Men’s course record
2:06:35
Markos Geneti · 2011
- Average pace
- 3:00 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −0.28 %
Los Angeles Marathon
Los Angeles, USA A Sunday in March, set by the organiser Founded 1986
Point to point from Dodger Stadium, along Hollywood Boulevard and the Sunset Strip and through Beverly Hills, to a finish in Century City.
Overview
The race starts at 7:00am at Dodger Stadium and drops through Chinatown into downtown, past City Hall and the Disney Concert Hall. It climbs out on Temple Street to Echo Park, follows Sunset Boulevard through Silver Lake and runs along Hollywood Boulevard as far as the Chinese Theatre. Then comes the Sunset Strip, the drop off it down San Vicente Boulevard, and Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard through Beverly Hills.
At mile 18 the course passes the finish in Century City and carries on west, out along San Vicente Boulevard to a turn in Brentwood and back. The finish is 68 m below the start, but it isn't all downhill: there's 296 m of climbing on the way.
About 21,900 finished in 2026, and the race had sold out more than two months early.
At mile 18 the course passes the finish in Century City and carries on west, out along San Vicente Boulevard to a turn in Brentwood and back. The finish is 68 m below the start, but it isn't all downhill: there's 296 m of climbing on the way.
About 21,900 finished in 2026, and the race had sold out more than two months early.
- When
- The 2027 Los Angeles Marathon is on Sunday, 7 March 2027, starting at 7:00am local time on Dodger Stadium.
- Course
- Los Angeles's course climbs 296 m in all, with its lowest point at 62 m and its highest at 153 m.
- Entry
- Entry to Los Angeles is first come, first served (open for 2027), and costs US$314 for 2027.
- Field
- The 2026 Los Angeles Marathon had a marathon field of 21,900.
- Weather
- Across 31 years, Los Angeles's race-day temperature has a median of 12.9 °C.
- Records
- The Los Angeles Marathon course records are 2:06:35 (Markos Geneti, 2011) and 2:24:11 (Askale Merachi, 2019).
- Time limit
- Los Angeles's time limit is 6 hours 30 minutes.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Los Angeles Marathon
Point to point from Dodger Stadium, along Hollywood Boulevard and the Sunset Strip and through Beverly Hills, to a finish in Century City. Dodger Stadium → Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Distance
- 42.2 km
- Ascent
- 296 m
- Descent
- 364 m
- Net
- −68 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on a 2026 course file · USGS NED 10 m · smoothed 100 m 62–153 m
—
0.08.416.825.133.541.9
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The start is the highest point, 153 m at Dodger Stadium, and the first 3.2 km lose 61 m of it. The steepest climbing kilometre is Temple Street, west out of downtown towards Echo Park, 35 m. From there the course rolls along Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards, until the steepest descending kilometre drops 44 m off the Sunset Strip, down San Vicente Boulevard. The lowest point comes soon after, on Doheny Drive, 62 m at about 25.2 km.
The out-and-back to Brentwood climbs again, and the last three kilometres, along Santa Monica Boulevard, rise gently to the finish. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and, for a three-hour runner, the course comes out about 30 seconds quicker than a flat 42.195 km (0.28 %).
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying USGS NED 10 m elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
USGS NED 10 m, measured on a 2026 course file, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/marathons/losangeles/ · checked 2026-10-29
How to enter: dates and fees
Entry for 2027 is open, first come, first served. It's US$314 now, rising to US$325 on 3 November. The 2026 race sold out more than two months before race day, the fastest it has ever filled, with more than 26,000 registered.
There are no refunds, transfers or deferrals, for any reason, including if the race is cancelled, and you have to be 16 on race day. The other way in is a charity place. Raise US$725 for the organiser's own Team TMF and the entry is free, or run for one of more than a hundred partner charities, each with its own minimum.
There are no refunds, transfers or deferrals, for any reason, including if the race is cancelled, and you have to be 16 on race day. The other way in is a charity place. Raise US$725 for the organiser's own Team TMF and the entry is free, or run for one of more than a hundred partner charities, each with its own minimum.
History
The city wanted a marathon of its own after the 1984 Olympics, and the first one ran in 1986, a loop from the Coliseum. About 7,600 finished it. Frank McCourt bought the race in 2008 and gave it to the McCourt Foundation, which has run it since 2020.
The course has moved more than once. From 2010 it was Stadium to the Sea, from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica, and Markos Geneti ran the men's record on it in the rain in 2011. Santa Monica's costs ended that, and in November 2021 the race moved to Stadium to the Stars, finishing in Century City. Since 2022 the elite women have started ahead of the men, with a bonus for whoever reaches the line first. In 2026 the men's race was won by one hundredth of a second.
The course has moved more than once. From 2010 it was Stadium to the Sea, from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica, and Markos Geneti ran the men's record on it in the rain in 2011. Santa Monica's costs ended that, and in November 2021 the race moved to Stadium to the Stars, finishing in Century City. Since 2022 the elite women have started ahead of the men, with a bonus for whoever reaches the line first. In 2026 the men's race was won by one hundredth of a second.
- 1986The first race, a loop from the Coliseum two years after the Olympics; Ric Sayre and Nancy Ditz win
- 1996The first major US marathon timed by chip
- 1997Nadezhda Ilyina is disqualified for cutting the course at mile 22 while looking for a toilet
- 2004The Challenge begins: the women start first, and Tatyana Pozdnyakova beats the men by almost four minutes
- 2008Frank McCourt buys the race
- 2009Run on Memorial Day in May; runners object to the risk of heat, and it goes back to March
- 2010Stadium to the Sea: a new course from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica, and a record 26,054 register
- 2011Markos Geneti runs 2:06:35 in heavy rain, still the course record
- 2015About 31 °C, and the US championships
- 2016Run on 14 February, the day after the US Olympic Trials on the streets of the city
- 2019Askale Merachi runs 2:24:11, the women's record
- 2020The last mass event in California before the pandemic
- 2021First run in November, on the new Stadium to the Stars course to Century City
- 2025Matt Richtman wins in 2:07:56, the first American man to win since 1994
- 2026Nathan Martin wins by a hundredth of a second, on a morning forecast hot enough that runners were offered a medal for stopping at mile 18
1990200020102020
Course records
Pace is derived from the certified distance. Terrain-adjusted figures come from the same model that ranks every course on this site.
Women’s course record
2:24:11
Askale Merachi · 2019
- Average pace
- 3:25 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −0.28 %
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 7:00am
- Time limit
- 6h 30m
- 19
Most runners take the free shuttle, booked when you register: from Century City between 3:00 and 5:30am, from Union Station between 5:00 and 6:00, or from the official downtown hotels. There's no shuttle back to the start afterwards. Bags go in the clear event bag to Lot K by 6:30am and are collected on Century Park East, by the finish, until 3:30pm.
There are 19 aid stations with water and an electrolyte drink, toilets at every one, and gels at miles 12 and 18. Pick up your bib at the expo at Dodger Stadium on the Friday or Saturday before; there's no general pickup on race morning.
There are 19 aid stations with water and an electrolyte drink, toilets at every one, and gels at miles 12 and 18. Pick up your bib at the expo at Dodger Stadium on the Friday or Saturday before; there's no general pickup on race morning.
The morning, hour by hour
- 3:00am
- Shuttles from Century City begin
- 4:00am
- Gear check opens, Lot K
- 5:30am
- Be at the start
- 6:30am
- Pro wheelchair start; gear check closes
- 6:40am
- Elite women start
- 7:00am
- Elite men and everyone else
The organiser's 2027 start times and 2026 race-day information. Times are Pacific Standard Time. You have six and a half hours from the last runner crossing the start. The organiser publishes no intermediate cut-offs. At 15 minutes a mile you finish with the streets still closed; slower runners move to the pavement as the roads reopen behind the field, and drop-out vans run from mile 7 to mile 23.
Race-day weather, 1995–2025
- Median
- 12.9 °C
- Warm years
- 4 of 31
- Wet years
- 5 of 31
Race-day mean temperature, 1995-2025. Lime marks the hottest edition; the coldest and wettest carry a label only, so the colour still means one thing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the LA Marathon downhill?
Overall, yes: the finish is 68 m below the start. But it climbs 296 m on the way, and of the 30 courses compared here only Big Sur, Austin and Queenstown climb more. The steepest climbing kilometre comes early, up Temple Street.
USGS 10 m elevation model, sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m.
Can a record be set here?
No. The finish is more than a metre a kilometre below the start, more than World Athletics allows for a record.
Measured net drop; World Athletics road-course rules.
When does entry close?
When it sells out. In 2026 that was more than two months before race day.
Organiser, 2026.
Can I get a refund or transfer my place?
No. There are no refunds, transfers or deferrals for any reason, including if the race is cancelled.
Organiser registration page.
What is the time limit?
Six and a half hours after the last runner crosses the start line. Slower runners move to the pavement as the course reopens behind the field.
Organiser final information, 2026.
How do I get to the start?
On the free shuttle you book when you register, from Century City, Union Station or the official downtown hotels. There's no shuttle back to Dodger Stadium afterwards.
Organiser final information, 2026.
Where is the expo?
At Dodger Stadium, on the Friday and Saturday before the race, with free parking. Bibs aren't posted, and there's no general pickup on race morning.
Organiser FAQ, 2027.
Do the clocks change on race weekend?
Not in 2027. US daylight time starts a week after the race, on 14 March, so the 7:00am start is Pacific Standard Time. In 2026 the clocks went forward on race morning.
Organiser 2026 final information; US daylight-time dates.
Has it been hot on race day?
Sometimes. In 2015 it reached about 31 °C, and in 2026 the forecast was hot enough that runners were offered a medal for stopping at mile 18. On the first Sunday in March the median during race hours is 12.9 °C.
ERA5 climatology, 7:00 to 13:00, 1995 to 2025; organiser media guide; news reports, 2026.
Is there a half marathon?
There's a Charity Half of about 13.7 miles, starting at 8:15am, for runners raising money for the race's partner charities. The organiser says it isn't an official half marathon.
Organiser FAQ, 2027.
How many people run it?
About 21,900 finished in 2026. The race sold out more than two months early, with more than 26,000 registered.
Organiser figures for the 2026 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 12.9 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 31 years, which have run from 7.9 °C to 19.2 °C. 5 of the 31 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 1995-2025.
Can I use a time here to qualify for Boston?
Yes. The course is certified by USATF, as the B.A.A. requires. The finish is 68 m below the start, far short of the drop at which the B.A.A. adds time.
Net drop −68 m from this site's course line; 2027 adjustment None. Certification certified: Certified by USATF, so a Boston qualifier. Not eligible for records: it drops more than a metre a kilometre.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from USGS NED 10 m, sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 1.14. Around 1.3 means the model is reading the ground, not rooftops; above about 2.0 the total climb carries real noise, and the net change is the sturdier number.
0 missing samples · 4 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 12
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course line | A third-party GPX of the 2026 race, one point about every 50 m; its streets and its turn at Bundy match the organiser's 2026 course map, and it measures 42.10 km, 0.2 % short | 2026-10-29 |
| Elevation | USGS NED 10 m via OpenTopoData; four short bridge spans interpolated between their ends | 2026-10-29 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 via Open-Meteo archive, 7:00 to 13:00 on the first Sunday in March, 1995 to 2025; the race date has moved, so this is the weather for the date, not for each edition | 2026-10-29 |
| Course records | Organiser media guide, 2025 | 2026-10-29 |
| Field size | About 21,900 finishers in 2026, from MarathonGuide and the official results; 26,000+ registered, from the organiser | 2026-10-29 |
| Race date and start | Organiser FAQ and registration page, 2027 | 2026-10-29 |
| Race day | Organiser final information, 2026 | 2026-10-29 |
| Entry | Organiser registration site, 2027 prices | 2026-10-29 |
| Boston qualifying | Organiser FAQ and the B.A.A. qualifying rules | 2026-10-29 |
| History and timeline | Organiser media guides, 2024 and 2025, and race reports | 2026-10-29 |
| Steepest-kilometre place names | OpenStreetMap via Nominatim reverse geocoding (ODbL) | 2026-10-29 |
| Photography | Unsplash: Sean Pierce (Dodger Stadium), Gerson Repreza (Echo Park Lake), Tim Cheung (the Disney Concert Hall), Oxana Melis (Hollywood Boulevard), Roberto Nickson (Century City), Meg von Haartman (Beverly Hills) | 2026-10-29 |
Until the Los Angeles Marathon · 7 Mar 2027
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