It’s the 36th Los Angeles Marathon on Nov. 7 and you want to experience in person the spectacle for once when more than 27,000 racers from across the United States and around the world take on the 26.2-mile course.
Maybe you promised to catch a glimpse of family or friends or wish to see the elite runners pounding the pavement somewhere along the course from Dodger Stadium to the new finish line in Century City.
It’s time to plan ahead on finding your sidewalk viewing spot.
Wherever you’re starting from, you probably don’t want to drive. Many streets and some freeway off-ramps surrounding the route will be closed beginning in the wee hours of the night. Plus, where to park will be tricky unless you’ve planned ahead.
Taking the Metro — the B Line (also known as the Red Line) from the San Fernando Valley, or the L Line (also known as the Gold Line) from the Pasadena area are two possibilites.
If you’ve never ridden any of the Metro lines, now is the time to study the schedules and plan where you want to be — and when.
The marathon begins at 6:30 a.m. with wheelchair and handcycle participants, followed by the elite women at 6:45, and at 6:55 a.m. the elite men and the full field .
The elite runners are fast, so you might want to calculate your street position by the 2020 winners finish times. Bayelign Teshager, from Ethiopia, was the men’s winner at 2 hours, 8 minutes and 25 seconds. Margaret Muriuki, from Kenya, also flew down the course with her women’s winning time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 27 seconds.
The maximum net race day finish time of 6 hours and 30 minutes is calculated by the time the last runner crosses the start line. The half-way point, around mile 13 of the course, is on the Sunset Strip, the eastbound gateway to the City of West Hollywood.
And just like for the runners, timing and preparation is everything when you take public transportation to view the marathon. Check this page Metro Rider’s Guide: www.metro.net/riding/guide/
In preparation for using any Metro lines on Sunday, you should purchase a TAP card in advance to save time on marathon day. A TAP card is an alternative way from paying cash for bus and train rides in the system. Currently, bus rides are free, but fares need to be paid to ride the rails.
Purchase a TAP card at a Metro station, at a vendor or online. Information on Metro fares and TAP cards here: www.metro.net/riding/fares/
Check Metro’s Saturday, Sunday and holiday schedule section online to see what time you want to arrive at a few easy-to-get-to areas. Make sure you scroll to the end of timetables for the weekend hours section, and also the schedule for the direction in which you want to go.
If you’re coming from the San Fernando Valley, you may want — or need — to take the G Line (formerly known as the Orange Line) from the closest Metro bus station near where you live to Metro’s North Hollywood station. Get off the bus and take the underground passageway to the B Line (also known as the Red Line) station. Check the schedule and map for the G Line (Orange) here: bit.ly/31gwxv6
A larger map of Metro’s system in the San Fernando Valley is here: bit.ly/2PSaRwC
The three closest station stops to get to the marathon route from North Hollywood station are Metro’s Hollywood/Highland, Hollywood/Vine and Hollywood/Western stations.
If you leave early enough, you can ride toward downtown Los Angeles to other stations, including Civic Center/Grand Park. Check the B and D Lines (Red and Purple Lines) schedule and map here: bit.ly/2IptYdk
If you’re coming from the Pasadena or East Los Angeles area, you may use Metro’s L Line (Gold Line) to get to Union Station in Los Angeles. From Union Station, you can catch Metro’s B Line (Red Line) for stops at Civic Center/Grand Park and other westbound stations that are near the marathon course. Check the L Line (Gold) schedule and map here: bit.ly/3cVoVSC
Other ideas to get to the course
Get the phone apps from the popular ridesharing services:
www.lyft.com/rider/cities/los-angeles-ca
www.uber.com/cities/los-angeles/
Useful websites for marathon information, dining and staying overnight along the course in various cities
