My marathons

Los Angeles Marathon

07:007:00 AM Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
Hollywood Sign
© OpenStreetMap Hollywood Sign. Photograph by The Fun Chronicles, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

A steep drop to km 3, a climb of 35 m to km 8, then downhill from km 22 to km 25.

StartFinish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: Junkyardsparkle, CC0
  2. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
  3. Photo: Leviclancy, CC0
  4. Photo: Benoît Prieur, CC0
  5. Photo: Tomwsulcer, CC0
  6. Photo: Christian Dionne, Public domain
  7. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
  9. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
  10. Photo: Andrek02, CC0

km 3.1mile 2

Chinatown

The course loops through Chinatown on Alpine Street, Broadway and Hill Street in the third mile.

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain

Height drawn many times taller than life. Heights: USGS 3DEP 1 m digital elevation model.

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 64 and 155 metres, a range of 91 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there. The dashed stretches are bridge decks: Alpine Street, km 1.9 to 1.9; North Hill Street, km 3.9 to 3.9; East Edgeware Road, km 7.7 to 7.7. A bare-earth model reads the ground or the water beneath a bridge, not the deck the runner is on, so those runs are interpolated between the ground either side rather than measured, and they under-report the real climb across a span.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

Dashed: bridge

  • steep drop to 3
  • climb to 8
  • downhill to 25

Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

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The course in short 3 lines
  • From 155 m in Elysian Park to 83 m on Avenue of the StarsThe start is the highest point; the finish is 71.5 m lower.
  • Sixty metres down, then up Grand AvenueA 60 m drop out of the park, then a 23 m climb through downtown.
  • After km 25 the course climbs backThe low point is at km 24.8; 73.6 m of climbing follows before the finish.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GradientFrom 155 m in Elysian Park to 83 m on Avenue of the StarsThe start is the highest point; the finish is 71.5 m lower.

The organiser calls it the Stadium to the Stars course, and on the ground it runs mostly downhill. The start in Elysian Park is the highest point of the whole route, at 154.9 m. The finish at Santa Monica Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars, in Century City, is 83.4 m, 71.5 m lower.

It is not a one-way slide. Over the whole marathon the climbs add up to about 160 m, and the lowest point is not the finish: it is 63.7 m, near km 24.8, roughly 20 m below where the course ends.

Measured

km 0 to 6.5GradientSixty metres down, then up Grand AvenueA 60 m drop out of the park, then a 23 m climb through downtown.

The first 3 km are the steepest descent of the race: 59.8 m down out of Elysian Park, through Chinatown at about km 3.1. Right after it the course turns uphill. Grand Avenue climbs from 3rd Street to Temple Street, past Walt Disney Concert Hall at about km 6.0, and the road rises 22.8 m in 3.2 km to its peak of 117.9 m just before the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at about km 6.4.

After the cathedral the course goes down again towards Echo Park Lake at about km 9.0.

Measured

km 24.8 to 42.2GradientAfter km 25 the course climbs backThe low point is at km 24.8; 73.6 m of climbing follows before the finish.

The course reaches its lowest point, 63.7 m, near km 24.8, just before Beverly Hills City Hall and Rodeo Drive. From there it climbs again, 73.6 m of rises added up, to Century City. The high point of this stretch is 98.5 m at km 37.5, after the turnaround at San Vicente Boulevard and Bundy Drive, and the final 4.7 km run down 15.1 m to the finish.

Measured

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Los Angeles, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
climb
160 m525 ft
cut-off
6:30 h
first held
1986

Point to point across Los Angeles from Dodger Stadium through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, finishing on Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City.

The Los Angeles Marathon is a hilly point-to-point course of 42.2 km (26.2 miles) with 160 m (525 ft) of climbing. Its lowest point is 64 m (210 ft) and its highest 155 m (509 ft) above sea level. Next race: Sunday 7 March 2027, starting at 7:00 AM.

Race week

Expo and bib pickup at Dodger Stadium, Lot G

Timetable

Before race week 3 key dates

  1. 7 Jan 2027

    Seeded corral qualifying period ends and corral placement deadline Seeded corrals go to the fastest 7,300 runners on marathon times from 1 January 2024 to 7 January 2027. Submit proof by this date; corrals are not changed after it.

  2. 31 Jan 2027

    Team TMF personalised-bib deadline Team TMF charity runners get a bib with their name if registered by 31 January 2027 or race sell-out, whichever comes first.

  3. 3 Feb 2027

    Team TMF $3K Club fundraising deadline Commit and fundraise USD 3,000 by this date for free entry, a two-night hotel stay and VIP perks.

Friday 5 March Expo

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–19:007:00 PM

    Lifestyle Expo and bib pick-up, day 1 of 2 Dodger Stadium, Lot G. Free and open to the public, free parking. Runners must collect their own bib; bibs are not mailed.

Saturday 6 March Bib pickup

  1. 08:008:00 AM

    LA 5K Dodger Stadium. The LA Kids Run is also on Saturday 6 March; its time is not published.

  2. 10:0010:00 AM–17:005:00 PM

    Lifestyle Expo and bib pick-up closes (day 2 of 2) Dodger Stadium, Lot G. Last chance to collect a bib: there is no race-day pick-up unless you bought Start Line Hospitality.

Sunday 7 March Race day

  1. 03:003:00 AM

    Parking lots and security checkpoints open Dodger Stadium

  2. 04:004:00 AM–06:306:30 AM

    Gear check open Dodger Stadium. Marathon participants only; closes promptly at 06:30. Not available to Charity Half runners.

  3. 05:005:00 AM–06:406:40 AM

    Seeded corrals A to E open Dodger Stadium. Each corral has its own lettered entrance; corrals close at 06:40.

  4. 07:007:00 AM

    Pro men and full field start Dodger Stadium. All times and locations subject to change, per the organiser.

  5. 07:307:30 AM–15:003:00 PM

    Finish line open to spectators Santa Monica Blvd and Avenue of the Stars, Century City. Published finish-line hours; the organiser does not tie these to the runners' time limit.

  6. Time not published

    Marathon time limit Santa Monica Blvd and Avenue of the Stars, Century City. 6 hours 30 minutes from when the last runner crosses the start line. Runners at 15:00/mile or faster finish on closed streets; slower runners must move to sidewalks as the course reopens to traffic on a rolling basis. 6:30 limit: 9:14/km for 42.195 km6:30 limit: 14:52/mi for 26.2 mi
Other races (3)

  1. 06:306:30 AM

    Wheelchair, hand crank and AWD start Dodger Stadium. Exact time to be confirmed by the organiser.

  2. 06:406:40 AM

    Pro women and elite age-group women start Dodger Stadium. Marked TBC by the organiser.

  3. 08:158:15 AM

    Charity Half Marathon start Dodger Stadium

Times as published by The McCourt Foundation, in Los Angeles time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Los Angeles time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The McCourt Foundation, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Make your postcard

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Questions about the Los Angeles Marathon

Is the Los Angeles Marathon course flat?

No, it is a hilly course: 160 m (525 ft) of climbing over 42.2 km (26.2 miles). The highest point is 91 m (299 ft) above the lowest. It finishes 71 m (233 ft) lower than it starts.

When is the Los Angeles Marathon 2027?

Sunday 7 March 2027. The start is at 7:00 AM.

What is the time limit at the Los Angeles Marathon?

Runners have 6 h 30 min to finish.

1 more question
Where does the Los Angeles Marathon start?

Start: Dodger Stadium.

Sources and licence

Last checked.

Course line matched onto OpenStreetMap road geometry: (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL). Elevation sampled from USGS 3DEP 1 m digital elevation model (bare earth).

Elevation gain computed by us from that line, smoothed over 1 kmsmoothed over 0.6 mi.

The line follows the road down its middle, so it measures 0.65% longer than the certified distance, which is measured on the shortest legal line through every bend.

Date and entry information from The McCourt Foundation.

Every source and licence behind them →

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