Thousands gather for start of 39th LA Marathon

Tens of thousands were descending on Dodger Stadium this morning for the L.A. Marathon.

The annual spectacle — this is the 39th — includes more than 25,000 runners, who pound the pavement for a 26.2-mile trek from the stadium to Century City.

In between, L.A. goes by – from Little Tokyo to the Hollywood Sign, and from Rodeo Drive to Route 66.

The sun isn’t up, but many runners are. I’m at Dodger Stadium this morning covering the 39th annual Los Angeles Marathon for @ladailynews. Follow along for live updates throughout the race, where more than 25,000 people are scheduled to compete. #lamarathon pic.twitter.com/ssrI4BW9KC

— Delilah Brumer (@BrumerDelilah) March 17, 2024

By 5 a.m. at the start, activity was already bustling in the pre-dawn air, ahead of the Marathon’s wheelchair race, to begin at 6:30 a.m. followed by the hand-crank race. The pro women & elite age group women start at 6:40 a.m. and the professional men and full field start at 7 a.m.

And you could already sense a theme: St. Patrick’s Day. Green.

Kent Hulette, Rosanna Uman and Rod Robey came decked out in St. Patrick’s Day gear with their run club, South Coast Roadrunners. They have each run between four and 24 marathons.

“I kept thinking ‘I want to do this one day,’ and one day turned into forever,” Hulette said.

Related links

• LA Marathon: Here’s what you should know before the 39th race
• LA Marathon: Here’s the route map
• LA Marathon Preview: Elite runners ready to run fast times on St. Patrick’s Day
• How to watch, drive, park or take public transit to the LA Marathon on Sunday
• LA Marathon: Experienced runners advise first-timers, who make up 40% of field
• LA Marathon: Run clubs’ popularity boom fuels record number of new competitors
• LA Marathon: Freeway ramps and street closures for the March 17 race
• Los Angeles Marathon training builds life skills for ‘Students Run LA’ youths
• LA Marathon: How to watch it live Sunday on TV, streaming, or Facebook