Running News Daily

The 35th Annual Los Angeles Marathon will be the biggest field ever

The experience of running from the ‘Stadium to the Sea’ has never been more popular. The 2020 Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASICS will welcome the largest field in the 35-year history of the event on Sunday, March 8.

With less than 30 days until race weekend, the marathon team notes that the event continues to build on its strong legacy of being Southern California’s most popular running event and is on track to sell out well in advance of race day.

“Our goal in celebrating this milestone 35th edition is to raise the bar of the marathon’s positive impact on the Los Angeles community,” said Murphy Reinschreiber, Chief Operating Officer of The McCourt Foundation (TMF).

On January 1, 2020 Conqur Endurance Group merged with The McCourt Foundation (TMF). The combined entity with offices in Los Angeles and Boston, produces a portfolio of events including the Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASICS, Pasadena Half Marathon & 5K at the Rose Bowl, the Santa Monica Classic 5K/10K, the LA BIG 5K, Boston Waterfront 5K Fitness & Wellness Festival, Tour de South Shore and the Educational Update.

Reinschreiber continued,“With incredible neighbourhood support, exciting competitive wheelchair and elite races, amazing charity partners and compelling athlete stories, the marathon continues to deliver experiences and life-changing moments unmatched by any other event in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

“Now operated by a non-profit, the increased size of the marathon is a strong initial indication of our intention to grow the marathon’s charity, community and economic footprint. This year we will surpass our previous registrant record of 26,054 and can’t wait to deliver another world-class experience.”

To celebrate its 35-year history, the Los Angeles Marathon launched a ‘35 Reasons’ campaign featuring the stories behind the event. The 26.2-mile road race is a community tradition, taking runners by several major LA landmarks from Dodger Stadium to the finish line, just a few steps from the Santa Monica Pier.

Marathon weekend kicks off with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center starting on Friday, March 6. The free expo is open to the public and features interactive exhibits, live entertainment and the official Los Angeles Marathon Merchandise Store, where all runners pick up their race packet.

The running begins on Saturday with the BIG LA 5k. The course starts and finishes at Dodger Stadium and runs through Elysian Park. This family-friendly event starts at 08:00 PT and is open to participants of all ages and abilities, including kids races for children from kindergarten to seventh grade. All participants will receive a race shirt, finishers medal and post-race refreshments.

On Sunday, the 35th Los Angeles Marathon will commence with the wheelchair start at 06:30, and the elite women scheduled to start at 06:45. Runners enjoy a ‘one-of-a kind pre-race starting line venue’ at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles is a global destination event with runners from all 50 US states as well as 69 countries registered to participate. Nearly 32% of the 2020 field will be participating in their very first marathon.

The marathon’s charity platform educates and empowers 74 local and national charities to raise awareness for their causes and increase fund-raising efforts. Since 1985, the Los Angeles Marathon has helped charities raise over US$54 million for a variety of causes and non-profit organizations.

The 35th running of the event also welcomes 125 legacy athletes who have competed in all previous 34 editions of the race.