Official News from the Los Angeles Marathon

We're moving!

2010-01-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed the launch of our new site a few months back. It's built on the Wordpress platform, and, for simplicity, we've built our blog into the framework of the site. So we've been running two blogs simultaneously since September. But the time has come to send all of you over to the other blog page. So please come join us, as I'll only be posting there in the future.

Thanks and see you there.

Peter

Design an LA Marathon T-shirt

2010-01-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to a local running race or marathon and thought, "I can design a better shirt than this!" Here's your chance. Enter our first-ever LA Marathon t-shirt design competition at 99designs.com for the chance to have your shirt printed and sold at the event. In addition, we're offering $295 cash to the winner of the contest. The competition is open now and we'll accept designs until January 31st. At that point we'll narrow the field to the best six designs and put it out to an online vote to determine the winner.

Here's the contest.

Get to work and give us your best shot!

Peter

Make the LA Marathon course your own

2010-01-12T15:19:00.001-08:00

After Stacy, Ginger and Theresa's holiday run of the LA Marathon course, along with Jimmy Dean's 5,000 calorie course expedition, I've come to expect that our runners will start to take ownership of the route. So it comes as no surprise that two of my favorite bloggers and Twitterati, @chicrunner and @LARunr, have started running parts of the course while writing and tweeting about it. In my opinion, a measure of a brand's success is the extent to which customers co-opt and personalize that brand. I'm thrilled to see that starting to happen with the Marathon. Go forth and create your own LA Marathon, folks. I'm here to tell you that I will happily support, and promote, your endeavors. And if you should find yourself on Twitter, be sure and give a shout out to our two friends. Here's LARunner's blog post about the jaunt.

Peter

Coordinators kickoff meeting

2010-01-09T16:44:00.000-08:00

With just over two months to go until the 25th Anniversary Los Angeles Marathon, we're now officially on Defcon 4 alert. Things are starting to happen very quickly, and deadlines are coming at us like bullets: Medals, participant shirts, ads, signs, citywide police & fire meetings, etc. A lot is going on, and much of that is captained by Race Director Nick Curl (resplendent in Hawaiian shirt above) and Director of Operations Stacy Embretson. Along with our Volunteer Coordinator Manon Levenberg, they organized today's coordinator kickoff meeting. We gathered in Westwood all of the coordinators who will be manning aid stations, organizing the start and finish areas, running the shuttle bus system and other important jobs. It was a gathering of many familiar faces--some of these folks have been with the LA Marathon since its inception--and a few new ones as well. The event does not happen without the hard work of these individuals.

We also had representatives from the City of Beverly Hills as well as the Veterans Administration, and I was able to catch up with them on things we're doing in each place. Nick took everyone through the many new developments in this year's event: the course, the 5K, the Expo...well, let's face it, everything is new! In any case, it was a productive afternoon, and we're now in the red zone approaching the race.

Peter

New Year's Resolution

2010-01-04T10:39:00.001-08:00

LA Marathon HQ is up and running after the holiday break, and it's busier than ever as we get ready for the 2010 event. The race is only 75 days away and approaching like a freight train. Our New Year's resolution is to put on the best LA Marathon ever. What's yours? Are you going to run a PR this year? Get off the couch and run your first marathon? Use running as a way to affect positive change in your life and those around you? Think about it. However, if your plans include this year's LA Marathon, don't wait too long. The registrations are coming in at a record pace, and we're capping the field at 25,000. We hope the Marathon and running are both part of your New Year's resolution, and we look forward to seeing you all on the starting line on March 21st.

Peter

SRLA at the Rose Parade

2010-01-04T10:05:00.001-08:00

The three-masted schooner making its way up Orange Grove Avenue

American Honda's Erik Wedin along with SRLA leader Milton Hom

On New Year's Day I took my family out to the Rose Parade and saw, for the first time in my life, what an amazing event that is. It's been a New Year tradition since 1890, and this year, for the first time, Students Run LA was featured in the parade. The three-masted Honda "Ship of Dreams" float highlighted SRLA as one of seven philanthropic partners that improves the lives of children. Milton Hom, an SRLA leader from LeConte Middle School, and student runner Hemashary Juarez were both on the float doing their best parade waves. What a great way to ring in the new year!

Peter

New Pavement for Sunset Strip Portion of Route

2009-12-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

This must be some kind of sign. And yet another reason for 2010 LA Marathon participants to get excited. For the first time in 75 years, the Sunset Strip will be repaved. As we can attest, having run that stretch a couple times ourselves, the pavement is in sorry shape. How sweet will it be to run that section--Miles 12-14--on nice new asphalt? Read all about it here.

Peter

How to survive the holidays, revisited

2009-12-28T21:55:00.000-08:00

We posted this before Thanksgiving. But it's such good advice that it bears posting, and reading, one more time. This time of year can be something of a nutritional minefield, so consider the following pointers from our team. Rod Dixon, LA Marathon Director of Training, and Matt Mahowald, LA Marathon Nutrition and Supplement Consultant, offer their tips for enjoying the holidays – and holiday menus – without sabotaging your diet, exercise or training routine.

Never show up hungry to a holiday party or meal. Make sure you have a big breakfast and enjoy at least two good meals or snacks before the feast. This will minimize the amount of overeating. For instance, 12 almonds and an apple will help to quell your appetite so that when you get to that meal you don’t overeat.
The most important item during the holiday season is water. Water helps your body synthesize carbs. It helps with the high and lows of blood sugar that come with desserts and sweets that we don’t normally have in our diet.
If you are going to attend a holiday party and plan on drinking alcohol, consume a full eight to 10 ounces of water in addition to a beverage of your choice. This will minimize the amount of alcohol you drink.
When eating appetizers or pot luck style, the best choices are vegetables, lean proteins and fruits. If you’re designated to bring a dish to a gathering, bring something that’s a healthy choice for yourself. You never know what’s going to be presented in front of you and you always want to have good options.
Fill your plate modestly, and wait 30 minutes after you finish before going back for seconds. This will allow your blood sugar and insulin levels to adjust. You may find that you won’t really be hungry for that second plate.
Treat dessert as a treat. Serve yourself a small portion, and stop there.
A good cardiovascular workout for 2-3 days after your holiday will help deplete excess storage of carbs and fat that you picked up during the holiday.
If it’s possible, throw in an extra two days of 30 minute cardiovascular activity. Remember that walking is just as good as a slow jog and easier on your body.
Consistency is key to your exercise program. Don’t let the holidays derail you by missing too many days in a row of your routine. Don’t try to make up what you’ve missed by overtraining – just get back on your plan.
Remember that it is a holiday, so do let yourself enjoy. The following day wake up and get right back on your food plan and exercise.

Holiday Cheer, from Stadium to Sea

2009-12-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

7:30 am: "Brrrr. It's cold out here!"

Mile 4 in the downtown section of the course

Back on Sunset in Echo Park after a challenging first 8 miles

Doing a TV interview with Fox on Hollywood Blvd.

Mile 15 in front of the legendary Dan Tana's in West Hollywood

Now joined by Theresa, on the run down Rodeo Drive at Mile 17

Mile 18 at the Century City Mall. Is there a bigger Christmas tree in LA?

Mile 22: The girls find time to pose with Jimmy Dean Freeman at Peet's on San Vicente

Almost there! Mile 24 on the downhill finishing stretch

Bring it home girls! They cross the finish line at Santa Monica and Ocean Avenue

Today I had the pleasure of following along vicariously as the LA Marathon's Ginger Williams and Stacy Embretson ran the entire Stadium to Sea route in full costume. Assisted by our volunteer coordinator Manon Levenberg and joined by Theresa Brennan for the second half, they said "Happy Holidays" to about a thousand people on the route. Fox 11 stopped by at a couple locations to get interviews with them, and as if that wasn't enough of an expedition on this cool and windy day, they stopped at least every mile to shoot photos and document the experience. A huge and creative effort in the name of holiday spirit! I'll just call them our guerilla goodwill team. Hopefully, you were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them on the street today. If not, you can see the photographic evidence on our Flickr page.

After the finish, all they could talk about was how amazing this route is. We knew that, of course, but you can't replace the experience of actually running Stadium to Sea (in a costume!).

Well done, Stacy, Theresa, Ginger and Manon!

Peter

Carpool to LA Marathon events with PickupPal

2009-12-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

The LA Marathon PickupPal site is up and ready to go! PickupPal is an online carpooling network that connects you with other LA Marathon participants from all over the greater Los Angeles area. With Pickup Pal you can meet runners in your neighborhood that have the same great plans for the 2010 LA Marathon weekend. Find carpooling matches on PickupPal for the two- day Expo at Dodger’s Stadium, the NPN LA Marathon 5k run and the LA Marathon. Carpooling will also be available in the future for the Win Forever Dinner.

Click here to sign up!

Jimmy Dean's 5,000 calorie run: Here's the Video

2009-12-16T16:52:00.000-08:00

You saw my post a couple week's ago on Jimmy Dean Freeman's heroic run of the LA Marathon course while stopping for food at high-calorie establishments all along the route. It was a legendary effort that has turned Jimmy Dean into a viral video star. Here's the grease-stained footage.

Peter

New Performance Nutrition Tip of the Week: Snacking

2009-12-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

What is the perfect snack?

Snacks should consist of a carbohydrate and fat! A good guideline is 15-20 grams of carbohydrate accompanied by a serving of fat (9-10 grams) i.e. 12 almonds and an apple would be an example. Organic, all-natural energy bars work well also, in a pinch when you may have not thought ahead. NPN energy bars are perfect!

It's Never Too Early to Start Carbo Loading

2009-12-16T15:08:00.001-08:00

Here's Russ Pillar, our President, in Boise, Idaho about to have lunch today. We're glad to see that he's already loading up for next year's New York Marathon.

Peter

Congratulations Are in Order

2009-12-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

For our own Theresa Brennan, who just completed the Santa Barbara Marathon on Sunday in 4:33:21. All of her hard work in the office has been complemented by the roadwork necessary to train for a marathon. She joins a growing list of marathoners in our office, and we couldn't be more excited for her. Bravo Theresa!

Back to Basics

2009-12-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking lately about the return of simplicity. This is a trend that I'm seeing across many areas of our culture. In response to our all-digital, made-in-China, mass-produced world, people are taking a left turn and opting for the old-school approach. Witness the whole DIY/handmade craft movement on display at Etsy.com. Or the massive popularity of fixed gear bicycles. Even a sport as simple as surfing now has the Alaia board phenomemon, and, surprisingly, vinyl albums are actually gaining in popularity.

So how do we, as runners, as marathoners, fit into this movement? Of course, there is the growing popularity of barefoot running. But in the bigger landscape of sports, does the broad-based growth of running represent a back to basics approach to recreation? Running is, after all, the original sport and the oldest fitness activity. I'd like to think that people all over the world are discovering the simple pleasure of going out for a run. Would you agree? I'd like to hear from you if you have an opinion.

Peter

Give the Gift of Endorphin

2009-12-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

OK, we all know someone planning to run the LA Marathon, right? But that person may or may not have already registered. So what about purchasing them a gift certificate good for one entry into the 25th Anniversary event? You can actually do that, starting this weekend. We'll have plenty of certificates for sale at both the Santa Barbara (Saturday) and Las Vegas (Friday and Saturday) Marathon Expos. We can take credit cards or cash, and we've got everything pre-packaged in LA Marathon envelopes. If you're not in either of those places, then by all means stop by the new K-Swiss store at 2427 Main St. in Santa Monica. They'll have a stack on hand as well. We'll also have an online purchasing option starting next week.

We've got your Marathoner's gift covered for the holidays.

Peter

K-Swiss shop open for business

2009-11-29T08:58:00.001-08:00

Mark Sheehan from K-Swiss, along with Rod Dixon

Runners on the Westside have a new place to hang out--the new K-Swiss Performance Running shop at 2427 Main Street in Santa Monica. This great new space will serve as something of an LA Marathon clubhouse, and you can look forward to training runs, social events and discount days. In the meanwhile, stop by and say hi to Mark and Joe. Tell them the LA Marathon sent you.

Peter

LA Marathon on 5,000 calories

2009-11-29T08:28:00.001-08:00

Jimmy Dean staving off a bonk with a Carney's Chili Dog at Mile 15

We've been waiting for someone to just get out and run the new Stadium to Sea route, and now it's happened. Our good friend Jimmy Dean Freeman chose Black Friday as the day to test run the new LA Marathon course. JD is a local coach, ultramarathoner and stand-up comedian. Not only did he run our new route, however, but he also sampled some of the great food along the way. What a concept--fueling a marathon with street food the whole way. The culinary highlights included Burrito King, In n Out Burger, Carney's and Sprinkles Cup Cakes. While burning 3,600 calories, he consumed over 4,800 calories and actually gained half a pound on the day. That could be a new record for marathon energy replacement. Including all of his stops for food, his time was 5:21. Jimmy Dean brings new meaning to the term Fast Food.

Jimmy Dean finished the event with a swim in the Pacific Ocean, which I believe will become an LA Marathon ritual for thousands of runners. But we'll always credit him for doing it first. Congratulations Jimmy Dean!

Photo album of the day is here.

Peter

Who is Louis Zamperini?

2009-11-29T07:51:00.001-08:00

Rod Dixon knew all about Louis, because Louis had run against New Zealand legend Jack Lovelock

Pete finds Louis to be an inspiration

On the day that our Roadrunners and SRLA pace leaders spent time with Coach Pete Carroll at USC, we got a special visit from none other than Louis Zamperini. You may not have heard of this legend, but he has an amazing story and shared a few of his experiences with us.

Louis was born in New York City to Italian immigrants, but moved to Torrance as a child. He became a track star in high school and attended USC on a scholarship. After qualifying for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and finishing 8th in the 5000 meters, Adolf Hitler requested a meeting with the "guy with the fast finish." Once back home, Louis enlisted in the Navy, but his B-24 went down due to mechanical difficulties and he spent 47 days in a lifeboat before being rescued by the Japanese. He was held in a Japanese camp until the end of the war.

His inspiring story only gets better, and you can read more about Louis Zamperini here. None of us will forget spending time with him at USC that day.

Peter

How to survive the holidays

2009-11-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or an everyday Joe, the season from Thanksgiving through New Year’s can wreak havoc on the waistline – and more. Rod Dixon, LA Marathon Director of Training, and Matt Mahowald, LA Marathon Nutrition and Supplement Consultant, offer their tips for enjoying the holidays – and holiday menus – without sabotaging your diet, exercise or training routine.

Never show up hungry to a holiday party or meal. Make sure you have a big breakfast and enjoy at least two good meals or snacks before the feast. This will minimize the amount of overeating. For instance, 12 almonds and an apple will help to quell your appetite so that when you get to that meal you don’t overeat.
The most important item during the holiday season is water. Water helps your body synthesize carbs. It helps with the high and lows of blood sugar that come with desserts and sweets that we don’t normally have in our diet.
If you are going to attend a holiday party and plan on drinking alcohol, consume a full eight to 10 ounces of water in addition to a beverage of your choice. This will minimize the amount of alcohol you drink.
When eating appetizers or pot luck style, the best choices are vegetables, lean proteins and fruits. If you’re designated to bring a dish to a gathering, bring something that’s a healthy choice for yourself. You never know what’s going to be presented in front of you and you always want to have good options.
Fill your plate modestly, and wait 30 minutes after you finish before going back for seconds. This will allow your blood sugar and insulin levels to adjust. You may find that you won’t really be hungry for that second plate.
Treat dessert as a treat. Serve yourself a small portion, and stop there.
A good cardiovascular workout for 2-3 days after your holiday will help deplete excess storage of carbs and fat that you picked up during the holiday.
If it’s possible, throw in an extra two days of 30 minute cardiovascular activity. Remember that walking is just as good as a slow jog and easier on your body.
Consistency is key to your exercise program. Don’t let the holidays derail you by missing too many days in a row of your routine. Don’t try to make up what you’ve missed by overtraining – just get back on your plan.
Remember that it is a holiday, so do let yourself enjoy. The following day wake up and get right back on your food plan and exercise.

Meb's backstory

2009-11-12T10:25:00.001-08:00

Russ sent me this post today from Meb Keflizighi's brother Hawi. He passionately lays out how much preparation and focus went into Meb's New York Marathon victory. This is a great piece of inspiration.

From Merhawi Keflezighi:

Meb has done his job and accomplished a lifelong personal and generational industry-wide dream. Now it is up to the rest of us to put this achievement in its proper context.

Meb's victory in the 2009 ING New York City Marathon is obviously very significant, newsworthy and historical, but it also has a personal element to every individual, organization and other entities involved with Meb (Meb the individual, family, San Diego community, Mammoth, UCLA, Eritreans, Italians, Nike, PowerBar, NYRR, New York City, the Marathon, the running industry, sports media, the running media which has followed Meb for a long time, long time fans, new fans, etc.). With so many affected entities, I don't expect Meb's victory to mean the same thing to everyone.

Continues...

2010 LA Marathon route: Elevation Profile

2009-11-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the mile-by-mile elevation profile. How fast is this finish? Plus, it will get cooler as we head west towards the beach. If I wasn't working on the event that day, I'd be out there, too!

More route details on our course map page.

Peter

Here's the 2010 LA Marathon Route

2009-11-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

You've seen a video with some of the highlights of our Stadium to Sea route, but now we've got the actual turn-by-turn course finished. Here's a video we put together to show you the way. In addition, we've got a detailed Google map on the site, complete with icons along the course. We couldn't be more excited for all of the runners in this year's race.

Peter

Rod Dixon 1983 New York victory

2009-11-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

While watching Meb Keflezighi's inspiring victory last weekend at the New York Marathon, I was reminded of this segment we shot with Rod Dixon earlier this year. In it, he recounts his own thrilling New York victory in 1983. Rod came from behind in the last quarter mile to win the closest race in New York history. I've watched this clip many times, and it never gets old. Try watching this and not getting inspired. I dare you!

Peter

Chris McDougall in the house

2009-11-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

You may have seen my mini-review a couple weeks back of Chris McDougall's terrific book Born to Run. He was recently in Los Angeles and stopped by LA Marathon HQ to say hi. We talked Chris into sitting down for a quick interview. Here's what he had to say.

Qualifying for Boston...In a Dorothy costume

2009-11-02T11:23:00.001-08:00

Not only did our Director of Operations Stacy Embretson run New York this weekend, but she set a PR of 3:38:44 and qualified for Boston. And she did it all while running as Dorothy. How much fun is that? Here's what Stacy had to say: "The costume was really the best decision ever as I had people cheering for 'Dorothy' the entire race. Such a fun experience!!"

Let's not forget that our President Russ Pillar also ran New York, just 3 weeks after finishing Chicago. Russ also PR'd with a 4:41:49.

Congratulations to both of them!

Peter

Legacy runners gearing up

2009-11-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

Once again the LA Marathon will host a sizable contingent of Legacy Runners. This amazing group--about 240 strong--has run every single LA Marathon. 24 straight. And 2010 will mark a quarter century of not missing a single edition of the race. Unbelievable. They've kicked off their training, and "Legacy" Lou Briones recently sent me this photo of a group of them about to head out for a run at the Rose Bowl. Bravo!

Peter

An American Champion in New York

2009-11-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

How could you not be moved by this morning's incredible New York Marathon? Both the men's and women's races came down to the last two miles, and Meb Keflizighi's win makes him the first American to win the race since Alberto Salazar in 1982. Furthermore, there were 6 Americans in the top 10, which bodes well for the future of running in this country. Congratulations to Meb and all the finishers in the New York Marathon, including our own Russ Pillar and Stacy Embretson.

Watch the highlights on Universal Sports.

Peter

Happy Halloween from Marathon HQ

2009-10-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

Here's hoping you have a spooky night and eat too much candy. See you on the road!

Peter

LA Marathon: Behind the Music

2009-10-27T15:58:00.001-07:00

When I needed to quickly record a version of the song California Sun for the course video, I turned to my friend Sam Jones. He's a talented photographer, film director and musician. Sam and I had made the Wilco film I am Trying to Break Your Heart together, and he's more into music than anyone I know. The kind of guy who's got a deep vinyl collection, a bunch of vintage guitars, a band. I just knew he was the guy to help me get this done quickly. Sam pulled together an all-star session crew in about 5 minutes, including Pete Thomas (of The Attractions) on drums and Dan Lavery (of The Fray and Tonic) on bass. Sam handled guitar and vocals. We were graciously hosted by Kevin Augunas at Fairfax Recordings, which is an absolutely spectacular facility. Check out these shots from the session, as well as a short video clip of the band in action.

Sam, Dan and Kevin. The mixing board on the left is from Abbey Road Studios in London, circa 1971.

In case you forgot your drum kit, they've got plenty to choose from.

We recorded onto 2" tape. Vintage!

I'll go with the maple glow Gibson ES 335...

The tube amp collection.

Kevin on the dials.

Born to Run. Unplugged.

2009-10-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

You are almost certainly familiar with the Bruce Springsteen hit, "Born to Run." It's also the title of the most entertaining book I've read all year. Ostensibly, this is Christopher McDougall's tale of the Tarahumara runners from Mexico. But the story digresses into essays on running biomechanics, running shoe history and the climactic account of an ultramarathon race in which Christopher is one of the competitors. He tells the story with the help of a nutty cast of memorable characters who are so original that I found myself Googling them to make sure they actually exist (they do). It sounds all over the place, and it is, but the narrative is beautifully woven together into a page turning gem. Anyone who has ever laced up a pair of running shoes should consider this a must-read.

Which brings me to the point: Christopher McDougall himself is speaking here in LA on Wednesday night. Take this opportunity to hear a passage read by the author. And pick up a signed copy while you're at it.

WHAT: Author reading & signing
Refreshments provided.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 14th at 7pm

WHERE: Traveler's Bookcase
8375 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(limited parking in back)

info@travelbooks.com

Peter

Chicago wrap-up

2009-10-11T22:00:00.001-07:00

Finally back home after a spectacular trip to Chicago. Russ and I went together, worked the Expo booth and then ran today. We woke up to 30 degree temperatures, and there must have been 500 runners huddled in the Hilton lobby waiting until the last moment to make the freezing dash out to the starting line. I was in the D corral, which allowed me to get right up to speed in the first mile. You have to see what 40,000 runners looks like to believe it. An absolutely giant group, with logistics to match. I thought the management team did a good job with the start/finish area, water stations and post race food, given the size of the field. The course covers 29 neighborhoods throughout the city and never once goes higher than 24 feet above sea level. Talk about a place to run your PR.

Russ, not having run a marathon in 25 years, ran a very solid 4:57. His day included bolting from the 5 hour pace group and passing 1,000 runners in the last 2 miles. Way to finish strong! I ran a steady 3:51:09, helped along by the 3:50 pace group. My goal was to run consistent 8:45-8:50 miles, and I was able to do that. The first 13 miles were no problem, then the running becomes more labor intensive up to 20 miles. The last 6 miles took a lot of effort. If I didn't have the pace group to follow I surely would have lost at least 5 minutes in the last section of the race. The group was like a carrot dangling out there urging me to keep up. At 24 miles the course finally widens out, and Dean Karnazes passed me on the left. So I had a quick chat with him, then let him go. He was running the first of 2 loops of the course for 52 miles total on the day. What a guy. By the time I finished I was completely spent, and I was happy to know that I'd "left it all on the course." It was still in the low 40s, so the mylar heat sheet was welcome protection from the elements.

There are an incredible number of spectators on the route, holding all manner of signs out and screaming encouragement at the runners. Amazing fan support. My favorite sign read, "Trample the wounded. Hurdle the dead." Fortunately, I didn't have to do either!

Tomorrow morning at the office we'll have a debrief session and discuss our learnings with the staff. Stacy ran the Long Beach Marathon today, and she'll give us her report as well. All in all, a great weekend, and it's good to know that training actually works.

Peter

Game time

2009-10-10T18:37:00.001-07:00

Four months of training, and now it's time for the rubber to hit the road. As you can see, I have everything laid out for the early morning wake up call. The reason my numbers aren't pinned on my shirt is because I'm still waffling on my choice of layers. The forecast is calling for 33 degrees and clear at start time, with temps rising to about 40 at noon. Chilly! Do I go with a ski hat or a baseball hat? Wear the old sweatshirt I brought and discard it at mile 2? How strong will the wind be? Do I throw a garbage bag on? This will all come down to a game-time decision.

I've signed up for the 3:55 pace group to ensure that I don't go out too fast, which I've been guilty of in the past. Besides, if I'm not constantly checking my watch, I can enjoy the scenery and the experience.

If any of you are running the Long Beach Marathon tomorrow, look for our own Stacy Embretson. She was in the Expo at the LA Marathon booth and will be running the event as well.

Russ and I had another enjoyable day in the Chicago Expo meeting participants from all over the world, but it was exhausting. So I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.

I'll report back after the race.

Peter

Faces of Chicago

2009-10-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

I spent the entire day in our booth at the Chicago Expo meeting marathoners from all over the world. It was so interesting that I felt compelled to shoot photos of some of the runners I met. It was a virtual UN of running, with so many countries represented. This is but a small sampling of my new international friends.

Peter

Lisa Hernandez

San Antonio, TX

Lisa used to live in LA, and she's running to raise money for Livestrong.

Kionari Yoshida

Yokohama, Japan

Ken is studying to be a teacher and ran LA 4 years ago.

Glenda Anderson

Luke Marshall

Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

They both work in the finance industry and run together.

Booth 689!

Colin & Kristin Cooley

Hermosa Beach, CA

Both aiming to run sub-3:20 in Chicago.

Bakhtar Lahcen, 42

Chahid Basidi, 63

From Morocco

Bakhtar has run the legendary Marathon des Sables, and they travel the world running marathons.

Benedicte Toto, 29

Cecile Canuel, 35

Paris, France

They are next door to us in the Expo working at the Paris Marathon booth.

Jay Madhure, 61

Northridge, CA

He's run 20 consecutive LA Marathons.

Athit Thongphithak, 52

Prayut Thongphithak, 48

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Running Chicago for the first time.

Neal Glynn, 75

Chicago, IL

About to run his 37th marathon.

Jesus Nieto

Pablo Ceron

Mexico City, Mexico

Pablo is a former elite runner with PRs of 28:20 in the 10K and 13:44 in the 5K.

Rohit Vasa, 62

Chicago, IL

This will be his 55th marathon.

Charles Sayles, 72

Glendale, CA

After Sunday's race, Charles will have run at least 2 marathons in each of 50 states.

Bill Orr

Bartow, FL

Bill is the elite coordinator for the LA Marathon, among other events.

Melissa Kaul

Anmaree Rodibaugh

Chicago, IL

They both want to move to LA!

Who's with me in Chicago?

2009-10-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

I've arrived safely at the Hilton Hotel here on Michigan Avenue. As the official host hotel of the Chicago Marathon, there's a lot of activity here: The Nike pop-up store in the lobby, daily warm-up runs, a travel desk and the Marathon logo all over the place (even on the room keys--nice branding!). It feels like race central, and it is. Ran into Kenyan elite runner Vincent Kirpruto in the lobby tonight, along with Miriam, his agent. She says he's fit and ready. That's saying something, considering he's run 2:05:47. It's also worth noting that Wesley Korir, our 2009 LA Marathon champion, is racing here. I have to say that I'll be rooting for him, if it's possible to do that while I'm out huffing and puffing at my 9:00 pace!

Will be up first thing in the am for a warm-up run, then it's off to the Expo at McCormick Place. If any of you are here, please come visit us at BOOTH 689. I'll be there both days, and Russ will be joining me on Saturday.

Peter

Pete Carroll invites us to practice

2009-10-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

From one legend to another: Pete and our own Rod Dixon

Pete took time to pose with the LA Roadrunners pace leaders

Today our SRLA leaders and LA Roadrunners pace leaders got a special treat. USC Coach Pete Carroll invited us down to watch him run practice at Howard Jones Field on campus. After that, Coach spent almost an hour mentoring our leaders. It was a fascinating afternoon, and Coach shared with us many of his secrets of success. He's distilled his vast experience down to some very practical bits of wisdom. My particular favorite was this question that he asked of the leaders in attendance: "How many of you have a philosophy that you can explain in 25 words or less to your runners?" That's just great advice. His philosophy at 'SC? "Always compete." Coach also talked extensively about the importance of a winning attitude, and he took time to answer questions and sign autographs afterwards. We'll soon post a video of his talk so you'll be able to learn more about his Win Forever philosophy. And look for more great things coming from our friendship with Coach Pete in the coming months.

Peter

New Performance visits Roadrunners

2009-10-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

Matt Mahowald of New Performance Nutrition is getting me up to speed for next Sunday's Chicago Marathon. He will also be visiting our Roadrunners training program on a regular basis. On Saturday Matt stopped by to give us "Marathon nutrition 101." As someone who's been following his program since the middle of June, I can vouch for the benefits of his knowledge. For instance, in that time, my body fat has dropped from 23% down to 12.5%, I've lost 14 pounds, and my cholesterol is down 20%. It's been so educational, and without the annoyance of some draconian diet. The program is really about making smart choices and paying attention to what one eats. Many of us go out of our way to follow a detailed training program for our runs, so why wouldn't we do the same thing for what we're eating? It's like a nutrition road map. I've kept a log detailing every single meal I've eaten since June. With blood tests every two weeks, Matt is able to dial in a program that really works. I highly recommend getting in touch with Matt if you're at all interested in getting a nutrition point of view while you're training.

Peter

Malibu recap

2009-10-04T21:49:00.001-07:00

Last weekend's Malibu Xterra Trailrun was as much fun as I've had in years at a running event. This photo shows my colleagues Russ Pillar and Stacy Embretson along with myself and our crack pitcrew. Stacy posted a smoking fast time of 1 hour 41 minutes for the 18K route. Good for 7th overall and first place in her age group. Well done! And thanks to Brennan Lindner for putting on such an enjoyable race.

Peter

Sunday in Malibu

2009-09-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

How many of you are into trail running? We love it, too, and Sunday some of us from the office will be out in Malibu running the Xterra Pt Mugu Trail Run. Having run parts of this trail, I can tell you that the scenery is spectacular. And they've got both 18K and 11K options. Why not come join us and mix up your training a little bit? There's not better way to try out this sport than at a fun event like this. See you there!

Peter

Our new bigscreen TV

2009-09-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

At Dodger games this season, I've often wondered what it would feel like to have a fun LA Marathon video playing on the big screen in left field. Well, I need not wonder any more. Thanks to our friends in Chavez Ravine, we're now represented at the Stadium. The course video is now playing live during games for all 50,000 spectators to see. Love the great energy when it comes on. Here are some photos from last Monday's game against Pittsburgh. Bert Whitson, the runner in the video, is our new Marathon celebrity!

Peter

How to shoot a course video

2009-09-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Gallo following Bert in Santa Monica. He's riding a skateboard, which went under the fence and nearly over the cliff at one point.

In front of the Troubador on Santa Monica Blvd.

Pat getting a shot of Bert on Hollywood Blvd.

This shot is a no-brainer.

"OK, Bert, just follow the yellow line in the middle of the road, and I'll scream at you if you're about to get hit by a speeding car."

I hope you've had a chance to see our video highlighting the new stadium to sea route. I'm proud of how it turned out, and it successfully captures the energy and spirit of the 2010 LA Marathon.

Here's how the project came together, in 10 not-so-easy steps:

1. Meet with race director Nick Curl and director of operations Stacy Embretson. They suggest some sort of video highlighting the new course. Great idea, I tell them. Inside I'm thinking, "I have NO IDEA what the concept of the piece should be." But my wheels are turning.

2. One week to go, and still no concept. But I meet with my friend Pat Solomon of Newhouse Films. He has some great ideas that we cover over breakfast, like the visual of the single runner heading down the middle of the route at 6:00 in the morning. I'm getting close, but I still need that conceptual framework to plug into.

3. Pat calls. Bad news. He's been booked to shoot a commercial, but he recommends his friend Chris Gallo to help. I call Gallo (most people don't even know he has a first name) and he's available. And he has an editor who can cut the piece. We're getting closer.

4. Now it's Thursday, and we're shooting on Sunday at 6:00 am, when the streets are completely empty and the light is beautiful. Still no overall concept. Just a runner in the streets won't cut it--not interesting enough. Stressing about it. Only four days to pull it together!

5. Another problem--I need just the right runner. Someone with a great stride. How to find that person? Of course, I call Eric Barron, coach of Track Club LA. He's out of town but recommends Bert Whitson. I find Bert's website and send him an email. Even though Bert is a successful investment professional, he agrees to devote his Sunday morning to running with us. I see his photos and recognize him immediately as the guy who consistently blows past me and many others in the track workouts at Santa Monica High. In fact, I've only ever seen him from the back.

6. I decide it's time to call my lifeline and get help on the concept issue. I get in touch with two longtime friends who are creative directors and brief them on the video. By the way, I ask, can you get me some ideas tomorrow? After some nervous laughter, they insist that it's not a problem and they'll come up with the goods. These guys always deliver, but I feel bad about waiting until the last minute and then pressing them to come up with something overnight.

7. It's now Saturday morning. The crew is locked, we've identified the locations we want to cover, but still no concept. Just a runner and the route. Is this all going to fall apart? Should I live with something simple and not overthink it? I can't push the shoot back any further because the website and registration are going up in a week. Our backs are already against the wall.

8. Saturday night. Making dinner for the family. My creative director friends call, "We've got an idea!" They propose the tagline, "A Landmark Every Mile." I immediately like it. Then they talk about structuring the video with some archival footage to emphasize the "Landmark" status of different parts of the course. They also talk about the "Mile 1" graphic, etc. So perfect. Exactly what I needed. We still will shoot Bert in the streets, but now we have a framework.

9. Sunday morning 6:00 am. Meet at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Still a little dark, but we start shooting. Pat rallies and joins us with his camera. We rip through the shots: Stars on sidewalk, Pat and Gallo shooting from skateboards beside Bert, Mann's Chinese Theater, Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive, back to Dodger Stadium and finally out to Santa Monica. A whirlwind, but we get a lot of good stuff. We somehow manage not to get arrested for skateboarding down the middle of all these streets.

10. The edit comes together nicely with great graphics supplied by the creative directors. Working even better than I had expected. We get it posted to Youtube barely 24 hours before registration opens. Whew!

Battle of the Network Stars 1978

2009-09-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Now and then someone will send me a Youtube clip that is just too good to pass up. My longtime friend Tim Stapleton in New Jersey just forwarded me this segment from the Battle of the Network Stars Running Relay in 1978. A celebrity mile relay. Priceless! How about Lou Ferrigno handing off the baton to Valerie Bertinelli? Or David Letterman on the opening leg? Or Billy Crystal going toe-to-toe with LeVar Burton on the anchor leg? And Howard Cosell is calling the race. Why can't we do this kind of thing anymore? Would stars show up for this? So entertaining.

Peter

Roadrunners are go!

2009-09-12T16:31:00.001-07:00

Our 2010 LA Roadrunners program launched this morning in Venice. Wow! How about 750 runners there? That included the 85 Pace Leaders--wearing the orange shirts in the photos--and a huge crowd of people ready to change their lives by training for and completing the LA Marathon. If you were there, you saw what a terrific program this is. From the dedicated Pace Leaders to the sweet technical shirts to the electric group energy. This is a great way to get ready for next March. It's not too late to join the movement, so feel free to come on down to Westminster School in Venice next Saturday at 7:00 am. See you there!

Peter

LA Roadrunners - Training Begins This Saturday, 9/12

2009-09-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Join our official LA Marathon Training Program

Who says running isn't a team sport? Join the official training program of the LA Marathon and you'll never run alone. Join legendary runner Rod Dixon every Saturday for 26 weeks and we'll provide the coaching, expertise and enthusiasm to get from the couch to the finish line.

LA Roadrunners boast a phenomenal race day finisher's rate of 99%, and it offers both veterans and novices a chance to connect with fellow runners, train with a pace leader, receive expert tips on nutrition and technique, and take advantage of numerous race-day perks. Become an LA Roadrunner today and get the most out of your marathon experience.

LA Roadrunners meets at Westminster Avenue Elementary School in Venice, California. The 2009-2010 Training Program will begin on Saturday, September 12. Online registration is now open.

You can also register in person on Saturday. The LA Roadrunners registration process will began at 6:30 a.m. The sooner you get there to complete your registration process and pick-up your shirt, the sooner we can start the morning training activites. Come prepared to run as we will be doing a 3 mile training session.

LA Roadrunner Training Location
Westminster Avenue Elementary School
1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291

For more info about the LA Roadrunners, visit our website, http://www.laroadrunners.com/.

Hope to see you all tomorrow morning!
Stacy

Find a training partner at joggingbuddy.com

2009-09-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

The LA Marathon is pleased to introduce you to http://www.joggingbuddy.com/ a FREE social network website dedicated to runners and joggers. We recognize that training can be hard and in particular its very difficult to remain motivated, so why don’t you find someone to train with? It takes only a matter of minutes to sign up and it won’t cost you anything. The website caters for people of all ages and all running abilities – from power walkers to endurance athletes, you can find a buddy to suit you.

Visit http://www.joggingbuddy.com/

Running into friends on San Vicente

2009-09-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about running on San Vicente in Santa Monica is who you "run into". For instance, this morning you might have seen Dodger owner Frank McCourt out running with team doctor Neal Elattrache and McCourt Group executive Howard Sunkin. Love that the owner of the LA Marathon is out putting in miles with his team.

Peter

Bike Tour update

2009-08-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends of the LA Bike Tour: In an effort to ensure a world-class experience, we've decided that the 2010 LA Bike Tour will not be held Marathon morning, as it historically has been. We'll share further details once they're available and look forward to hosting a great bike event later next year.

Russ Pillar

Grassroots endurance

2009-08-31T18:51:00.001-07:00

I had the privilege this weekend to take part in the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race. Not as a participant, but as a crew member for my brother, John. This race has all the qualities of a great endurance event: committed and enthusiastic participants, an infectious spirit of fun, and a hard, hard test of personal fortitude. How about 32 miles on a paddleboard from Catalina to Manhattan Beach? The winner, Tyler Anderson, finished in just over 5 hours. Amazing. But even cooler, for me, was the pre-race competitor's "meeting," which was in fact a low key beach barbecue with a cooler full of beer. Most of us slept on our chase boats the night before the race. When all of the competitors paddled into the beach at 5 am before the start, there was a huge bonfire burning to keep everyone warm. At the finish line, a large crowd was cheering on all the paddlers as the exited the water next to the Manhattan Beach Pier. My brother had an impressive race, and all five of us on the chase boat had one of the most enjoyable weekends we could remember.

Peter

Tonight's the night

2009-08-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

That's right, registration for the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon opens tonight at midnight. By now you probably know all about the new date--March 21st, 2010--and the new Stadium to Sea course. All that's left is to swing by our new-look website and register. While you're there, check out the video we just completed, which is a lot of fun.

Once you're there, you'll see that we've arranged a delicious menu of main dishes:

• Los Angeles Marathon

• Roadrunners training program

• Marathon + Roadrunners together

• New Performance Nutrition 5K--Our 5K is now on Saturday, March 20th, so you can run it as a warm-up and then run the LA Marathon the next day. Also, you'll be able to run the 5K and pick up your Marathon number at the same time and place. How convenient is that?

• Marathon + 5K together

• Win Forever Dinner with Pete Carroll--You heard that right: Pete himself will be presiding over what used to be the carbo load dinner. Now it's dinner plus a pep talk from the Man. A custom pre-marathon fire-up just for our runners. This will be a do-not miss event, and it takes place Saturday evening, March 20th.

Choose to participate in any or all of these great events. I can give you the inside tip that we're putting a lot of time and effort into making each and every one of these events better than they've ever been before.

Peter

Now open for comments

2009-08-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

We've at last enabled the comment feature of this blog. Because we want to build a community around the LA Marathon, it's important that all of you have a voice. Ideally, our relationship is a conversation, not a one-way monologue. If you feel strongly one way or another about any of our posts, please let us know. The more you, our readers, participate, the more valuable the blog becomes.

Peter

Pace Leader orientation

2009-08-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

Getting the scoop on this year's Roadrunners program.

"...and then you'll actually run down Rodeo Drive!"

Salya Mohamedy, Gary Deitsch and Rod Dixon

It's that time of year again. That's right--you see the LA Marathon off on the horizon, and you realize it's time to get off the couch and get on a program. What to do? How about our Roadrunners training program? Last weekend was the orientation for the 75 pace leaders that will guide our 1,500 runners along their journey to race day. It was a day for all of us to reconnect in advance of the program, and to get updated on all of the exciting changes taking place around the LA Marathon. There were some new faces in the crowd, but many of our leaders have known each other, and run together, for years. While introducing ourselves, we each had to say something about ourselves that none of the leaders had heard before. There were some winners! How about "I'm a wild animal trainer." Or, "I'm wearing compression shorts under these sweats."

In any case, it was a terrific morning, graciously hosted by Gary, Salya and Rod at the Del Rey Yacht Club. Race Director Nick Curl spoke about the exciting new course that will travel through many of the icons of Los Angeles. I was there to discuss our marketing direction, and our own Community Relations Director Ginger Williams was there as a Pace Leader. We're really excited to have her as part of the Roadrunners program.

The first Roadrunners training day will be Saturday, September 12th, and we hope to see you out there. Details will be posted soon on our website, and you can sign up for the program starting September 1st.

Peter

Marathon article in the New York Times

2009-08-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

I found this article interesting, and somewhat counter-intuitive. Do you have an opinion on this? Are your knees better off from all of your running...or worse?

An article in Skeletal Radiology, a well-respected journal, created something of a sensation in Europe last year. It reported that researchers from Danube Hospital in Austria examined the knees of marathon runners using M.R.I. imaging, before and after the 1997 Vienna marathon. Ten years later, they scanned the same runners’ knees again. The results were striking. “No major new internal damage in the knee joints of marathon runners was found after a 10-year interval,” the researchers reported. Only one of the participants had a knee that was truly a mess, and he’d quit running before the 1997 marathon (but had been included in that study anyway). His 1997 knee M.R.I. revealed cartilage lesions, swelling and other abnormalities. In the years that followed, the knee became worse, showing augmented tissue damage and more serious lesions. His exam prompted the researchers to wonder whether he would have been better off persisting as a runner, because, as they speculate, “continuous exercise is protective, rather than destructive,” to knees. MORE...

Peter

The Dipsea Trail

2009-08-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Thousands of steps to climb, and we've barely started.

Shouldn't every running trail have signage this good?

We didn't see another runner during the entire journey.

Mostly I was hanging on for dear life trying to keep up with Steve.

Note that Steve hasn't even broken a sweat after 1,500 feet of climbing!

Warning: I brake for banana slugs

Descending down to Stinson Beach, just before ducking off the road for one of the secret short cuts, which are entirely legal in the race.

It might look like Runner's High, but actually I'm just thrilled that I get to ride home in the front seat of a car!

While on vacation in Marin County this summer, I had the good fortune to get a guided tour of the Dipsea Trail from my friend Steve Romjue. If you're not familiar with this famous route, it's the home of the Boston Marathon of trail runs, the Dipsea Race. Next year will mark the 100th running of that event, and I can tell you after running the trail, I'm going to do whatever I can to get one of the coveted 1,500 slots in the race.

The trail leaves right from the middle of Mill Valley and travels about 7.5 miles over the shoulder of Mt Tamalpais, ending at Stinson Beach. It features many, many flights of steps, crazy "insider" short cuts, treacherous descents and mind-blowing scenery. I was sweating profusely trying to keep up with my uber-fit friend Steve, but still managed to snap a few photos during our journey. Next time you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend making time for this run.

Peter

Pete Carroll rocking our gear

2009-08-14T16:52:00.001-07:00

All of us here at Marathon HQ are huge fans of Pete Carroll and the good work he's doing in LA. So you can imagine how psyched we were to get this photo of Pete during a post-practice meeting the other night.

LA Marathon in the Wall Street Journal

2009-08-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Saw this in today's Wall Street Journal. We're excited that people far and wide are taking notice of our Stadium to Sea route.

Peter

How to make a great smoothie

2009-08-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

As I train for the Chicago Marathon, I'm working with nutritionist Matt Mahowald of New Performance Nutrition. Following his program has been enlightening. I'm learning, and losing, a lot. Something like a pound per week. And my runs are that much easier. One of the most useful things Matt has turned me onto is his excellent Whey Protein Powder. Almost daily I'm rocking a low-calorie, high-protein smoothie. It goes like this:

Empty a glass full of ice into the blender

Follow that with two scoops New Performance Nutrition chocolate protein powder

Add a banana, and then a glass of water

Finish with a tablespoon of either almond butter or peanut butter

Blend away

Just the ticket as part of breakfast, a late afternoon snack or even as a late night protein boost.

Try it!

Peter

Santa Monica--here we come!

2009-07-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last night the Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously to allow the Los Angeles Marathon to run through their city on March 21st, while instructing city staff to work on the details with us. This is a huge and important moment for our Marathon, and we have our passionate supporters to thank for it. A route starting at Dodger Stadium, traveling through Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica can truly lay claim to highlighting the icons of LA. And all of you who signed petitions, made phone calls and spoke on our behalf can take pride of ownership in what will be one of the world's great marathons.

Last night in the meeting there was a virtual parade of marathon friends and family there to speak on our behalf--SRLA runners, Charities, Legacy Runners, residents, local track coaches, and the list goes on. It was a very inspiring evening. As a result of doing the community outreach to get the Stadium to Sea course done, we now feel more deeply connected to the Los Angeles community than ever before. It's exciting to know how many people in the region are already excited about the 2010 LA Marathon.

Now we face the task of actually planning and executing the event. As Frank McCourt said last night, "The devil is in the details." That job starts now, and we know we have to put on a race that lives up to this great course. Thank you all again for your support, and stay tuned for details about participating in the 25th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Marathon.

Peter

Santa Monica needs to hear you!

2009-07-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

We’re almost exactly where we want to be with this great (and soon to be greater!) race. The Los Angeles Marathon will take place on Sunday, March 21st, 2010 on a Stadium-to-Sea course. This route will highlight the icons of Los Angeles, and we'd like to include Santa Monica on that list. This Tuesday, July 28th the Santa Monica City Council will vote on whether to allow the Los Angeles Marathon to run through Santa Monica. Would you please sign this petition urging the Santa Monica City Council to give their thumbs up to that concept? Santa Monica will be an important and great part of the new LA Marathon, and you can help us get there!

It's Official! The LA Marathon is back to a Sunday in March.

2009-07-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

The vote is in and the date change has been approved. We are excited to announce the the LA Marathon will next be run on Sunday, March 21, 2010. We had an amazing show of support by past participants, Legacy Runners, Students Run LA, charities, community members and clergy at today's LA City Council meeting. Thanks to all of you who have worked so hard to make this happen.

We look forward to seeing you all in March!

Stacy

LA Marathon President, Russ Pillar at the LA City Council Meeting

LA Marathon in the news

2009-07-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

We are getting some great coverage in the press today. Check out the supportive editorial in today's LA Times as well as an article by Students Run LA's, Michelle Fleenor in the LA Daily News. Keep those positive thoughts coming!

Stacy

Today's the Big Day! LA City Council to vote on LA Marathon date change today

2009-07-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's an exciting day here in the LA Marathon office. The LA City Council will be voting on moving the marathon back to a Sunday in March. Many of you are probably heading down to City Hall right now to show your support of the date change. For those of you who cannot get downtown today, you can watch the City Council meeting online HERE. We are thankful to all of you runners, charities, volunteers, students, and many more who are out there supporting us. Keep your fingers crossed and we hope to have good news for you soon!

Stacy

2010 Los Angeles Marathon - LA City Council to vote on date change

2009-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

As many of you may have heard a motion to move the date of the LA Marathon from 2010 and beyond back to a Sunday in March will be voted on by the Los Angeles City Council this Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 10:00am. This is the day we've been waiting for, the culmination of months of hard work by a variety of constituencies-runners, non-profits, volunteers, students, select clergy, and race management, among many others.
There's nothing that will make our case more strongly than the presence of as many of you as possible, with those of you who are so inclined speaking in favor of the motion. If there's any way you can join us, please do, and come dressed in your medals, your Marathon hats, and Marathon t-shirts-anything that identifies you as someone who supports our cause.
Again, it's this Tuesday, July 21st at Los Angeles City Hall:

Los Angeles City Hall
John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90012
Map/Driving Directions

Thank you for your support. See you Tuesday and on the road!
Russ Pillar, President
The Los Angeles Marathon

2009 LA Marathon Finishers' Certificates Now Available

2009-07-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Congratulations runners and thank you for a successful 2009 Los Angeles Marathon! For the first time ever, runners will be able to download their finishers' certificates. Suitable for framing, this certificate commemorates the runner's official results and preserves the data for a lifetime of memories.

Use the link below to view and print your Official LA Marathon Finisher's Certificate.

LA Marathon Finisher Certificate

Track Club LA

2009-07-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I find that putting in the long miles on my own can sometimes feel lonely and even boring. So what could be better than a group running workout? You can find me Tuesday evenings at Santa Monica High School for the Track Club LA track sessions. These are fun and social events where you'll push yourself much harder than you would on your own. Any runner, no matter how fast or slow, can benefit from some speed work. Coach Eric Barron handles everything, so you only need show up with your shorts and shoes. He has the workout divided into 3-4 groups in order to suit different paces. I've been doing repeat 400s at a 5K pace. The faster group is doing 800s, 1200s and 1600s, but the workouts change every week. It's a great way to get in better shape and have a good time while you're at it.

Peter

Tri-what?

2009-07-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Blood test results from the last 4 sessions.

This is how Matt breaks down the meals

"Your triglycerides are going up. That's a problem." So said Matt Mahowald, my nutrition guru. The fact is that the numbers don't lie. While working with New Performance Nutrition and training for the Chicago Marathon, I'm doing weekly visits with Matt. We review my nutrition journal, test my blood and measure bodyfat. All of my blood test numbers are going in the right direction except my triglycerides. So what are triglycerides and why do they matter? In fact they are the chemical form in which most fat exists in the body. They are derived from excess carbohydrates that your body can't process. So, if you eat too many carbs, and your system can't handle them, the biproduct is too many triglycerides. That's my problem--too many carbs, particularly late in the day.

One issue is that I've been under the mistaken impression that beans are a protein. While they do contain protein, they're also full of carbs. So some type of veggie-friendly dinner with beans that sounds healthy has way too many carbs to be eaten late in the day. "Stick with a big piece of salmon and some vegetables for dinner, then do a protein smoothie later in the evening if you get hungry" is the advice I get from Matt. So I'm starting to get the system dialed in. The only problem is that my colleague Russ Pillar now calls me the "Bean Hater."

Peter

July 4th plans?

2009-07-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

All of us here at Marathon HQ extend our best wishes for your Independence Day celebrations, wherever they may take place. I'll be running the Will Rogers 10K in Pacific Palisades tomorrow, before heading out for an afternoon of barbecuing and fireworks. This event has always been one of my favorite local runs, and one of the most difficult. But you'd be hard pressed to find a run that is more a part of its community than this one is. I hope to see some of you out there on the course. Happy 4th of July!

Peter

New Performance Nutrition visit #1

2009-07-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

I had visited Matt Mahowald of New Performance Nutrition several times before, but never as a client. Getting to see him in action gave me a whole new appreciation for what he does. On the first visit, he starts by taking a bunch of measurements--weight, body fat and of course a blood test. He quickly develops a baseline so we have a starting point for the program. My cholesterol looks a little high and my weight...well, don't ask. But I have 3 months to whip myself into shape. A key part of Matt's program is the nutrition journal, where I'll be writing down every single thing that I eat. Matt gives me some rough guidelines to follow, and then he'll get into the specifics of my program as we move forward.

There's a lot to learn, but a key point is to keep one's blood sugar consistent throughout the day. When I ask what the ideal late-morning snack is, he replies, "12 almonds and a piece of fruit." OK, I'm learning things already. Sounds easy enough. The journaling process is interesting, because it forces you to consider everything you eat. Everything. If you have to write down something like "plate of fries" you feel like a complete chump. "Burger and a beer"...ouch. It's like a daily affirmation. So I'm now thinking more before ordering, and trying to keep the almonds and fruit nearby at all times. More learnings in the weeks and months ahead.

Peter

Chicago bound

2009-06-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm now registered for the Chicago Marathon in October. Not having run a marathon since the '90s, I felt it was time to make running part of my job description. Although I'm in terrible running shape, I have the advice of friends and experts here at Marathon HQ to get me through the training process. To start with, I decided to get my nutritional house in order by consulting with Matt Mahowald at New Performance Nutrition. He designs custom nutrition plans and also has a line of pharmaceutical-grade supplements. I've recently started a comprehensive program with Matt, and I'll give you updates throughout my training, and I look forward to sharing some of Matt's expertise with you.

Peter

Onwards

2009-06-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering what happened to the folks who were posting 5 days per week until a month ago. Although it may appear that we've gone underground, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we've been working as hard as ever laying the groundwork for next year's Los Angeles Marathon. As many of you know, we are focused on creating the best LA Marathon ever, and that means moving the date to a Sunday in March. Add to that our desire to design a course that highlights the best of our city, and you have the makings of a very busy June. This process has taken us all over Los Angeles to engage with the community in very constructive ways. Stay tuned for all of the details about next year's event as soon as we have them.

In addition, I'm signed up for the Chicago Marathon in October, and I'll be blogging regularly about my training process. I'm working with Matt Mahowald of New Performance Nutrition on a comprehensive plan, which is both interesting and fun. I look forward to sharing the process with you.

Peter

Yes, We're Proud of This

2009-06-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

If you recall, we set out early on in the process to create a more sustainable LA Marathon. Aside from all of the obvious reasons to do this, one of our goals was to attain certification from the Council for Responsible Sport. We're happy to report that we've now officially made the grade. The certification works like the LEED system for buildings, and we were rated in 6 major categories: waste, climate, equipment & materials, community & outreach, health promotion and innovation. With great input from advisor Bruce Rayner, as well as a lot of work from our staff, we earned a total of 26 points on the checklist. We got credit for things like getting rid of 50,000 plastic goody bags (innovation), our extensive work with local non-profit charities (community & outreach) and creating less than 2 pounds of landfill waste per participant (waste). We are, in fact, the first major-city marathon to achieve ReSport certification. All running events should think seriously about undertaking this process. While we significantly decreased the impact of the LA Marathon, the experience encouraged us to build a stronger relationship with our community based on a shared belief system of doing well by doing good. And isn't that what it's all about?

Peter

2009 LA Marathon Video

2009-06-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

If you've been following our Youtube channel over the last 6 months, then you've seen many of Chad Mann's great video segments. We turned Chad loose on race day with his camera, and he came back with this piece documenting life along the route. I was landlocked in the start/finish area all day, and I wasn't able to catch these great marathon moments. Thanks to Chad, you can now relive May 25, 2009.

Peter

2010 Los Angeles Marathon Date Change—Immediate Action Needed!

2009-06-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

Whether you ran it, walked it, volunteered for it, sponsored it, or cheered for it, I’d like to thank everyone who took part in last week’s 2009 Los Angeles Marathon. Though we faced a host of challenges – not the least of which was the Memorial Day date – we did it, together!

As we plan for next year’s Marathon, many of you have reached out to voice your support for moving the race back to a Sunday in March. We’ve heard you and we agree. Now, the Los Angeles City Council needs to hear from you.

The Council is set to vote on a proposal to return the marathon to its traditional March date; in fact, one of the Council’s committees already has endorsed the change. But we need your help to ensure that the full Council votes to adopt the measure. Please click on the link here to sign our petition telling our elected officials that the race date matters and that you want to see the Los Angeles Marathon held on a Sunday in March. Then forward this note to friends, family members, and anyone else you can think of who may wish to join our effort.

As always, we appreciate your support and thank you for your assistance. Working together, we’re confident in our ability to continue to build a world-class event that, true to our mission, inspires athletes and connects communities.

See you on the road!

Russ Pillar, President
The Los Angeles Marathon

The Marathon: A Runner's-eye-view

2009-05-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

How much do we love Steve Mackel from SoCalRunning? First of all, he gave standing-room-only presentations on the Whole Foods Market Stage at the Expo. Then he sent us this fantastic video that he shot while running the race. What a great idea. If you've never run the LA Marathon, and you want to know what's it's like, watch this.

Peter

Shadow Marathon at Camp Taji, Iraq

2009-05-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

You'd be hard pressed to find a better story at this year's LA Marathon than the 500 soldiers who simultaneously ran a marathon at Camp Taji in Iraq. We heard from Lt. Jeremy Arnett a few months ago, and we were able to ship out boxes of LA Marathon technical shirts, Clif Bars and a finish line banner that he hung from two Howitzers. Starting at 5 am to avoid the 113 degree temperatures, these brave men and women ran two laps of a 13.1-mile course. What an incredible way to commemorate Memorial Day. In the process, they raised $7,000 for the families of fallen soldiers in their brigade.

We salute the soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan who participated in the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon. Here's a slideshow that includes photos from both countries.

Peter

Who is Wesley Korir?

2009-05-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

Haven't heard of Wesley Korir, our Men's winner? He broke our course record today, won the Challenge and will fly back to his home in Louisville with a very big check in hand. He's got a very interesting background, which I learned about in this interview.

Peter

Images From the Marathon, Part IV

2009-05-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

Images From the Marathon, Part III

2009-05-25T22:05:00.001-07:00

Images From the Marathon, Part II

2009-05-25T22:01:00.001-07:00

Images From the Marathon, Part I

2009-05-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

Shadow Marathon in Progress

2009-05-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

Over 400 soldiers at Camp Taji in Iraq are taking part in a "shadow" LA Marathon today on their base, running 26.2 miles on the same day as our race. They're running early in the morning to avoid 113 degree daytime heat. There are also two soldiers running along with us in Afghanistan. We sent all of them Clif Bars, Bibs, medals, Official LA Marathon participant shirts and a finish line banner. We're really proud that these brave men and women have chosen to join our event as a way to honor their fallen comrades. Lt Donald Dyer in Afghanistan just sent us an email letting us know that their two soldiers have finished their marathon. Here's the photographic proof. Congratulations to the first two finishers of the LA Marathon!

Peter

I Pledge Allegiance

2009-05-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

If you had a chance to stop by our Green Booth at the Expo, you may have seen our Eco Pledge. 200 people signed the pledge and got a nifty special green "LA" stamp on their race bib. We hope you made the pledge and had a chance to meet our green consultant Bruce Rayner from FitPlanet.

Peter

Dean Karnazes Finishes his Journey to LA

2009-05-24T15:36:00.001-07:00

About an hour ago, Dean Karnazes finished his 100-mile run to LA from Santa Barbara. He did the run non-stop, and he finished right into the middle of our Expo in front of thousands of people. Dean then jumped up on stage and spoke to a huge crowd about his 24-hour journey. And he's now signing autographs. What a guy! Then he'll get up in the morning and run the LA Marathon with 17,000 of his closest friends.

Peter

Marathon Legends at the Expo

2009-05-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

How great is this? Marathon luminaries Ed Eyestone, Nancy Ditz and Rod Dixon just stopped by our office at the Expo. Nancy won the first two LA Marathons, and all three were here for our press conference today.

Peter

Karno on the road!

2009-05-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

As I write this Dean Karnazes is about 60 miles into his 100 mile non-stop run to the LA Marathon. He's been at it all night, on the way to our Expo from Santa Barbara. You've got two chances to see this inspirational figure: On the road this morning on PCH or at our Expo when he arrives around lunch time. If anyone is out in Malibu, be sure to honk and give him a thumbs up. If you're at our Expo this afternoon, you'll see Dean finish his run right into the middle of the Convention Center. How cool is that? Go Dean Go!

Peter

Are you Ridesharing?

2009-05-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Why not? We've currently got 170 people signed up for our ridesharing program. Set up by Spaceshare, this great plan allows you to find riders and drivers in your neighborhood. Then you can arrange to carpool to the Expo, the Race or both. Make your day more fun, save money and help the planet all at the same time. We currently need more drivers, so you'll be particularly popular if you offer to drive.

Peter

Meet the Press

2009-05-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Tatyana Petrova

Nuta Olaru

Laban and Fred

Yours truly flanked by my new Kenyan friends

Today we hosted six of our elite athletes at a press conference here at the press center. With our press guru Rich Perelman performing the MC duties, our elite runners spent an hour giving us their take on this year's LA Marathon. Joining us from the Men's field were Laban Kipkemboi and Fred Mogaka from Kenya, and Tarika Jufar from Ethiopia. On the Women's side we had Tatyana Petrova and Lyubov Morgunova from Russia alongside Nuta Olaru from Romania. What struck me first was what a nice group of people they were. Some spoke with translators and some spoke English, but they all conveyed their sense of respect for this race. Fred and Laban went so far as to predict a course record if the weather was good! We also released the exact separation time for The Challenge, which this year will be 16:57. That's the time between the elite women's start and the men's start. I'm more excited than ever to watch our elite field battle it out on the streets of LA!

Peter

Game on!

2009-05-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Russell Barnett from Popchips

The Springfield Kids Corner

LA Dodgers pitching booth

Honda's new fuel cell Clarity

Rod Dixon at the Whole Foods Market Stage

The Expo is now open for business. I may be biased, but the joint is rocking! The Dodgers have a pitching booth, as well as former players signing autographs and their World Series trophy on display. The Whole Foods Market Stage is chock full of great speakers, and the Pop Chips Snack Shack is making its debut. Russ and I spent time this morning walking the floor, and we ran into many friends: Marathon commentator Toni Reavis, Bill Logee from Asics, SRLA Executive Director Michelle Fleenor, Brooke Donberg from Clif Bar, the nice folks from Springfield and many others. We are working hard to live up to our mission statement of inspiring athletes and connecting communities.

Peter

The Calm Before the Storm

2009-05-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here are your first shots of our set-up Expo. Just add participants! Please make it a point to say Hi to our Staff and Volunteers while you're here this weekend--they've worked VERY hard to make this event a reality. The space looks great, and we're confident you'll enjoy your visit to Run/Ex/09.

See you on the show floor!

Peter

Visit to Alexandria School with Ethiopian Elite athletes

2009-05-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

I was treated to a special experience today, and I wanted to share it with you. Three of our Ethiopian elite athletes, Mulugeta Wami, Rehima Kedir and Martha Markos, were kind enough to spend their afternoon with the students of Alexandria School, near Beverly and Vermont. The visit was arranged in conjunction with our Springfield KidsMarathon program, and all of the kids in attendance are currently part of that program. Rod Dixon was our master of ceremonies, and LA Marathon President Russ Pillar was there to speak to everyone as well. Our good friend Iyob from the LA Roadrunners served as the translator--there are 140 Ethiopian dialects! After leading the kids in some stretches, our guests from Africa led the students on several laps of the school yard. The afternoon ended with an autograph session, and it was a day the kids won't soon forget.

Peter

LA Marathon Photo Safari

2009-05-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

With 25,000 participants and 3 separate events, this year's LA Marathon is a tough assignment for a photographer. But it's also an exciting one. There are so many opportunities to capture the drama, excitement and community that make up the LA Marathon, it's almost overwhelming. To adequately cover all the stories happening on race day takes an enormous amount of preparation, and this week I'm spending a lot of time with our key photographer, Christopher Wray-McCann. I'll need photos for the press, for our own internal usage, and for all sorts of interactive stuff. Over lunch the other day Christopher and I discussed a general approach to the LA Marathon. We talked a lot about giving the race a point-of-view; imbuing our photography with a sense of purpose. We want to distill the essence of this particular event down to some expressive and compelling images. How can we capture our mission statement (inspiring athletes and connecting communities) in a picture? That's what I'm after.

Today, Christopher, his assistant Melissa and I spent a couple hours driving circles around the start/finish area scouting for the best camera angles. We also climbed onto the roof of a building to check out a soaring aerial perspective. We'll meet again on Sunday to do a final walk-through of our minute-by-minute plan for race day. Monday is going to be a very fun day, and if you see Christopher running around with a camera, feel free to give him a shout. Appreciate all the preparation that goes into getting great imagery. We'll show you the results next week.

Peter

ACURA LA Bike Tour Final Instructions are Posted!

2009-05-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

The final instructions are posted for the ACURA LA Bike Tour. Click here for answers to virtually all of your race day questions.

Julia

Runners High

2009-05-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago, before I ever knew I'd be working on the LA Marathon, my friend Glenn Bulycz at Apple Computer recommended a terrific film called Runners High. It tells the story of a group of high school kids from Oakland who trained for and ran the LA Marathon in 2005. The film is full of the kind of real-life stories I've witnessed with our own SRLA kids. I would urge any runner, or anyone who loves a good story, to see this film. As luck would have it, Justine Jacob, one of the directors of the film, has set up two Runners High screenings in Echo Park on Sunday afternoon. Both shows will benefit Students Run Oakland and Students Run LA. Why not pick up your stuff at the Expo Sunday and then make a short 15-minute trip to see this powerful film? I hope you can make this event and support two important organizations that are empowering youth and improving communities.

Runners High will be screening at the Echo Park Film Center on
Sunday, March 24th at 4pm and 6pm.

Peter

Great weather forecast

2009-05-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

When I was racing a lot, I would obsessively check weather forecasts well in advance of any event. And I still do. So I'm happy to report that Monday's forecast looks stellar: A low of 55 degrees and a high of 71. This means that most of you will spend the majority of your marathon running in temps somewhere in the 60's. That's great news, and now you can focus on running the great race you'd imagined.

I can't wait to see some shivering runners at the start!

Peter

Race Day Tracking

2009-05-20T23:43:00.001-07:00

Raise your hand if you want to follow someone who's running the LA Marathon. It could be one of our elites, or a good friend, or perhaps Uncle Jerry. Maybe you want to see how fast Dean Karnazes can run a marathon after having run 100 miles just to get to the race. Anyway, we have the tool for you, which is our race day tracking feature. You can sign up to get updates via text or email while runners are on the course. How cool is that? I hope many of you take advantage of this technology to follow family & friends while they complete their tour of LA on Monday.

Peter

Friend us, please...

2009-05-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

We started a Facebook page, and we're nearly at 1,000 friends. Let's get over that hump before race day. And it's not only because I like the sound of having 1,000 Facebook friends. The page is also a place where I'm increasingly answering questions about the LA Marathon. It's become a valuable forum for information about the race. So feel free to use it, share ideas, ask questions, or just hang out. See you there!

Peter

Last Minute Nutrition Tip from New Performance Nutrition

2009-05-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

The big day is almost here, and our friends at New Performance Nutrition want to give you some last minute tips for the race.

On Saturday, make sure you are drinking between 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight throughout the day. Spread out your water consumption evenly throughout day... this prevents frequent trips at night to the bathroom, which interrupts sleep. In addition to adequate hydration, you need a good night’s sleep. Try to get a solid 8 hours of sleep the few nights before your race. Combine your water intake with three main meals and three snacks. Your nutritional intake for the day should be broken down between 50-60% complex carbohydrates with the balance being divided equally between protein and fats. Snacks should be simple, like a serving of nuts (10 grams of fat) and a serving of fruit (20-25 grams of carbs). Keep your main meals balanced with half of your menu being carbs, 1/4 veggies and 1/4protein. Don't try to eat huge dinners loaded with carbs, as this creates too much waste.

read more

Elites in the house!

2009-05-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

In case you're not aware, we have quietly assembled a very solid elite field in both the Men's and Women's divisions of the LA Marathon. In fact, as I write this the runners are traveling in from all over the world. They're all competing for $250,000 in prize money, and once again we have the Challenge in place. That's where the elite women take off with a head start over the elite men. The men then start running with the full field and try to catch the women. The first runner--man or woman--to cross the line wins the $100,000 bonus. The Challenge creates a race within the race, and it adds tremendously to the excitement of the event. The men's field includes former 5000 meter world champion Benjamin LImo from Kenya as well as his compatriots Fred Mogaka and Moses Kororia. Among the women, the fastest time belongs to Romanian Nuta Olaro. And she'll be challenged by Russians Lyubov Morgunova and Tatiana Petrova. You can check out the full field here.

Peter

WIN exclusive prizes for the LA Marathon from L.A. LIVE!

2009-05-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

The LA Marathon 5K Run is starting at L.A. LIVE – Los Angeles’ new sports, entertainment and dining destination. Enter to WIN tickets to concerts, events and the GRAMMY Museum plus gift certificates for dining, bowling, and more! Click here to enter!

Dean Karnazes to Run 100 Miles BEFORE the Marathon!

2009-05-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Dean Karnazes will be running down to the LA Marathon Expo on Sunday, May 24 100 miles non-stop from Santa Barbara. And THEN he’s going to wake up on Monday and run the marathon with you guys! He’s an inspirational figure, for sure, and may be on hand at the Expo on Sunay afternoon to share share stories from his journey on the Whole Foods Market Stage. Check out the video we shot with him.

It's Twitter Time

2009-05-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you following us on Twitter, we’ll be posting a lot of updates over the next week. Julia Tock and I will both be Twittering from the Expo and live on race day. Please follow along with us. If you’ll be Twittering in parallel, then feel free to use the #lamarathon hashtag. In addition, Marty Church will be posting Acura LA Bike Tour updates, along with Sarah Gallagher from ThinkCure! In the meantime, here are some of our partners' Twitter accounts--follow them as well!

@lamarathon
@labiketour
@wholefoods
@ThinkCure
@popchips
@healthebay
@deankarnazes

Peter