The 22nd Annual Los Angeles Marathon will take place on Sunday, March 4th.  This day-long event includes a bike tour, 5K run and 26-mile Marathon.  The Marathon itself consists of the following races: hand-crank wheelchairs, regular wheelchairs, elite athletes, and other runners/walkers.  In order to improve finishing times, pass through different communities and provide alternative vistas of the City, the route has been dramatically changed from previous years! The three routes are detailed at the end of this message.

Well before the start of the race, all event routes must be securely closed and vehicles parked on the route must be towed elsewhere, to ensure that no moving vehicles can collide with participants.  Parking may be prohibited on nearby streets to reduce traffic congestion.  All affected streets will be posted with temporary TOW AWAY parking prohibitions prior to the day of the event.  LADOT will aggressive enforce all temporary parking prohibitions, beginning at 1 am on Sunday.  Impounding of vehicles will begin no later than 2:00 am.  Typical costs for towed vehicles include $70 for the citation and between $150 and $185 to recover the vehicle from the towing company.

Street closures begin approximately at 3 am.  Some streets will remain closed until about 5 pm.  Freeway on-ramps not on the route will be open to assist drivers to exit the areas impacted by the event.  Freeway off-ramps that lead to the route will be closed to reduce traffic congestion in the area.  It is imperative that Angelenos review the route map and times of closures to confirm whether desired routes will be available, and to identify streets, which may be used to get to the far side of the race route.  In certain areas, it may be necessary to park a vehicle on the far side of the race course on Saturday and plan to walk across the route, when safe on Sunday.

The Bike Tour begins at 5:50 am at Figueroa and ML King.  It follows a generally counter-clockwise route, finishing at the Coliseum.  Since the Marathon route must be completely cleared before the first wheelchair competitor arrives, any bicyclist reaching selected locations after a specified time, will be diverted to a shortcut route.  The bicyclists are expected to complete their event by 9 am.

The 5-K run begins at 7:30 am in front of the Convention Center at 12th & Figueroa.  The end of that race is at the same location.  This event is expected to conclude at 9 am.

The hand-crank wheelchair race begins at 7:45 am, followed by regular wheelchairs at 7:50.  Elite runners are expected to begin at 8:17, followed by all other runners and walkers.

The new Marathon route starts at Cahuenga and Lankershim near Universal City, and ends in Downtown LA at 5th & Flower.  Note that this is a point-to-point route, rather than a large loop.  Cahuenga Boulevard will be closed to all vehicular traffic starting at 5 AM.  It will reopen at approximately 10 AM.  Residents of the Hollywood Hills, who normally use Cahuenga Boulevard to get to or from their homes, will be unable to use Cahuenga Boulevard during this time.  They will need to make alternate plans or stay home.  Freeway ramps in this area will be severely impacted.  Some Marathon participants will choose to park near the finish line in Downtown LA, while others will attempt to park near Universal City, so there is likely to be significant congestion at both locations.  The Metro Red Line will shuttle many participants to or from their cars.

Beginning Saturday evening, March 3rd, the area bounded by 3rd Street, Grand Avenue, 5th Street and Flower Street will be closed to install the Marathon Finish Line Stage.  Before and during the race, vehicular traffic cannot cross the route at any time.  Sweepers will begin cleaning the route after the last runner.  During the cleaning operation, traffic will be allowed to cross the route at the following 15 crossing points until the cleaning is completed and all traffic controls have been removed from the route, allowing the streets to be re-opened: Sunset & Vine; Santa Monica & Vine; 3rd & Rossmore; 6th & Western; Harvard & Wilshire; Normandie & Washington; Jefferson & Normandie; Adams & Grand; Figueroa & Washington; Figueroa & Pico; 11th & Broadway; Alameda & Olympic; Olympic & Santa Fe; 6th & Alameda; and 7th & Broadway.

Drivers within the area bounded by 3rd, Soto, 11th, and Figueroa are likely to experience problems entering and exiting due to the huge loops and backtracks of the race route.  Persons with unessential travel should avoid driving in all areas affected by the event.  The Hollywood, Harbor and Santa Monica freeways provide the best options for crossing the route.  The Metro Red Line may also be used.

Bike Route: Starts at Figueroa & M L King, east to Central, north to Jefferson, west to Main, north to Adams, west to Figueroa, north to 11th, east to San Pedro, north to Olympic, east to Boyle, north to Whittier, west to 6th, continue west to Central, north to 3rd, west to Los Angeles, south to 7th Street, west to Figueroa, north to 6th, west to Harvard, south to Olympic, east to Hoover, south to Pico, west to Vermont, south to Venice, east to Normandie, south to Exposition, east to Menlo, south to finish line at the Coliseum.  Bike Shortcut routes: A: north on Figueroa, west on Pico Bl, south on Alvarado, south on Hoover, west on Jefferson, south on Vermont, east on Exposition, south on Menlo to finish line at the Coliseum.  B: west on 6th, south on Alvarado, south on Hoover, west on Jefferson, south on Vermont, east on southside of Exposition, south on Menlo to finish line at the Coliseum.  C: west on Olympic, continue past Hoover to Alvarado, south on Hoover, west on Jefferson, south on Vermont, east on Exposition, south on Menlo to finish line at the Coliseum.  Streets closed exclusively for the Bike Route (see A, B & C above) are expected to be reopened by 10:30 am.

5K Route: Starts at 12th & Figueroa, north to 11th, east to San Pedro, north to Olympic, east to Central, south to 10th, west to Crocker, north to 10th, west to San Pedro, south to 11th, west to Figueroa St, south to finish line at Convention Center.  Central Avenue between Olympic and 10th, as well as Crocker and 10th Streets are expected to reopen by 10:00 am.

Marathon Route: Starts at Cahuenga and Lankershim, south to Highland, continue south to Hollywood, west to Vine, south to Rossmore, continue south to 6th, west to Harvard, south to Olympic, east to Hoover, south to Pico, west to Vermont, south to Venice, west to Normandie, south to 39th, east to Main, south to M K King, east to Central, north to Jefferson, west to Main, north to Adams, west to Figueroa, north to 11th, east to San Pedro, north to Olympic, east to Boyle, north to Whittier, west to 6th, continue west to Central, north to 3rd, west to Los Angeles, south to 7th Street, west to Flower, north to finish line at 5th.

LADOT is committed to reopening streets along the route as quickly as it is safe to do so.  We regret that we do not have sufficient staff resources available to provide individualized travel and parking information to concerned citizens.  The LA Marathon phone number is 310-444-5544.  They can answer most of your marathon related questions.  Please visit www.lamarathon.com for more information on the 2007 L.A. Marathon on the internet.  For questions regarding bus service, call 800-266-6883 or visit www.mta.net.