The LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986. The 34th edition of the marathon took place on March 24, 2019. The marathon is currently sponsored by Asics, and thus its official title is LA Marathon 2020, presented by Asics. Over the course of its 33-year history, the LA Marathon has become one of the largest marathons in the country with more than 25,000 participants, thousands of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators. The historic race, which has seen unprecedented growth since introducing the iconic “Stadium to Sea” course, draws runners from all over the world to take a tour of Los Angeles running past every major landmark. The "Stadium to the Sea" route was not the original route: the original route started at Exposition Park and ended at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and a route around the turn of the millennium both started and ended in Downtown Los Angeles. From 2007 to 2008, it started south of Universal City and ended in Downtown Los Angeles. In an effort to publicize the new route, Marathon executives tapped Division of Labor, a San Francisco based ad agency to create a campaign dubbed It featured a quick succession of shots of the numerous iconic sites along the route. The campaign helped the marathon sell outfor the first time in history. The current route starts at Dodger Stadium and ends in Santa Monica. In 2014, Skechers the ASICS LA Marathon charity program continued its tremendous growth as 91 participating charities combined to raise a cumulative total $3.7 million.
Students Run LA
In 1987, six students at East Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights High School enrolled in a marathon training program offered by teacher Harry Shabazian. On March 4, 1990, two dozen teachers from around the city joined the three co-founders, with students from their respective schools, and together, they all ran in the Los Angeles Marathon V. In 1993, Students Run LA spun off from LAUSD and became an independent 501 organization. SRLA continues to provide its after-school mentoring and training program to all students for free. Today, more than 3,200 middle and high school students, from 185 school and community programs, train alongside 550 volunteer leaders. Inspired by the success of SRLA, a pilot project was begun with the Montreal Marathon and Students on the run was created with the first objective to complete the September 2010 Montreal Marathon. There were 19 students to begin with and 12 completed the 2010 event. The program continues with a new group and a new objective, complete the 2011 event.
Television coverage
From 1986 KCOP-TV televised the Los Angeles 1994 Maratón, from 2002 to 2003, KCAL-TV, from 2004 to 2007, KNBC and from 2008 to present, KTLA. Since 2017, the event is nationally carried on WGN Sports with WGN America airing it nationally except in Los Angeles.
Top finishers
Ages of top finishers in the Masters category are given in parentheses. Key: Note 1: From New Caledonia, a territory of France.
