The 38th annual Los Angeles Marathon will kick off at Dodger Stadium on Sunday morning, with 22,000 participants making the walk to the finish line on Avenue of the Stars in Century City.
The 26.2-mile route will take runners through some of the region’s most popular neighborhoods and communities, including Chinatown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City.
Participants can expect cool temperatures during the race. The day will be mostly cloudy, with a high of 65 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
But the drive to the coast on Sunday will mean dozens of street closures along the way in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City.
The race will be televised on KTLA, Channel 5, and broadcast live on LA Marathon’s. Facebook page.
The marathon will start at 6:30 a.m., but streets along the route will close at 4 a.m. The main route will include portions of Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard.
Much of downtown and Century City will be effectively closed to vehicles for much of the race.
The streets will reopen as the runners race through the area towards the finish line. For example, the streets around downtown must reopen at 10 a.m. and in Hollywood at noon.
Near the finish line in Century City, some streets including Santa Monica Boulevard, Century Park East and Avenue of the Stars will remain closed until 8 p.m.
Race organizers point out that although the marathon the route will be closed off, it will too several adjoining streets and. Several freeway ramps in the northbound lanes of the 110, 101 and southbound 405 freeways will also be closed.
Started in 1986, the Los Angeles Marathon had been a race from downtown to the coast in Santa Monica, but in 2021 organizers unveiled a new “Stadium to the Stars” course, with runners turning around before reaching Santa Monica and returning to Santa Monica. Boulevard in Century City instead.
A cash price of $6,000 is offered to the winner of the men’s and women’s races. A $2,500 prize is also awarded to the winner of the wheelchair division.
Last year, John Korir from Kenya won the men’s division in 2:09:07. Devline Meringor of Kenya won the women’s division in 2:25:03.