Morning Brief: LA Marathon, Coastal Erosion, And Dodgers Bobbleheads

Good morning, L.A. It’s March 21.

After being postponed multiple times in 2021 due to coronavirus concerns, the Los Angeles Marathon was held on schedule yesterday. More than 20,000 runners registered.

Delvine Meringor, 29, of Kenya won the race, coming in just eight seconds ahead of John Korir, 25. That put Korir at the front of the pack for the men’s race, his second consecutive victory.

Some competitors in the day’s race used wheelchairs and handcycles, including a group called the Achilles Freedom Team. Retired Marine sergeant Mike Sprouse, a member of the team since 2006, said the event is one of the ways he stays connected to folks with similar interests after suffering a spinal cord injury.

"You go through the why me and the angry stage and what am I going to do part, and then handcycling gives a lot of people with my type of disability a way to get back into the community,” he said. “It gives me an opportunity to cycle with friends and family, and it's like a family reunion every time you go to a race.”

Yesterday’s race began at 6:30 a.m. at Dodger Stadium. Participants followed a course that took them northwest through Hollywood, then southwest through Beverly Hills and Brentwood before looping back to finish at Century City’s Avenue of the Stars.

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.

What Else You Need To Know Today

• LAUSD has set a date for the end of mandatory masking: March 23. 
• A fire that partially damaged one of the country’s oldest, intact Japanese American settlements does not appear to have been set intentionally, Huntington Beach officials say. 
• U.S. health officials are watching the climb in COVID-19 case numbers in the U.K. with concern. 
• California’s coastline is eroding, and new technology that scans the shore may help researchers understand why.

Before You Go ... You Can Be A Real, Live Dodgers Bobblehead

Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with Cody Bellinger #35 and Steven Souza Jr. #18 after Taylor's walk off two-run home run in the ninth inning to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 3 to 1 during the National League Wild Card Game at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

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Sean M. Haffey

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Getty Images

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If you’re one of the many Dodgers’ fans in possession of a bobblehead, and you’re passionate about that bobblehead, the organization might have a job for you. They’re looking for one brave soul to be an in-person bobblehead, interacting with fans in the same manner as a mascot

Check out the details of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here.