Last night the organizers of L.A.'s 1st-ever Beerathon let us know that the event had been called off thanks to regulations from the state of California prohibiting free beer. Well, it's a little bit more complicated than that. more ›

Were you excited to test your endurance at L.A.'s 1st-ever Beerathon by trying 26 beers at 26 bars in downtown Los Angeles this Saturday?Too bad! more ›

As Frank McCourt makes his way through his gnarly divorce proceedings, the fate of the LA Dodgers hangs in the balance -- and so, reports the LA Times, does another LA athletic institution: the LA marathon. Little did you know that one individual could own a marathon, but they can, and McCourt does. The Times reports that McCourt "bought the marathon" three years ago, and has been working to dust it off and make it over ever since. more ›

Talk about a busy week! Zealous 36-year-old runner Marie-Louise Stenild of England is trying to break the Guinness World Record to to become the first woman ever to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. On Monday, her third day of running, she and a support team will run L.A.'s Stadium to Sea marathon route that debuted earlier this year (nerdy fact: the Guinness World Records Museum on Hollywood Blvd. is around mile 12). The effort is also raising money for the Adam Rogers Trust, named for a 13-year-old who did of a brain tumor. Stenild begins her world tour on Saturday with a marathon course in Antarctica. more ›

If you've been out around town today you may have noticed that preparations are underway for tomorrow's sold-out running of the Los Angeles Marathon, and the exciting new Stadium to the Sea route means that the 25k runners and spectators will be taking to the streets in a big, big way come morning. Be sure to double check the street closures that go into effect overnight in Los Angeles and in other cities through which the route travels, as well as the changes to bus routes and schedules. And if you're running, enjoy your carbo-loading dinner tonight, and good luck to you tomorrow! more ›

In addition to all the street closures across town, this Sunday's Los Angeles Marathon will prompt the closure of about 18 freeway on- and off-ramps, Caltrans announced today. From the early morning hours to the early afternoon, you might be faced with some detours. Here's the complete list: more ›

MARCH 20, 2011: Looking for this year's route, street closures and transit changes? Check HERE. more ›

That's it folks. For the first time in the races 25-year history, the Los Angeles Marathon has hit capacity. You can thank the new Stadium to Sea route, which features regional icons like Dodger Stadium, the Sunset Strip and near the Santa Monica Pier. There's still one way to participate, however: do the 5K Run/Walk companion race. Unlike year's previous, the traditional bike tour, which allowed cyclists to bike the route before runners took the course, was canceled to great disappointment. Race day is Sunday, March 21st. more ›

The popular new stadium to sea route is sure doing the marathon a service as it's almost sold out. “In the past, thousands of entries have come in at essentially the last minute,” said the race's president Russ Pillar today. “That will not be possible this year as we have a cap of 25,000 entrants on the new Stadium to the Sea course and we’re more than 90% full already." So if you're planning on attending the expo the day before the race, you'll l likely be shut out. The race is in 21 days. more ›

Tomorrow will mark the running of the 2nd Annual Pasadena Marathon. Runners, walkers, and cyclists will take part in multiple event offerings in the streets of LA County's beautiful Rose City, which of course means a great opportunity to be outside and active and sharing an experience with the community, and also some road closures, detours, and parking restrictions. more ›

Looks like the Stadium to Sea route is a popular one. The L.A. Marathon, which can hold 25,000 runners, is 80% sold out, officials announced today. With over a month before race day, it's likely to reach 100% in just a few weeks. We’re confident we’re going to sell out and strongly encourage those who are training for the race but have not yet registered to do so immediately so they’re not turned-away,” said race president, Russ Pillar. In previous years--and like in many other marathons--a third of registrations happen the week of the race. "That’s not going to be an option this time,” Pillar warned. more ›

Okay, it's time to stop munching on that mac and cheese. On the heels of a major makeover to the Los Angeles Marathon route , two new half marathons for Los Angeles were announced today by separate companies. Come this January, the 13.1 Los Angeles Marathon will run through the Westside and next October, the popular Rock n' Roll Marathon will make a debut in Los Angeles, replacing the City of Angels Half Marathon. more ›

Some 23,000 runners, walkers and cyclists will be hitting 26-miles of Long Beach streets this Sunday morning during the the city's 25th annual marathon. About 35,000 people are also expected to join and cheer on race participants. That means if you live or will be in the area, especially between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Long Beach metro area, take heed of closures and traffic. more ›

We don't know many details at the moment, but a guy named Paul apparently started swimming late last night from the western portion of Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. That's nothing too unusual, as the San Pedro Channel is a popular place for marathon swimmers, but what's pretty cool is that it's being tracked in real time on a Google Maps application. more ›

Shortly before noon, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved moving the LA Marathon back to a Sunday date in the month of March beginning next year. During public comment, most speakers supported the date change, but a few stood up to save Sundays. "For those who have made this into a religious issue, this is not a religious issue... This has not and has never been a religious issue," said a determined Father John Bacchus who said that a single event should not tie down the city to the degree it prevents people of faith attending their institution. A compromise within the approved motion instructs city agencies involved with the race's logistics "to design a new point-to-point route which will minimize disruption to Sunday church services." The agreement also allows for the "Stadium to Sea" route, which could include Santa Monica, announced last week. more ›

Tomorrow, the City Council will likely vote to change the Los Angeles Marathon's date back to a Sunday in March after last year forcing organizers to choose a holiday Monday to avoid conflict with religious institutions on Sunday, the traditional day for a race. In the end, traditionally hot and sunny Memorial Day was chosen only to scare off a large number of runners from registering. more ›

After a year of disappointments, the Los Angeles Marathon is considering a new route that would begin at Dodger Stadium and end in Santa Monica, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press: "Marathon officials are planning a new route for the 2010 race, starting the course for its 25th anniversary at Dodger Stadium and ending it in Santa Monica, hoping to breathe life into an event that in years past has lost some of its luster." more ›

It was the City Council and without their thinking caps, says the LA Weekly. The City owns the marathon and contracts it out to the McCourt Group (yes, the same McCourt who owns the Dodgers). "Everyone seemed happy — until the first 'pre-planning' meeting" at Councilman Tom LaBonge's office, wrote Tina Dupuy. "There, somebody thought to ask senior transportation engineer Aram Sahakian about the street logistics of holding the marathon on President’s Day, February 16. Incredibly, nobody on the vast staff of the 15-member Los Angeles City Council, which employs 320 personal assistants at an annual cost of about $20 million, had bothered to fully review that date with the transportation engineers before the council approved the deal. Instead, Sahakian tells L.A. Weekly, 'It was done verbally at a meeting.'" Good one, guys. Too many people work on President's Day, traffic would be severely impacted so it was moved to Memorial Day, which is traditionally hot. Luckily, this year runners got lucky with the weather. Next year, all signs point towards a colder Sunday date, but you never really know in LA. more ›

Wesley Korir of Kenya won today's LA Marathon, beating the race's record from 2006. His 2:08:24 finishing time beat the previous record of 2:08:40 by 24 seconds, according to the LA Times. In the women's race, Tatiana Petrova of Russia won finishing at 2:25:29, also a record with the third-fastest time. more ›

The City Council may have learned their lesson by forcing LA Marathon organizers to a Monday holiday rather than the traditional Sunday. Today a council committee voted to hold the 2010 marathon on a Sunday in March. This year, it will be held on Memorial Day, which has not been good participation or the health of runners who choose to run on the traditionally hot day. It will next go to the full council for approval. more ›

A motion introduced by three City Councilmembers today will lift a ban that forced the Los Angeles Marathon this year to be held on a Monday holiday instead of a Sunday to avoid conflicts with religious groups. With not many choices at hand, Marathon organizers went with Memorial Day, which predictably proved difficult with low participation, limited broadcast availability and complaints from runners. more ›

"Because that's the way we do business in L.A., you come and scream and yell and you usually get your way," Los Angeles Unified Supt. Ramon Cortines said in an interview to the LA Times about pending school budget cuts which has everyone in strife. Cortines is on to something here. It's unrelated to education funding, but religious institutions felt the annual Los Angeles Marathon made it hard on parishioners, so they lobbied city council, who in turn banned the Marathon from taking place on Sundays. The race will now take place on Monday, May 25th, otherwise known as Memorial Day. more ›

Last November, the Pasadena Marathon was all set to have its inaugural run, but Mother Nature had other plans, leading to the event's false start. SoCal's air was saturated with smoke and ash from the Triangle and Sayre fires, and the race was canceled the night before. But tomorrow the race is on again, and about 2,000 folks are expected to participate in the marathon, which will cover the requisite 26.2 miles beginning and ending at Pasadena City College. The day will also include a half marathon, bike tour, 5k race, and a fun run/walk. If you live in, or are headed to Pasadena, be advised there will be street closures in effect; check here for details. more ›

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. more ›

Due to the smoke and ash in the air generated by the two massive fires that have burning in Los Angeles and Orange Counties this weekend the Pasadena Marathon has been canceled. Yesterday the AQMD issued a smoke warning, and modified it to include Orange and Riverside county information once the Corona-Yorba Linda fire began to rage. The warning notes that, "surrounding areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties may reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups level or higher, depending on fire conditions and wind flows." Many people all over LA and OC are reporting smoky air and are opting to remain indoors. Participants in the Pasadena Marathon are asked to check online tomorrow for more information about the event. more ›

If baseball was not enough, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has bought the rights to the Los Angeles Marathon through a company called Going The Distance. While the race route will not be changed this year, the race date will be changed from March 1 (as it is currently listed on their website) to February 16 on President's Day. more ›

KNBC Broadcaster: "Well Ed, is it one of these matters where the Kenyans and Ethiopians, let's be honest here, they see a white guy out front and they don't take him seriously?" more ›

With year-round great weather, awesome beaches, and a short drive to the snow, Los Angeles is the perfect place to get sweaty. more ›

Thanks to our shutterbug readers, our LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr was gifted with some shots from yesterday's 23rd Annual LA Marathon. more ›