LOS ANGELES — Most people think it’s a hassle to drive from Downtown Los Angeles all the way to the Century City Mall. So, instead of driving, I decided that I would run it.
At 7 a.m. on Sunday, more than 26,000 people embarked on their 26.2-mile journey for the 40th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Marathon. I was lucky enough to be one of these people. In the most individual event one could ever sign themselves up for, it becomes quickly apparent that it is a team event.
But it didn’t all start with me looking over at the person to my left and smiling on mile No. 18 as we passed the finish line on the opposite side of Santa Monica Boulevard, beginning the out-and-back that consisted of the last eight miles of the race.
For most people, it started around 16-20 weeks ago when they ran their first of about 500 miles to train for the ultimate endurance challenge. Somehow, I found that I had been training for much longer than that. In fact, I think I have been training for all of the 20 years of my life. This isn’t something you do on a whim, where it takes discipline and hard work to achieve this goal that less than 1% of people will do in their life.
So at 4:13 a.m., when my alarm went off — yes, I am superstitious, and that is a lucky number — I was undoubtedly nervous. It wasn’t necessarily me being scared of what was ahead as I ran last year’s L.A. Marathon on St. Patrick’s Day. It was more wondering if I had done what it took physically and mentally to make it to the Century City Mall.
By no stretch of the imagination does it help when you get to the starting line at Dodger Stadium and see everyone running in their groups stretching and moving around. At the same time, I stood there with my Mom, Dad and sister, who were all trying to make fun conversation — not to insult my family, who all played legitimate collegiate athletics at some point. For an hour, I stood in the 45-degree cold with my pink shorts and red shirt, waiting for the countdown to begin and the mass of people slowly moving to the start line.
Similar to my first time running, my favorite part — other than crossing the finish line and being able to sit down — was the first mile going out of the Dodger Stadium parking lot. There’s something poetic about everyone smiling and laughing while they start to find their stride in what will be a long day of running. Among these people were 93 Legacy Runners who have competed in each of the 40 L.A. Marathons held since 1986.
The course eases you into the day, winding downhill before hitting China Town, Olvera Street and Little Tokyo, all within the first three miles. At this point, everyone is still jam-packed, and there is little room for any movement.
The brutal rolling hills of L.A. quickly kick in during mile four, which has been known to ruin a few days despite the loud banging of drums along the side as you climb what feels like a mountain while remembering there are still 20 miles to go.
Runners started to spread apart around the Echo Park area, and this is where I practically zoned out for the next four miles until I saw my family near a man dressed as Elvis Presley, cheering everyone on.
Now on Hollywood Boulevard, this is the reason why most people decide to run L.A., as the streets are packed full of Run Clubs, families and people who are just there to support while passing by the Pantages Theater, Capitol Records Tower, Hollywood Walk of Fame, all with the Hollywood sign in sight directly in front of you.
Hitting the halfway point is a massive milestone for most people and the killer for others. The glass-half-full or glass-half-empty analogy comes into play, where those who think they are JUST halfway will start to hit the “pain cave,” as it is referred to in the running community, while those who find their second wind will begin to really hit a groove.
But everyone who has run a marathon in the past knows that the actual race doesn’t start until you hit mile No. 18, and this is especially true for this particular race.
After changing its finish from the Santa Monica Pier to the Century City Mall back in 2020, the new route has you pass the finish line just under eight miles premature which is an extreme hit to even the mentally toughest, knowing that however far out you run, you have to go equally as far back. It doesn’t help that the first three miles of the out portion of the out-and-back is entirely uphill.
Now is a great time to discuss what the environment of this race was truly like. The entire way — all 26.2 miles — someone is yelling or cheering for you. With hand-drawn signs with a Mushroom from Super Mario Bros. promising a power-up on it, to others with messages toward specific people, there is constantly someone and something to be reading and looking at. The whole time as well people are handing out water, electrolyte drinks, orange slices, red vines, pretzels and more. It really shows the strength of the Los Angeles community and how badly they want to help others.
The final downhill of five kilometers — or 3.1 miles — seems like it would be the toughest; however, it is pure adrenaline. The same length as a simple lap around the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, it’s basically a celebration run while you have no feeling in your legs.
As many would expect, crossing the finish line is one of the best feelings ever. It’s a sigh of relief and an overwhelming sense of emotion as someone places a rather heavy medal over your head and you get to drink a cold chocolate milk while thinking of each training run you did and how much it paid off.
Let me be rather blunt: running a marathon isn’t for everybody. In fact, it’s not for many people at all. But for those who think it is about the time commitment are just incorrect. As a sophomore in college majoring in human biology with over 22 hours of classes a week, working as a writer and an announcer, and playing club sports, I can’t say I have much free time. The things that are worth doing, though, seem always to get done. Sure, I might have missed a training day, but in the end, I don’t remember the runs I missed, but instead, the training runs I did.
There are some things in life that you simply will just always remember. For me, the L.A. Marathon will definitely be one of those things, and I hope one day you will be able to have that memory as well.