Running News Daily

What to expect at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympics has been under major scrutiny by the public–but mostly by the LA28 Olympic Committee. Los Angeles, the next host of the summer Olympic Games, is set on providing the safest and the greatest experience for the athletes–and has been taking notes on what has and hasn’t worked in Paris.

An LA28 sculpture has already taken residence on Long Beach, Calif., where Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish all performed for the closing ceremonies, celebrating the handover of the Olympic flag that was promptly flown in from Paris.

Transportation

The city of Los Angeles plans to host a no-car, no-build Games. Athletes and tourists will have to rely on public transportation to get between competition venues and the Athletes’ Village. The city will borrow 3,000 buses from around the country, in addition to encouraging businesses to stagger work hours and allow working from home to reduce traffic on the roads.

Venues

Athletes will be housed in the dorms on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, rather than having the city build an Olympic Village. The city has infrastructure in place from the previous Olympic Games hosted in 1932 and 1984; no new permanent venues will be needed.

Without having to deal with contaminated bodies of water such as the River Seine, the open-water swimming events should run smoothly; they are to take place at the Long Beach waterfront.

New sports

Five sports will be added to the Olympic program in L.A.; lacrosse, cricket, squash, flag football and baseball/softball are all representative of American culture and will make an exciting new part of the Games. Breaking has been dropped from the Olympic program after making its debut in Paris (a decision that was made before the Games even took place). It did end up getting a lot of attention, but for the wrong reasons:

The L.A. 2028 Games begin on July 14, 2028–we still have 1,432 days to go, but the countdown has already begun.

What to expect at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympics has been under major scrutiny by the public–but mostly by the LA28 Olympic Committee. Los Angeles, the next host of the summer Olympic Games, is set on providing the safest and the greatest experience for the athletes–and has been taking notes on what has and hasn’t worked in Paris.

An LA28 sculpture has already taken residence on Long Beach, Calif., where Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish all performed for the closing ceremonies, celebrating the handover of the Olympic flag that was promptly flown in from Paris.

Transportation

The city of Los Angeles plans to host a no-car, no-build Games. Athletes and tourists will have to rely on public transportation to get between competition venues and the Athletes’ Village. The city will borrow 3,000 buses from around the country, in addition to encouraging businesses to stagger work hours and allow working from home to reduce traffic on the roads.

Venues

Athletes will be housed in the dorms on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, rather than having the city build an Olympic Village. The city has infrastructure in place from the previous Olympic Games hosted in 1932 and 1984; no new permanent venues will be needed.

Without having to deal with contaminated bodies of water such as the River Seine, the open-water swimming events should run smoothly; they are to take place at the Long Beach waterfront.

New sports

Five sports will be added to the Olympic program in L.A.; lacrosse, cricket, squash, flag football and baseball/softball are all representative of American culture and will make an exciting new part of the Games. Breaking has been dropped from the Olympic program after making its debut in Paris (a decision that was made before the Games even took place). It did end up getting a lot of attention, but for the wrong reasons.

The L.A. 2028 Games begin on July 14, 2028–we still have 1,432 days to go, but the countdown has already begun.

Snoop Dogg to carry Olympic torch at opening ceremony

With the Paris Olympic opening ceremony just days away, popular American rapper Snoop Dogg has been revealed as one of the final torchbearers of the Olympic flame ahead of Friday’s ceremony. Snoop Dogg, whose full name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., will carry the torch through the neighbourhood of Saint-Denis, according to the town’s mayor, Mathieu Hanotin.

Saint-Denis marks the final stop of the Olympic flame’s journey before it reaches the renowned Eiffel Tower, symbolizing the start of the global event. The rapper has already touched down in Paris, sharing his excitement with fans by tweeting a photo of himself in the Olympic host city on Tuesday, captioned: “U ready? Paris 2024 Olympics ya digggg!”

In addition to his role as a torchbearer, Snoop Dogg will provide regular reports and explore the city’s history and landmarks for prime-time shows on NBC and Peacock. His involvement will undoubtedly add some flair to the U.S. broadcast.

The D.O. Double G has been heavily involved with track and field this summer, also making an appearance at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., last month, where he did some play-by-play commentary on the 3,000m steeplechase and the 100m, plus ran an impressive 200m race in 34.44 seconds.

Snoop Dogg will be joined by French rapper MC Solaar and Ukrainian pole vault legend Sergey Bubka as they carry the Olympic torch around Saint-Denis (home to the Olympic stadium and aquatics centre). The torch relay is a historic Olympic tradition, and the Paris flame was first lit in April during a ceremony in Olympia, Greece, the home to the ancient Games. It’s been relayed across France over the past two months.

After the flame is lit, the opening ceremony will begin on the River Seine, where approximately 10,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team are expected. Canada’s flag bearer(s) have not yet been announced for the opening ceremony. According to the Canadian Olympic Committee, the announcement will come Wednesday morning.

Rock N’ Roll Marathon Returns this year to Las Vegas with night run On strip

For 37 years, the Las Vegas International Marathon ran from Jean to Sunset Park. Somewhere between 500 and 2,000 made the 13 or 26-mile trek. Each of the last ten years of the Las Vegas International Marathon someone would ask why it was not run on the Strip. At the time only one event warranted the obstruction and impact on the hotels caused by closing the Strip – New Year’s Eve. It was a non-starter. Until 2005.

I must admit, when Elite Racing approached LVE about producing a marathon on the Strip I was skeptical about our prospects, but they had done their homework. They talked to the hotel operators, proposing the race be run early Sunday morning. Commissioner Rory Reid championed their cause and LVE supported it. The first year the race drew 13,425 for both a half and full marathon. That was a good start!

Elite Racing founder Tim Murphy, while running the lonely miles of the Heart of San Diego Marathon, pondered how he could bring some excitement to a marathon. The first Rock n’ Roll Marathon took place in 1998, drew over 20,000 runners and culminated with a concert featuring Huey Lewis and the News, Pat Benatar and the Lovin’ Spoonful. The brand and experience of the race continued to evolve.

In 2007, Falconhead Capital purchased the Rock n’ Roll Marathon from Murphy. The company that managed the series was Competitor Group. They grew it from five races to 34 including six in Europe. In 2009, Competitor Group capitalized on the new brand and marketing Vegas to all of the races in the series and doubled the number of runners to 27,765.

Dale Eeles, LVE’s vice president of event development, ran the half each year. He wondered out loud why we didn’t run the race at night. I wondered out loud how we could get the hotels to support a night race. Turns out they were appreciative of the strong visitation, agreed it would be a better experience and would draw more runners. And that’s what it did.

In 2011 the Rock n’ Roll Marathon used the simple tagline “Run the Strip at Night” with the name of their race. More than 40,000 runners made the Vegas trip and another 20,000+ of their friends joined them in Las Vegas to root them on. Pre-race concerts began with acts like Cheap Trick, Macklemore, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Kesha, and Capital Cities.

After a COVID break the Rock n’ Roll Running Series returns February 26-27, with a refurbished experience. The full marathon has been eliminated. Anyone that ran the full race will recall the maze downtown and dark and suspicious stretches. The race is partnering with Resorts World who will host the Health and Fitness Expo and stream a live feed of the race on their 100,000 square foot LED display on the West Tower.

The 5K will take place downtown giving fans a tour of Fremont Street East and the Saturday night party at the Downtown Events Center will feature a 32-piece Symphonic Rock Show. This is a treat itself. The orchestra and band covers the likes of Pink Floyd, Elton John, ELO and The Who.

LVE’s charge is to secure events that bring visitors and then work with producers to grow each event. The runners that participate in Rock n’ Roll Running Series are affluent spenders and more than 75% of the runners each year are new to the experience.

The race in Vegas showcases the most iconic stretch of real estate in the world and provides a backdrop for a one-of-a-kind running experience. Since the first night race in 2011, Las Vegas has prospered from more than 569,000 runners and their friends participating in the most unique running experience in the world.

The new owners of the Rock n’ Roll Marathon – Ironman – have developed a plan to substantially grow runners. It isn’t more advertising or Google ads. It is the experience. Runners will be pleasantly surprised about what Ironman has planned for their Night Run of the Strip and the entire weekend.

Diplo runs a half-marathon off no training, then goes to the club

On Feb. 6, one of the world’s most famous DJs made a surprise appearance on the start line of the Miami Half Marathon – on a bet.

Grammy-award-winning artist Diplo (Thomas Pentz), who has collaborated with Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg and Morgan Wallen, and is a part of the reggae-dancehall trio Major Lazer, ran the half marathon in 1:50:11 off no training and after being at Miami’s E11even nightclub the night before the race. 

“My friend bet me that I couldn’t run the Miami half marathon with no training,” Diplo wrote on his Instagram story.

The DJ mentioned he has no previous racing or running experience, and poked fun at runners’ superstitious antics before the race.

Not only did the 43-year-old DJ complete the race in a decent time for someone who has not trained, but he also managed to run a negative split – covering the first 10K in 51:56 and the second 10K in 51:36, which is impressive for someone with no running experience. 

After Diplo proved his friend wrong, he went on a celebration tour with the finisher medal. The DJ continued to post Instagram stories with the medal and was even seen at the club still wearing his bib and medal. 

In a post-race interview with the Miami Herald, Diplo said, “My (half-marathon) time was quicker on Sunday than the two-hour DJ set I played Friday night – so DJing is probably harder.”

Diplo seems to have caught the runner’s high, as he now has aspirations to run the LA Marathon in March. It has not been confirmed whether he will train for the full marathon this time around. 

The celebrities who love to run

As well as championing a vegan diet and showing off the latest fashion trends at red carpet events, celebrities regularly maintain their health and fitness with a solid dose of daily exercise. In fact, for many famous faces, running is the most effective and enjoyable way to keep them in shape and ready for a range of public appearances which come with such status. 

On the whole, a lot of the world’s well-known celebrities adore sport which is why seeing a range of Hollywood stars and established music-makers donning their running gear as they attempt to shed some pounds in the New Year is hardly surprising. The likes of Mark Wahlberg, Will Smith and Snoop Dogg adore the big sporting events, perhaps dabbling in the odd sports bet from time to time and even offering their views on various developments as they unfold during a football or basketball season.

It should come as no surprise, then, when the same stars supplement their love of watching sport with a fitness session or two, essentially just like the rest of us do. For many, running is the ideal way to keep in shape as it’s not only a great way of staying fit and healthy, but it alleviates the stresses and strains which can occur when you’re constantly in the spotlight. With that in mind, below is a look at some famous celebrities who fit a daily or weekly run into their busy schedules. 

Mark Zuckerberg

The man behind Facebook has regularly shared updates on social media regarding his love of running. So much so, in fact, that Zuckerberg even did a ‘year of running challenge’ which gathered real momentum on the social media site he founded, with the aim being to run 365 miles in a year. Zuckerberg managed to finish the challenge five months early and captivated audiences as a result, educating people on the benefits of running in terms of both physical and mental health.

Victoria Beckham

Being a part of one of most famous couples in the world certainly comes with its drawbacks, with one them being the constant scrutiny surrounding the way a pair looks. With fitness evidently being of high importance to Victoria Beckham and her retired soccer star husband David Beckham, it should come as no surprise to learn that she manages to fit a daily 5K run into her routine. Speaking to Vogue Australia, the former Spice Girl said: “I go for a three-mile run every morning and I work out for an hour with a PT.” 

Jennifer Lawrence

A keen runner, Jennifer Lawrence used running to her benefit as she aimed to get ready for Hunger Games in 2012. A movie which required a great deal of fitness and a number of running scenes for Lawrence to get stuck into, the popular actress admitted that she’s a tad self-conscious when it comes to her running style.

Speaking after the release of the movie in 2012, Lawrence said: “I’m most nervous about everybody making fun of the way I run. I do, like, karate hands. Instead of running with my hands closed together like a normal person. It’s like I’m trying to be aerodynamic or something, so my hands are straight like razors.” 

Gordon Ramsay

Alongside berating deluded restaurant owners and showcasing his French cooking skills, Gordon Ramsey is a keen runner. Regularly taking part in the London Marathon over the years, the world-famous chef has an impressive marathon PB of 3:30:37 and is commonly spotted running both in the UK and in his neighbourhood in America.

Jennifer Aniston

Former Friends star, Jennifer Aniston, is known to focus a great deal on her health and fitness, favouring a range of methods of exercise such as boxing for cardio and spin classes. Aniston has also been seen running on numerous occasions as she aims to stay in shape ahead of her next movie role. 

Eva Longoria

Following an interview with Health magazine, Eva Longoriabe came even more of a hit with women aiming to master their health and fitness around the world. The Desperate Housewives star also enjoys yoga and pilates, but it’s running which is her main bag, recently saying: “I’m a runner, first of all. I run a lot.” 

Other celebrity runners include Reese Witherspoon, Eminem, Richard Branson, Louis Theroux, Karlie Kloss, Kate Middleton, Reggie Miller, and Meghan Markle.