could end at the Santa Monica Pier, but no location has been officially determined yet. A proposal Santa Monica city staff will discuss "would go down San Vicente Boulevard, heading south on Ocean Avenue to Barnard Way and concluding just beyond the border in Venice."
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This would be huge. Glad to see they are taking serious steps to take this Marathon through populated areas that truly showcase Los Angeles. A Marathon is an important event for a city and this past year was an embarrassment. Between tourism and sponsorships it could bring in big dollars if managed and executed properly. If LA truly wants to make a spectacle of this they should follow in the steps of Boston and make it an official holiday for the city.
"Glad to see they are taking serious steps to take this Marathon through populated areas that truly showcase Los Angeles." So that's why they're going to run it through the City of Santa Monica which, last time I checked, is not part of Los Angeles? I'm sorry but your comment reeks of elitism. The current route may be incredibly boring, but it runs through areas that are demographically more "Los Angeles" than Santa Monica.
Well the Boston Marathon runs through several out lying cities in Massachusetts, and only it's last few miles are actually run in the city proper. Should they change that route as well, so that it's more of Boston?
I don't have a problem with the Marathon running through Santa Monica. My issue is with the notion that Santa Monica would "truly showcase Los Angeles" unlike the neighborhoods that have previously been part of the route, which according to dgoshilla, are an "embarrassment".
I agree with comment #1 - jogging down figueroa into the barrio and the hood is not only lame, it is depressing. by the time i got to MLK and had to piss, even though i was no where near my desired pace so that i could have waited for a port a potty, i just peed on a cinder block wall holding up a chicken coop.
Call it elitism, racism, or just plain no one wants to see the people who live in LA in the third world, i will run this marathon to santa monica - a jog down san vicente would be sweet - all nice lawns and white chicks with bony ankles and quality fakies. no more of this running through ghettoes and seeing fat ethnic types offering half bananas.
this is a good idea.
Wow - I don't even know what to say to that comment. I guess you'd never think about running the NYC marathon because it runs through the Bronx and Queens right? I don't think they're known for their white girls with fake boobs...
I happen to live near some of the "embarrassing" neighborhoods and also happen to be a runner.
I really get a kick out of reading how much of an "embarrassment" myself, my neighbors and those nearby are to so many of you. I especially like that we are reminded of it every time a thread regarding the marathon comes up. I didn't realize that we weren't part of L.A., nor met your standards for representing the city. Next time I go to LAX, I'll make sure to hide in the car so tourists don't see me and get the "wrong" impression about the city.
I especially like how so many focus on figuring out a way to "hide" the "bad" parts of the city and keep them from view to the rest of the world, yet I am willing to bet that few of those same people have ever done anything or are willing to do anything to help solve the problem.
This, in a funny way, reminds me of the situation with 2 Live Crew. "As Nasty As They Want To Be" had been out for quite some time before its lyrics and content became an "issue" with the general populous, and the only reason why it became an issue was because it moved from being something played only in the "embarrassing" areas of town to the affluent neighborhoods, like PV or your beloved Santa Monica.
Great to see that 20 years later, the attitude is still alive and well.