LA Marathon by Lynne Atkinson

Apr 1, 2010

LA Marathon - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA

Submitted by Lynne Atkinson

This was the 25th anniversary of the LA Marathon and I was on vacation in California and decided to celebrate my 29th birthday (it doesn't matter how many times) by running the LA Marathon. The race was sold out with 25,000 runners and I was really excited about it. It was labeled "Stadium to the Sea" because the course began at the venerable Dodger Stadium and ended at the Santa Monica Pier on the beach at the Pacific Ocean - with many well known landmarks along the way. In fact, the ribbon of my medal (you know how I love the bling) states "I Ran The Icons" which I will describe along the way.

Start - Dodger Stadium

Although the official start line was at Dodger Stadium, one of the most venerable landmarks of all time, many runners parked at Santa Monica and took the shuttle to the start because the race was point to point. Because I was staying in Anaheim, I rented a car for the day and drove to Santa Monica for my shuttle which departed at 5:30 to LA. Traffic in LA is renowned and I gave myself about 2 hours to get there, thus departing my hotel at 3:40 a.m. I did not encounter any traffic at that hour.

I got to the finish line at Santa Monica before 5 a.m., parked and made my way to my pre-ordered shuttle to LA. There were so many buses lined up to take runners to the start line that it seemed absolutely seamless. The police and volunteers at that hour of the morning were wonderful, directing people coming off the freeway to wherever they needed to park. I had prepaid my parking spot and ordered my shuttle place online and was directed seamlessly to both, thereby avoiding heavy hourly costs for the day since parking spots were available to runners only, beforehand.

The Start

After a quiet shuttle ride we arrived at Dodger Stadium by 5:30 a.m. and what can I say? The absolute awe and nostalgia of that venerable institution overtook me. I love the history of baseball (I digress but talk to me about Cooperstown, NY if you ever want to see the Baseball Hall of Fame) and standing there on the field at second base (only runners were allowed on the field) under the lights, with a view that only the players would ever have, was incredible. I took a long time to take it in, looking at the banners that hung around the stadium, absorbing the awe. Banners of the great baseball players of years gone by - Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Roy Campanella and of couse the great Jackie Robinson. It was an incredible privilege to share that space. Here's a photo of me on the field...feeling happy and proud. Hey, the Falcons have stood on the field at Dodger Stadium, we get around internationally, don't we?




The start was a little delayed but that's ok...the lines at the port o potties were longer than expected :) There was this challenge they had for the elites, male or female, it didn't matter because there was a time differential applied. The first place finisher was awarded 0,000 US. Isn't that a nice purse? Needless to say there were a few elites in the field. They all started along with the wheelchair athletes and then the general field. Chef Gord Ramsay from Hell's Kitchen was in the crowd (his times aren't shown, I checked. Although they announced he was looking for a sub-3 hr time) and I stood behind Andy Baldwin from The Bachelor when I picked up my race kit. Come on, this is LA after all and I was hoping for some photo op with a celebrity. I ended up with AC Greene from the LA Lakers (love the height differential)...




and Uncle Fester...he's always a star...love the fact that he has a bib...AND I saw him at the finish line. Not sure what that's all about...or how the hell he ran in that heat with a long black coat…




We started the race and did the first mile around Dodger Stadium, all pretty steep uphill. This was a sign of things to come, believe me, although I didn't know it at the time (note to self - study race elevation profile BEFORE the race). Anyway we got out into the streets of downtown LA and we were on our way...

There was a video on the jumbotron in the stadium which outlined the course. It announced that the first 9 miles of the course was hilly. Ok, they were right. There were a few steep hills which seemed somewhat significant so I decided off the bat that I would walk the hills and conserve my energy because I knew I couldn't go all out there. Then they said the course would "level out". In fact, what I found was this...that's crap. What the truth is is this...the course is in fact "hillly" for 9-10 miles (which I found to be a euphamism for "Jesus Christ, this hurts") and then goes into a series of up and down things that tease you and eventually culminate in a steady uphill grade that lasts until Mile 23. Then you get a break. I sent a thank you note to the race director...




The Course

I want to start off saying the volunteers and the LAPD were amazing. The police were so abundant, it was unbelievable. I have never seen police coverage of a race like that, and they were wonderful, interacting with kids, runners and tourists. They posed for a picture with me too. There were police at every single intersection through LA, not just the major ones and then volunteers at the cross streets. Police were at every single street, which I think in this town was essential. The course makes its way through downtown LA and in some areas, the city is quite run down and seedy. I never once felt uneasy because of the visible police presence. Having arguably one of the most dangerous cities in the world to police, I have the utmost respect for the force there. They were wonderful without making you feel like they were needed, although they were definitely appreciated.

We made our way through some seedy parts of LA, then through other areas where some ethnic diversity was noticed. After that, through Hollywood and the time-tested landmarks. Although my head was down some of the time, I made myself look up to see the Whiskey-A-Go-Go (The Doors played there) and other historic Hollywood icons - Sunset Blvd, Graumann's Chinese Theatre, the Chateau Marmont, the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was ironic that on my ipod at this time, the Doors "LA Woman" came on. I laughed to myself....both because I was in LA and my initials are LA. Perfect timing.

As we ran through Hollywood, we proceeded into Beverly Hills. This is a much different neighbourhood than downtown LA, believe me. We ran by the stores on Rodeo Drive- Armani, Chanel, Prada, Gucci. A far cry from some of the mean streets of LA. In fact, Beverly Hills has its own police department. Yes, we left the security of the tough LA cops which was kind of like cutting the umbilical cord. Beverly Hills police appear to be a somewhat softer version of their LAPD counterparts. Their hair was neatly coiffed unlike the shaved heads of LAPD...kind of like Ken Dolls with badges....I'm not judging.

Through Beverly Hills, we ran through the burbs...Westwood (sorry Rick I didn't get a picture), Brentwood (I think OJ played golf here didn't he?) and then on to Santa Monica Blvd for many miles. The course was mainly a steady uphill grade with some downhill relief on occasion, until Mile 23. At that point, you saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The heat was building that day, forecasted up to 82C, but there was an ocean breeze as we made our way to Santa Monica. I began to see there was an end to this madness and felt a surge of relief at Mile 23, where we levelled off and even began a slight downhill along the ocean to the pier.

Crowd Support

There was a lot of neighbourhood support, from encouraging community signage to the homeless man trying to cross the course with his shopping cart. I don't know who looked more bewildered, him or the runners. I saw many signs that were optimistic, even funny. A couple toward the end were fitting. One said "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon", just for those who felt less than tough and needed some encouragement at that moment. Another, my favourite, about Mile 22, said "At least it's not a triathlon". And of course, it wouldn't be LA without a reminder that we were in fact running through one of the toughest cities in the world. As we passed through a run down area, a lovely young lady held a sign that had a drawing of handguns in magic marker, accompanied by the words "Run Bitch. You're in LA".

Food/Drink & Entertainment

The course was good in terms of entertainment, with a band every mile or so...from gospel to rock to cheerleaders. I made an effort to thank them all. There was water and powerade in abundance although there was no official food. You have to supply your own gels, chomps, etc. There were non-official suppliers who offered oranges but they weren't sanctioned. I did partake of an orange at one point but it's important if you ever do this race to remember your own nutrition. I had to buy gels at a running store there the day before. The fluids are in abundance though but that's it.

Finish

The finish line was along Ocean Blvd adjacent to Santa Monica Pier, where the famous Route 66 ends at the mighty Pacific (and where Three's Company was shot). It was an incredible feeling, the ocean breeze cutting the mid-day heat. The music in my ears tuned to make me feel pumped up so I could run a good final mile to the finish. And I did, I ran strong in the final mile even though I had to walk a lot along the way before that, thanks to the heat and the uphill grade. I still finished mid-pack, and in front of about 32% of male runners and about 50% of my age group. There's a really cool result calculator that you can access...check this out below...put in my bib number 8559...and you will see a graphic indicating many stats...where I finished in my age group, where I finished in the entire field, against the opposite sex, and many more stats. I think this is a really cool tool that many marathons can implement...this is the first I've seen it in a race.

Bib 8559 Lynne Atkinson...click on the Next button at the bottom to see how this works...it's cool...
http://www.runpix3.com/laa10/00/finord.php?LastName=8559&lan=&aset=0&dist=42

Final Word

This was my first visit to California but it won't be my last. What a great place - the sea, sun, sand and surf were incredible. If you have a chance to do an international race, do it and tell us all about it. What a blast to experience a city somewhere far away and wear the Falcon colours across the globe.

Happy Travels!

Lynne