Thousands of smiling faces returned to Dodger Stadium on Sunday, March 20, for the 37th Los Angeles Marathon, which settled back into its usual March timing after two years of being jostled by the coronavirus pandemic.
The throngs came out to run, to compete, to finish, to achieve. And, perhaps more than ever this time, they came out to smile.
Athletes exchanged visible grins, high-fives and hugs with peers, the kind they hadn’t enjoyed since the socially distanced period arrived as pandemic crept into the region two years ago.
COVID cast a much smaller shadow over this race than during the delayed November event of last year. No, the outbreak isn’t over. Masks, hand sanitizer and other coronavirus-era necessities — still strongly recommended by organizers and public health officials — were still around, of course, though far less visible. The day definitely had a much more post-pandemic vibe to it.
“Overall, it feels very normal. But in our conversations with the state, they’ve always said that a marathon is a healthy outdoor activity, so I think we’re just all enjoying being involved with today,” race director Murphy Reinschreiber said in an interview Sunday.
Those same COVID concerns created the venue for an unrivaled accomplishment — pulling off a second major mega-marathon in a major metropolis on the citywide course in just four months.
“I don’t believe that any other major marathon has had a four month turnaround the way we did with our November race and today’s race,” Reinschreiber said. “It’s quite a feat to pull this off twice in four months, and it’s quite difficult and taxing on the team that manages this. So kudos to everybody involved.”
The day began early for the event’s 12,557 runners, a total matching last year’s showing. Jackets, garbage bags and aluminum foil, which draped the shoulders of participants to keep them warm during their pre-race routines, were all in demand during the dark, windy, 55-degree morning.
The attending masses marched like ants on their way to white tents, which offered a chance for runners to grab a bite to eat, finish registration or ensure their gear was ready for the 26.2 mile grind through Downtown Los Angeles to the finish festival at Century Park.
By noon, the chilly morning had given way to a pleasant 70-degree cityscape in Century City where 41% of the race’s starting athletes had completed the marathon, according to UnifiedLA, the coalition of agencies managing public safety for the event.
Unfortunately, six severe injuries were sustained during the race, officials said.
A 44-year-old female race participant near the finish line suffered what appeared to be a cardiac arrest, a news release from the organization said. The patient was rapidly treated and transported to a local hospital by a medical team but no further details were available.
Details on others “life-threatening” injuries, according to UnifiedLA, were not available.
Earlier in the morning, Porter Ranch’s Jennifer Bolhayon stood with a pair of fellow participants — Joanne Ranosa of Northridge and Carlos Reyes of Pomona — readying for the physical and psychological toll that would be wrought by this year’s course, which featured a new four-mile incline to the finish line.
“It’s all psychological,” Reyes said.
This is why it’s helpful to have a crowd in attendance and dedicated volunteers, according to Ranosa. “They all bring us food, whatever we need – it’s great.”
Fortunately for those facing the grueling grind to the end, race organizers also placed plenty of “creative distractions” in this year’s course to inspire participants through what is traditionally the most challenging part – the finish.
Clown alley featured aerial artist Nehara Kalev swinging out over the course. Just a few streets away stilt walkers, hoop dancers and jugglers added further touches of the circus to the day.
The Purple People Mile organized by the Hirschberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research welcomed DJ Phillip Kim to the stage with cheerleaders and 26 Spinning bikes that allowed riders to raise money for a cause.
One block from the finish line, the band Kelly’s Lot belted out tunes.
“It’s just a completely different atmosphere than we previously had. There’s just a lot of good energy here and it’s great. There’s a lot of smiling faces here and a lot of people seeing old friends that they haven’t seen for a while,” Reinschreiber said. “It’s just a real – I don’t want to use the word family because this would be a pretty large family – but it’s a familiar atmosphere. I think people are just happy to be out here checking off one of their bucket list goals.”
IAMBEARSUN, an Instagram sensation who walked across America in 2021 to highlight different health causes, was one such person, er, bear.
The brown, red cheeked fuzz-ball said Sunday morning that he expected the marathon to be quite the challenge since he’d have to run while clad in his mammoth felt getup — something he didn’t do while traveling from L.A. to New York over the course of 134 days.
“It’s different because now I’m running so it’s a little bit more intense,” said Jesse Larios, the man inside the IAMBEARSUN costume an Instagram-promoted conceit. “It’s still a challenge.”
As for next year’s marathon, Reinschreiber said officials are excited as well.
“We’re really happy with the way today came out. It’s not over yet, but we’re really happy with where we are,” Reinschreiber said. “And while we’re in need of a few days off, we will get back to our regular calendar where we have a full year to plan for this event. I have no doubt next year we’re going to reach a completely different level, just because we have that year to plan for it.”