By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
A 12-0 unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council yesterday paved
the way for the Los Angeles Marathon to move back to March for the 2010
edition, event organizers announced late yesterday.
Under new ownership this year after the event had been sold by
financially strapped Devine Sports, organizers had moved the event from
its traditional date on the first Sunday in March to Memorial Day
Monday on May 25. The date change was poorly received by the Los
Angeles running community, mostly over fears of hot weather. Although
temperatures remained reasonable on race day when a marine layer of
clouds hung over the city, race participation was way off from the
prior year. Marathon finishers dropped from 17,311 in 2008 to 14,128
this year.
The City Council also approved a new course for the race which organizers have dubbed "Stadium to the Sea."
The 2010 edition will be the 25th for the race, and it will be held on
Sunday, March 21. Registration will open on Sept. 1, organizers said,
at www.lamarathon.com.
The 2009 LA Marathon was won by Kenyan Wesley Korir in 2:08:24 and
Russian Tatyana Petrova in 2:25:59. Korir, a former University of
Louisville athlete, walked off $160,000 in prize money and time bonuses
plus a 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 sedan worth $28,705 after winning the
special "Challenge" bonus for overcoming a 16 minute and 57 second head
start given to the elite women.
