Honda LA Marathon Unveils 2011 Course: Stadium to the Sea 2.0

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's greatest marathon routes just got a little better. The 2011 Honda LA Marathon Presented by K-SWISS will once again start at Dodger Stadium and finish on Ocean Avenue, just steps from the Santa Monica Pier. Along the way, runners will pass all of the great landmarks of the 2010 race – along with a few new ones.

The 2010 Marathon featured the debut of the Stadium to the Sea course, which took runners through four cities and the federal VA property, and drew a sold-out field and hundreds of thousands of spectators. The newly revised course adds Chinatown's Dragon Gateway and the Little Tokyo Historic District to an already impressive list of landmarks that includes Los Angeles City Hall (mile 3), Grauman's Chinese Theater (mile 11), the Capitol Records Building (mile 11), Sunset Strip (mile 13) and Rodeo Drive (mile 17), among others.

"We believe this marathon course gives runners a unique opportunity to experience the best of Los Angeles," said LA MARATHON LLC Chief Operating Officer Nick Curl. "With the addition of Chinatown and Little Tokyo, the Stadium to the Sea course will show runners even more of what makes Los Angeles so great."

In making the announcement, race organizers unveiled a first-of-its-kind animated course video that takes viewers through the twists and turns of the newly updated Stadium to the Sea route. The two-minute video, available at www.lamarathon.com, provides an overhead look at some of race's grand icons and indicates elevation changes throughout the course.  

The new trips through the communities of Chinatown (mile 2) and Little Tokyo (mile 3) were made possible by a simple change at the starting line: In 2010, runners began with a loop around Dodger Stadium before heading out to city streets. But race organizers determined that a direct route from the stadium, without the loop, would facilitate both pre-race and starting-line logistics. In particular, traffic flow should be much better before the race.

In a slight change at the finish, runners will now end the race at California Avenue, three blocks north of the 2010 finish line, giving them additional post-race recovery space. Organizers plan further announcements about race-day logistics as the March 20, 2011 event draws near.

"While the 2010 Honda LA Marathon was a huge success, we believe in constant improvement," Curl said. "These changes are designed to make the runner experience even better, and to inspire even more of Los Angeles along the way."

Registration for the 2011 Honda LA Marathon is underway, and the race is expected to sell out. Runners are encouraged to sign up at www.lamarathon.com, where a full course map, list of landmarks and the animated course video may all be found.

ABOUT LA MARATHON LLC:

We inspire athletes and connect communities.  With thousands of volunteers, tens of thousands of participants, and hundreds of thousands of spectators, the Honda Los Angeles Marathon presented by K-SWISS is one of the largest organized road races in the world.

SOURCE LA MARATHON LLC