Organizers, Racers Prep For Another Wet Marathon

Runners in the Los Angeles Marathon will face rain and cold for a second consecutive year Sunday, but race organizers are confident they are properly prepared.

Scattered showers and temperatures in the lower-50s are forecast for the 26-mile, 385-yard race that begins at 6:55 a.m. in the parking lots outside of Dodger Stadium and ends near the

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Rainfall is expected to be significantly less than the 2.42 inches that fell on downtown Los Angeles on the day of last year's race, said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service.

There is very slight chance of a thunderstorm in the morning, Bartling told City News Service.

There will be 5,000 plastic trash bags on hand at Dodger Stadium for runners to stay dry before the race begins. About 23,000 Mylar heating blankets will be divided up among 10 medical stations along the course and the finish line, according to marathon Chief Operating Officer Nick Curl.

The course will also have heating buses at the medical stations and finish line to help runners who need medical attention.

"We're confident that by coordinating our efforts with the fire departments in all four jurisdictions (along the course) and Keck Medical Center of USC, we'll have enough equipment and support to keep our runners, volunteers and medical personnel as dry, warm and comfortable as possible on race day," Curl said.

More than 300 runners were evaluated for hypothermia and 20 were hospitalized during last year's race. Rain has fallen on the marathon three other times in addition to last year. There were trace amounts of rain twice in the 1990s and 1.6 inches fell on the race in 2000, press officer Rich Perelman.

The race has been held annually since 1986.

For the third consecutive year, the race will be run on the "Stadium to the Sea" course, billed by organizers as having a "landmark every mile." From Dodger Stadium, the course heads toward downtown, passing Chinatown, Olvera Street, City Hall, Little Tokyo, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

After the downtown portion, the course heads west through Echo Park and Silver Lake into Hollywood, passing the Hollywood & Highland Center, home of the Academy Awards, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The field will then head south onto Sunset Boulevard, entering West Hollywood, and then Beverly Hills, including running on the famed shopping street Rodeo Drive. The latter portions of the race officially known as the Honda LA Marathon include Century City, the Veterans Administration grounds and Brentwood's San Vicente Boulevard, concluding near the Santa Monica Pier.

Changes to the race include allowing two-person relay teams with each person running half the race and an expansion of the race's charity program. About 200 relay teams have entered the race, with teams raising funds for the race's official charities. The relay hand-off is located on Sunset Boulevard, just before the Sunset Strip. The expansion of the race's charity fundraising efforts include the "I Run 4 Something" initiative, encouraging all the runners to raise money for their favorite causes. Race organizers believe runners can raise $4 million for charitable causes, breaking last year's record.

Since Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt purchased the operating rights to the race in 2008, the amount of money raised for charity has gone from just over $1.25 million in 2009 to $1.95 million in 2010 to just under $3 million in 2011, according to race officials.

A field of about 23,000 runners is expected. The male and female winners will each receive $25,000 and a Honda CR-V, valued at $29,795. The first overall finisher will earn an additional $100,000 it what organizers have dubbed as "The Challenge."

The elite women's field will receive a 17-minute, 31-second head start, based on a formula involving the lifetime bests of the elite male and female runners. The bonus has been won by male runners four times and women runners four times.

— City News Service