LA Marathon 2023: Thousands take to the streets for annual trek

Undeterred by cloudy skies and cool temperatures, more than 20,000 participants took to the streets early Sunday in the 38th annual Los Angeles Marathon.

The marathon kicked off at Dodger Stadium, with participants in wheelchairs starting at 6:30 a.m., followed by elite female runners at 6:45 a.m., elite men at 6:55 a.m. and the full peloton at 7 a.m.

“It’s so exciting,” said Mayor Karen Bass, who was on hand to kick off the marathon. “It’s an international event. Everyone comes together to celebrate Los Angeles.

The 26.2-mile course spans some of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods including Chinatown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City. The majority of the route includes large sections of Sunset, Hollywood, and Santa Monica Boulevards.

Most participants in the marathon – which attracts people from all over the world – were expected to take three to five hours to complete the course. But elite runners usually finish the race in just over two hours.

The day will be mostly cloudy, with a high of 65 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The race will be televised by KTLA-TV Channel 5 and streamed live on the LA Marathon Facebook page.

The trek to the coast will mean dozens of street closures along the way. Much of downtown and Century City will effectively be closed to vehicles for the race. In addition, several freeway ramps on the northbound lanes of the southbound 110, 101 and 405 highways will be closed.

Streets will be reopened as runners move through the area towards the finish line. For example, streets in downtown should be reopened at 10 a.m. and in Hollywood at noon. Near the finish line in Century City, portions of Santa Monica Boulevard, Century Park East and Avenue of the Stars will remain closed until 8 p.m.

Started in 1986, the Los Angeles Marathon was a race from downtown to the Santa Monica coast, but in 2021 organizers unveiled a new ‘Stadium to the Stars’ route, with runners turning around before reach Santa Monica and return to Santa Monica. Boulevard in Century City instead.

A cash prize of $6,000 is offered to the winner of both the men’s and women’s races. A $2,500 prize is also awarded to the wheelchair category winner.

Last year John Korir of Kenya won the men’s division in 2:09:07. Kenya’s Devline Meringor won the women’s division in 2:25:03.