I'm so grateful for you talking about the same issues I encountered. This was my ninth marathon, my fourth LA Marathon and it definitely was the worst experience I've had. I was incredibly stressed and exhausted from having to start late due to the slow shuttle, incredibly long bathroom lines, and having to get past all the slow people because I couldn't start when I was supposed to start. Glad to hear it wasn't just me! Hopefully next marathon for both of us will be better!
You earned that medal--congrats on that, but sorry it was not a great experience!! LA Marathon has been starting in Dodger Stadium since 2010--I ran that one and people were getting out of cars on the freeway, including me and my sister, and walking up into the stadium. They need to figure it out. This year I was on a shuttle at 5:50 this year and got into the stadium about 6:30. Same thing as you---sat for 10 minutes waiting for the traffic person to let our shuttle make a left turn to travel up into the stadium--meanwhile multiple times letting other directions go. Almost non-existent organization up in the stadium--no signage as you said. Way too few port-a-pots---I started waiting and the line didn't move for 10 minutes, so then just peed on the hill as many others were doing. And zero chance to get anywhere near where you might need to be for pace. I ended up running 3:34:56 (BQ by 4 seconds for my age--I'm 58), but was in open corral starting behind the 6 hour pace group with no way to move up. Took 10 miles to get through all that traffic--weaving in and out. I was prepared mentally that it would probably be like that and had planned on just running easy and conservatively first several miles to ease into it. It is a difficult course--with lots of hills. I have a PR of 2:53 from 15 years ago (Chicago), and I feel just as good about this time on this course with all the logistics involved as that. Wish you could have started 20 minutes earlier--would have definitely helped with the heat. Maybe you can find another marathon in the next couple months and take advantage of your training--treat this LA experience as a long run prep. At any rate--good review of the experience, and congrats on toughing it out!!
Thank you and congrats to you as well! I appreciate you for sharing your experience here. Definitely hoping to take advantage of my current fitness to do another marathon in the next month or so.
I was so anxious about getting there early that I ended up getting dropped off at Dodger Stadium before 5:00am. I'm so glad I did because it allowed me to use the bathrooms multiple times, take the early morning nutrition that they provided, and got to the start line super early. I felt bad for those still getting off the bus when the race was about to start. So, for those who are deciding to do the LA marathon, plan to show up before 5:00am and your experience can be different. If you are taking a shuttle, plan to show up at the shuttles before 4:30am.
I’m glad it worked out for you! I would’ve definitely showed up earlier if I knew that they’d have some issues like this. I ran NYC and was super early being dropped off by the shuttle which id much rather than to be late
Thank you for the review! I was considering running this as my first marathon, since it coincides with an anniversary for me, but this event looks way too complicated. I know from experience that getting to Dodger stadium is tricky due to the lack of public transit options. I’m glad you finished and am sorry for your troubles!
hahah we both started at about the same time I think it was 7:30 when I crossed the starting line... same due to long lines lack of sinage... I was lucky not to cramp during the marathon, I think my planning to taking LMNT at the half and mile 20 really helped.
Congratulations! Even with all of the obstacles, you dug deep & overcame everything. It may not seem like it now, but this was way more of a victory than hitting a pace or record. Your perseverance to keep pushing & finish was a huge success, showing your true strength & spirit!
It's a shame so many things seemed to work against you in that marathon, but you persevered and accomplished an amazing feat. You should def be proud of running and finishing a 26.2 mile run! Great job!
The heat was ROUGH!! I was taking 2 cups of water at every station, and even then, I felt so dehydrated. I had no appetite afterward from being so low on fluids which is so weird for me because after runs, I like to EAT. It was so nice meeting you, you are such an inspiration! Keep killing it!
Nice meeting you as well, Lizzie!! Yea, I had been consuming a lot of electrolytes prior to race day, but could’ve probably used a little more water on the actual course! Glad we got to spend a little time together despite more door situation too 😂
Agree with you. The shuttle situation was terrible. I took the 5:30 shuttle and ended up walking the last half a mile because I thought I wouldn't make it. I will do it again because I live here. One more thing: tough course to try and PR. Too hilly. I had just run the Houston Marathon. I did 3.30 there, I ran 3:27 here but had to dig in deep to finish it. Congrats
I finished top 10, our pro bus left the race hotel around 5am with police escort. However, once we finished, our bus & staff was nowhere to be seen, I was stuck with a few international runners deciding to Uber back. You definitely belong in the upper corrals to get that on time start with cooler temps, keep crushing it, your passion is inspiring!
May I recommend the Ventura marathon? Supposedly that one is faster and all downhill. As for a challenging marathon, would you consider the blue ridge marathon? That one requires you to run up three mountains. 👍
oh man.. next time you decide to race LA or any other california race, let's meet up and i'll get you to the start AND finish at the time you're looking for. we would've had so much fun running through LA with Haven!
Kudos on the finish. Having a bad marathon is like a right of passage for marathoners. Everyone gets at least one bad one. A learning experience anyway for me.
This LA Marathon was also my second marathon and I had a very similar (bad) experience! I managed to leave on the shuttle at 5:30-ish and got to Dodger Stadium at around 6-6:15. I didn't know gear check closed at 6:30 so I decided to go wait in the restroom lines instead instead of going to gear check first. Huge mistake I waited in the restroom lines until around 7, so by the time I wanted to drop off my jacket at the gear check, the gear check vans were already leaving. There were no signs so like you, I went the wrong way for gear check and wasted a bunch of time. Unfortunately, I had to leave my jacket behind :( At like 7:10-ish, that's when I finally found time to warm-up and do a little shake out run. By the time I crossed the start line, it was already around 7:30. I also wanted to keep an 8:30 pace throughout the whole race but like you, I got stuck behind a ton of people the first 8 miles and had to do a lot of weaving in and out. I didn't find a nice rhythm until maybe mile 8-9. The edges of the street were pretty clear, so I tried to stay on the sides so I could actually run at my pace
Thank you for sharing this! They absolutely need to figure out how to organize this. For them to have 38 prior years doing this and know that there would be more runners, they should have been more prepared for it
@@whatsgoodberto5426 Yeah, of course! I just realized the race program that was in the bag during the bib pickup had a map of the startline and showed where everything was. But they still should have had some signs, especially near the shuttle areas Also, I didn't realize until watching your video how important it is to start the race as early as possible to avoid the heat. Weather played a huge part in me slowing down the second half of the race. I will keep that in mind for next time
I am the least athletic person ever but I used to run. My running pace is my son's walking pace 😂. I do indoor walking for exercise now, 25 minutes every morning. I sometimes miss the harder workouts but I can't do them anymore. #rheumatoidarthritis #autoimmunedisease
Yup, and THEY made me late. And it’s funny that you say that because when I lived in LA and worked as a manager, the majority of my employees were late. Crazy
@whatsgoodberto5426 Thanks for the video though bro. Your insight helps. I'm prepping for the 2025 LA marathon and doing a lot of research. This kind of content really helps💪🏽👌🏽
Good to know LA Marathon is not well organized. Running a marathon is extremely tough and it is unacceptable for the organizers to have mistakes. Thanks for the video. Not going to LA.
I'm so grateful for you talking about the same issues I encountered. This was my ninth marathon, my fourth LA Marathon and it definitely was the worst experience I've had. I was incredibly stressed and exhausted from having to start late due to the slow shuttle, incredibly long bathroom lines, and having to get past all the slow people because I couldn't start when I was supposed to start. Glad to hear it wasn't just me! Hopefully next marathon for both of us will be better!
Yes! I was like, I can’t be the only one! Thank you for sharing that especially with your previous experiences. They need to get it together
You earned that medal--congrats on that, but sorry it was not a great experience!! LA Marathon has been starting in Dodger Stadium since 2010--I ran that one and people were getting out of cars on the freeway, including me and my sister, and walking up into the stadium. They need to figure it out. This year I was on a shuttle at 5:50 this year and got into the stadium about 6:30. Same thing as you---sat for 10 minutes waiting for the traffic person to let our shuttle make a left turn to travel up into the stadium--meanwhile multiple times letting other directions go. Almost non-existent organization up in the stadium--no signage as you said. Way too few port-a-pots---I started waiting and the line didn't move for 10 minutes, so then just peed on the hill as many others were doing. And zero chance to get anywhere near where you might need to be for pace. I ended up running 3:34:56 (BQ by 4 seconds for my age--I'm 58), but was in open corral starting behind the 6 hour pace group with no way to move up. Took 10 miles to get through all that traffic--weaving in and out. I was prepared mentally that it would probably be like that and had planned on just running easy and conservatively first several miles to ease into it. It is a difficult course--with lots of hills. I have a PR of 2:53 from 15 years ago (Chicago), and I feel just as good about this time on this course with all the logistics involved as that. Wish you could have started 20 minutes earlier--would have definitely helped with the heat. Maybe you can find another marathon in the next couple months and take advantage of your training--treat this LA experience as a long run prep. At any rate--good review of the experience, and congrats on toughing it out!!
Thank you and congrats to you as well! I appreciate you for sharing your experience here. Definitely hoping to take advantage of my current fitness to do another marathon in the next month or so.
I’m so glad you kept going and didn’t quit!
Thank you! Same!
I was so anxious about getting there early that I ended up getting dropped off at Dodger Stadium before 5:00am. I'm so glad I did because it allowed me to use the bathrooms multiple times, take the early morning nutrition that they provided, and got to the start line super early. I felt bad for those still getting off the bus when the race was about to start. So, for those who are deciding to do the LA marathon, plan to show up before 5:00am and your experience can be different. If you are taking a shuttle, plan to show up at the shuttles before 4:30am.
I’m glad it worked out for you! I would’ve definitely showed up earlier if I knew that they’d have some issues like this. I ran NYC and was super early being dropped off by the shuttle which id much rather than to be late
The pre-race logistics this year were a nightmare: no traffic control and a dearth of porta potties.
Congrats on persevering and finishing!
haha! hey berto, andrew didn't make it to the start on time, but he found us at around mile 6 and ran with us from there!
Definitely didn’t expect such chaos lol. Thank you!!
All valid! Brutal course and a lot of the controllables go out the window early. Ran LA twice and don’t plan on running it again.
Thank you for the feedback! A part of me wants to do it again because it is a hard course and I like a challenge but I doubt it
I love watching you grow over the years. A true inspiration!
Thank you!!!
Hoping the organizers of the marathon see your video and other runners make it known what could have been done to improve things for the next event .
Same! Thank you!
Thank you for the review! I was considering running this as my first marathon, since it coincides with an anniversary for me, but this event looks way too complicated. I know from experience that getting to Dodger stadium is tricky due to the lack of public transit options. I’m glad you finished and am sorry for your troubles!
No prob! Hopefully they get it together. Thank you for the love and hope your first goes great!
hahah we both started at about the same time I think it was 7:30 when I crossed the starting line... same due to long lines lack of sinage... I was lucky not to cramp during the marathon, I think my planning to taking LMNT at the half and mile 20 really helped.
Yea, I’m glad I had LMNT too. I had some side stitches but I didn’t get hit with the full body cramps until I stopped 🤣
So glad you pushed trough the bs! Congratulations on your marathon!
Thank you!!
Congrats on the LA Marathon!! One for the books and it seems like you got good story out of it!!
Thank you and definitely!!
I appreciate that you were honest about your experience. It's not all easy going and even if you put in the work, there might be a struggle.
Facts!
Congratulations! Even with all of the obstacles, you dug deep & overcame everything. It may not seem like it now, but this was way more of a victory than hitting a pace or record. Your perseverance to keep pushing & finish was a huge success, showing your true strength & spirit!
Thank you!! I definitely see the good in my efforts, especially for those last miles.
It's a shame so many things seemed to work against you in that marathon, but you persevered and accomplished an amazing feat. You should def be proud of running and finishing a 26.2 mile run!
Great job!
Absolutely. Thank you!!!
The heat was ROUGH!! I was taking 2 cups of water at every station, and even then, I felt so dehydrated.
I had no appetite afterward from being so low on fluids which is so weird for me because after runs, I like to EAT.
It was so nice meeting you, you are such an inspiration! Keep killing it!
Nice meeting you as well, Lizzie!! Yea, I had been consuming a lot of electrolytes prior to race day, but could’ve probably used a little more water on the actual course! Glad we got to spend a little time together despite more door situation too 😂
Agree with you. The shuttle situation was terrible. I took the 5:30 shuttle and ended up walking the last half a mile because I thought I wouldn't make it. I will do it again because I live here. One more thing: tough course to try and PR. Too hilly. I had just run the Houston Marathon. I did 3.30 there, I ran 3:27 here but had to dig in deep to finish it. Congrats
Thank you and congrats on your finish as well! Yea, I hope they fix that shuttle situation for everyone’s sake.
Oh god, sounds so anxiety inducing. Congratulations on finishing!!! You pulled through 👍🏼
For real. Thank you!!!!
I finished top 10, our pro bus left the race hotel around 5am with police escort. However, once we finished, our bus & staff was nowhere to be seen, I was stuck with a few international runners deciding to Uber back. You definitely belong in the upper corrals to get that on time start with cooler temps, keep crushing it, your passion is inspiring!
Wow! Congrats! Thank you for sharing your experience and I appreciate the kind words. Gonna keep at it 💪🏾
You did great to finish. We are proud of you!
Thank you!!
May I recommend the Ventura marathon? Supposedly that one is faster and all downhill.
As for a challenging marathon, would you consider the blue ridge marathon? That one requires you to run up three mountains. 👍
oh man.. next time you decide to race LA or any other california race, let's meet up and i'll get you to the start AND finish at the time you're looking for. we would've had so much fun running through LA with Haven!
Will do! Was really looking forward to running with you 2!
Congratulations on finishing 👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you! 🙌🏾
Kudos on the finish. Having a bad marathon is like a right of passage for marathoners. Everyone gets at least one bad one. A learning experience anyway for me.
Thank you! I feel that
This LA Marathon was also my second marathon and I had a very similar (bad) experience! I managed to leave on the shuttle at 5:30-ish and got to Dodger Stadium at around 6-6:15. I didn't know gear check closed at 6:30 so I decided to go wait in the restroom lines instead instead of going to gear check first. Huge mistake
I waited in the restroom lines until around 7, so by the time I wanted to drop off my jacket at the gear check, the gear check vans were already leaving. There were no signs so like you, I went the wrong way for gear check and wasted a bunch of time. Unfortunately, I had to leave my jacket behind :(
At like 7:10-ish, that's when I finally found time to warm-up and do a little shake out run. By the time I crossed the start line, it was already around 7:30. I also wanted to keep an 8:30 pace throughout the whole race but like you, I got stuck behind a ton of people the first 8 miles and had to do a lot of weaving in and out. I didn't find a nice rhythm until maybe mile 8-9. The edges of the street were pretty clear, so I tried to stay on the sides so I could actually run at my pace
Thank you for sharing this! They absolutely need to figure out how to organize this. For them to have 38 prior years doing this and know that there would be more runners, they should have been more prepared for it
@@whatsgoodberto5426 Yeah, of course! I just realized the race program that was in the bag during the bib pickup had a map of the startline and showed where everything was. But they still should have had some signs, especially near the shuttle areas
Also, I didn't realize until watching your video how important it is to start the race as early as possible to avoid the heat. Weather played a huge part in me slowing down the second half of the race. I will keep that in mind for next time
I am glad you made it through although the experience was not "amazing" on many levels!
Thank you!!
I am the least athletic person ever but I used to run. My running pace is my son's walking pace 😂. I do indoor walking for exercise now, 25 minutes every morning. I sometimes miss the harder workouts but I can't do them anymore. #rheumatoidarthritis #autoimmunedisease
I understand. Love that you’re still exercising though! You’re strong 💪🏾
In LA, if you're not early, you're late
Yup, and THEY made me late. And it’s funny that you say that because when I lived in LA and worked as a manager, the majority of my employees were late. Crazy
@whatsgoodberto5426 🤣🤣
@whatsgoodberto5426 Thanks for the video though bro. Your insight helps. I'm prepping for the 2025 LA marathon and doing a lot of research. This kind of content really helps💪🏽👌🏽
Good to know LA Marathon is not well organized. Running a marathon is extremely tough and it is unacceptable for the organizers to have mistakes. Thanks for the video. Not going to LA.
No prob, hopefully they get it together
🌟 'Promosm'