One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Long Beach Marathon Returns To The Streets
Long Beach half-marathon runners leave the starting line.
(
Sharon McNary
/
LAist
)
Sunday marked the first in-person running of the Long Beach Marathon since the pandemic began.
Over 10,000 people signed up to participate in events, which spanned the entire weekend and included a 5K race and a bike tour in addition to the marathon and half marathon. Organizers were thrilled to be back on the road.
"This is the first live, in-person event in over 727 days," said event organizer Dan Cruz. "We're excited to celebrate on the streets of Long Beach."
Over 20% of runners on Sunday were participating in their first marathon, which Cruz sees as a silver lining of the pandemic lockdown.
"When gyms were shut down, when yoga and fitness studios were closed, people could put on a pair of shoes and head out the door," he said. "We're excited to help get people up off the couch, out onto the roads and sidewalks for exercise."
Last year's event was held virtually. Participating athletes completed the races on their own, then received medals in the mail.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
