A good race, but registration snafus, combined with frustrating course choices and logistics by the organizers chipped away what should have been a great experience.

Expo / pick-up:
-I’m guessing due to covid concerns, they shifted the expo from the LA Convention Center to Dodger Stadium this year. Prior to entering the expo, you were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. Great stuff, thumbs up, I appreciate the focus on health. The outdoor setting made for a more energetic and festive environment, at the cost of more sun. This was fine for bib pickup, but hastened my expo-browsing time.

-The bigger issue was the screw-up over my Double Play (5k + marathon) registration. I was bounced back and forth between the 5k, marathon, and registration tents where they claimed I had registered for the “Double Play”, but not for the 5k separately, which the “Double Play” fee supposedly didn’t include. There were at least 10 other frustrated runners facing the same Double Play-but-not-5k issue as me while I was there. I was running short on time, and faced with growing heat and growing frustration, I felt cornered into paying the extra $40 for the 5k just to move on. I still don’t know whether this was a gross bait-and-switch scam by the organizers at the last minute, or just an awful user-interface design on their website. If it’s the latter, why would you sell something called the “Double Play”, then allow users to check-out and pay if it doesn’t even include both the marathon and 5k that’s advertised? At no point was I ever prompted to add the 5k separately at check-out. By that logic, I should have had to add the marathon separately too, right? It’s like selling a fast-food combo, but then later saying, “Actually, you were supposed to add the fries as a separate order”. WTF!

Parking:
-I was dropped at Dodger Stadium (Golden State Gate) instead of taking the shuttle this year. I liked that this was fast and convenient on race-day morning, and saved me an extra hour of sleep. This is a great option if you’re able to secure transportation after the race from the Century City finish line. Basically, you’ll gain a bit more peace of mind in the morning in exchange for the hassle of navigating the post-race crowds to get a ride.

Pre-race:
-The race organizers frustratingly removed race-day gear check this year, and required gear to be checked at the Expo in the days before the race unless you paid for the Start Line Hospitality package. They ostensibly spun this as a covid precaution, but that doesn’t make sense when thousands of people still need to gather in lines for port-a-potties, snacks, water, etc. before the race, and then bunch up in crowded corrals. It felt like a McCourt Foundation money-grab to upsell the Hospitality package. *SIGH* And they got me. They got me because I wanted to keep wearing my comfy jacket, hat, and warm-ups for as long as possible on a chilly morning until the race started. Sure, the heated Hospitality tent featured chairs, water, coffee, bagels, pastries, bananas, Clif bars, yoga mats, foam rollers, private port-a-potties, and a goodie bag with a LAM blanket and bottle. Nice luxuries, but I could’ve gone without all that. I just wanted race-day gear check. Was it worth it? Probably not. Next time, I might just buy disposable warm-ups, and toss them aside for charity like so many other runners there. It’s frustrating because no matter what, I feel like I’m throwing money away. PLEASE bring back race-day gear check!
-Corrals: I didn’t realize I was supposed to receive a sticker on my bib for my assigned corral, so when I tried to enter, I was denied and told to enter the open corral! At the last minute, I had to hustle back to the registration tent to get a corral sticker, then hustle back in time for my corral. Not a huge deal, but these little registration and logistical issues start to add up, especially since I later found out I didn’t get a Double Play sticker either. Grr…

Course:
-I previously ran the LA Marathon in 2020, in what turned out to be the last time the course included a Santa Monica finish. I vastly prefer the “Stadium to the Sea” course over the new “Stadium to the Stars” course that ends with an out-and-back finish line in Century City. But until the McCourt Foundation and the City of Santa Monica play nice again, we’re stuck with this still-great but not-as-amazing tour of Los Angeles.

-Miles 1-5: Coming out of the gate, it felt like a mad, downhill tumble of humanity, just bodies pouring out of Dodger Stadium. The overall participant field was smaller this year, but the crowded rush out of the starting line is a fantastic feeling that I didn’t know I missed so much over the last 20 months! The first few miles wind through Chinatown, Downtown LA, Little Tokyo, past Olvera Street, the Civic Center, Disney Hall, and the DWP building. This stretch probably features the most buildings, most turns, most (small) hills, and the tightest streets for the course, but it’s very memorable. I loved the taiko drums as you struggle up the hill around Mile 4 on 3rd St!

-Miles 5-10 : After all the Downtown twists and turns, the course settles into a pleasant run through Echo Park and Silver Lake. There’s a big climb to start, then it quickly flattens out into wider streets. There aren’t as many major attractions, but I ran my fastest segments here. There’s something about the cozy, quieter neighborhoods that made for a smooth run.

-Miles 10-15: Hello Hollywood! Welcome to a long, flat, turn-free journey down Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd. The crowds start to get rowdier, music gets louder, and landmarks start to catch your eye: the Pantages Theater, Capitol Records Tower, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Chateau Marmont… Oh, and it’s not just the buildings, but the endless parade of billboards that remind you you’re in an entertainment town—Eternals! Red Notice! Ghostbusters! Encanto! King Richard! Finch! House of Gucci! Every major movie studio, TV network, and online streamer has shelled out big bucks to be seen here. But remember, just for today, YOU’RE the star! Keep running!

-Miles 15-18: The glamour shifts from billboards to the fancy storefronts and windows of Beverly Hills. The elevation drops a bit, and things get quieter here. This gives you a chance to focus more on your technique, your form, your breathing… and not on the luxury goods you see on Rodeo Drive.

-Miles 18-22: Century City and West LA killed me last year, so I went into this part wary of “The Wall”, but still confident in my training. Around Mile 19, you start to see elite runners returning on the other side of the street from the out-and-back portion. I felt a slight motivation boost seeing all that speed. But once that subsided, the other factors of the out-and-back started creeping up: you see a water station at the other side of the street but you don’t get to drink from it, hills start to take a toll, you begin looking for the turn-around point (Are we there yet? No… Is it around this corner? No… This corner? Still no…). And then your exhausted brain starts yelling, “Wait, we’re running AWAY from the finish line that we saw? This feels wrong!”

-Miles 22-26.2: Finally reaching the Brentwood turn-around point is a huge relief. The crowd support here is an immense boost, and water has never tasted sweeter than it does at the station here. But remember the rough 4 miles you just went through? You get to do it again, buddy, only with legs that are achier and more cramped than before. Brutal. I trudged through on absolute fumes. Was it just my dead-tired imagination, or were there fewer water stations during the last 2 miles?

-Anyway, as much as I dislike the out-and-back, I also wasn’t a fan of the final stretch towards the finish line because it’s such a momentum killer. Running down Santa Monica Blvd, you approach huge crowds and what feels like the finish, and just then the course makes a sharp right-turn onto Avenue of the Stars. You gotta go for another 0.1 mile or so, and the course just… finishes. It feels slightly anti-climactic not being able to see the finish line from a greater distance, so you don’t get to build up speed for that final burst. Instead, you’re forced to slow down for a turn, and THEN you see the finish line right ahead. It just feels weird. I’m probably being nit-picky, but the old Santa Monica finish line felt amazing because you would start smelling the sweet ocean air about a half mile out, hear the crowds, see green palms and blue waters, then your brain would kick into overdrive for a straight sprint to the finish line. For next year, if we can’t get back Santa Monica, I’d recommend shortening the out-and-back by a quarter mile or so, and add that to the Avenue of the Stars after the corner-turn for a speedier finish.

Scenery/Weather/Support:
-There are so many iconic Los Angeles landmarks on this course, it’s hard to ask for more. Weather was perfect, slightly cloudy, starting in the upper 50s and ending in the low 60s. This is one area where a November race beats out the usual March date. Maybe it’s just because I was basically running on an empty tank, and my desperate, thirsty brain was exaggerating the pain, but it felt like there were fewer water/aid stations in the final 3 miles or so? Other than that, water/aid support felt strong throughout.

Post-race:
-The finisher chute along Avenue of the Stars was pretty good. Grab your medal(s), wrap yourself up in a nice foil blanket, and pick up refreshments. My bounty included bananas, Qure water, Teddy Graham crackers, pretzels, Ritz crackers, Cheez-Its (a salty sodium-boost after a race is underrated!), mini Clif bars, peanut butter + cheese crackers, and more! Keep moving, keep munching, keep stretching. I skipped the entertainment and beer garden (presented by Heineken) at the Finish Festival, but it’s a nice option if you want to hang around with friends and family.

Swag:
– The 2021 race shirt came in light gray, with the big new red/teal/blue LA Marathon logo featured in the middle. It’s a nice design, though not as eye-catching as last year’s light blue shirt. I liked how hefty the finisher medal is. It’s a big, round chunk of silver and blue, with the marathon logo up top, and an illustration of LA City Hall, the Hollywood sign, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. I also ran the 5k the previous day, and earned the Double Play medal. It’s a similarly chunky silver medal shaped like a chevron shield, with mini versions of the same LA landmarks along with a mini Dodger stadium. The backs of both medals feature the McCourt Foundation logo, along with a blank spot to etch your finishing time. I’m surprised they didn’t upsell an engraving option for this.

The Bottom Line:
-I had a really great run at the 2021 LA Marathon. I’m not thrilled with the registration snafus (Double Play without the 5k; missing my Double Play, Hospitality, and corral stickers) and course planning (gear check, abandoning Santa Monica, adding an out-and-back, a weird finish line). These are fixable issues, and I hope the race organizers make the proper adjustments because the foundation of the LA Marathon is really strong: great weather, enthusiastic runners, so many iconic landmarks, amazing energy, and unbeatable crowd support throughout the city of Los Angeles. I’m hopeful for an even better race next year.