LA Marathon to honor first responders who battled wildfires
LA Marathon / FILE PHOTO
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Marathon will celebrate its 40th running today, March 16, with several firefighters who fought January’s devastating wildfires among the capacity field of more than 26,000, the second largest in the race’s history.
US Forest Service Capt. Jerry Garcia, who helped battle the Eaton Fire, will co-pace the group of runners who hope to complete the marathon in two hours, 55 minutes.
“I guarantee that 90 percent of the runners in the marathon probably know somebody who lost their home or was personally impacted,” Garcia said in a statement. “When they asked me to pace, I knew it could be about helping runners and being part of an event that will be about the Los Angeles community. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
The 47-year-old Palmdale resident was the top runner in the 45-49 age group in the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon with a personal best time of 2:40:13. He won the 2017 Angeles Crest 100 trail running race.
Another firefighter in the field is Los Angeles Fire Department Firefighter Greg Balandran, who will be running on behalf of the Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firefighters Fund, the official charity of the Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association.
Shortly after the wildfires erupted, the fund began providing long-term support for the more than two dozen LAFD firefighters and their families who lost homes or were displaced.
The Los Angeles Marathon, New York Road Runners, the nonprofit organization that produces the New York City Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, and the Boston Athletic Association, organizers of the Boston Marathon, have come together to support Together LA, an initiative spearheaded by The McCourt Foundation, which owns and operates the Los Angeles Marathon, to aid those affected by the Los Angeles County wildfires.
The four organizations have co-branded limited-edition Together LA merchandise, with all net proceeds benefiting Community Organized Relief Effort and the California Fire Foundation. These funds will provide emergency relief, assist displaced families and support long-term recovery efforts.
Only the 2020 field of 27,150 entrants has had a larger field than Sunday’s. Dan Cruz, the head of communications for The McCourt Foundation, told City News Service the capacity field could be attributed to the marathon’s growing reputation, “its scenic and iconic course, strong community support and a robust charity partner program.”
The field consists of runners from all 50 states and more than 70 nations. It includes 93 legacy runners who have run all 39 previous editions of the race while 40 percent are first-time marathoners. Cruz said the large number of first-time marathoners “could be due to the explosion in popularity of social run clubs throughout the region.”
“We’ve also seen growth in the younger 20-29 year-old demographic and Students Run LA,” the after-school mentoring and physical fitness program for at-risk middle and high school students, “has returned to pre-pandemic numbers with 3,500 participants,” Cruz said.
The 26-mile, 385-yard race will begin at Dodger Stadium at 6:30 a.m. with the wheelchair racers. The hand crank racers will start at 6:35 a.m. The women’s elite field will start at 6:44 a.m. and the elite men’s field and rest of the field at 7 a.m.
Mayor Karen Bass will be the honorary starter.
It will be 49 degrees with winds of 4-5 mph at Dodger Stadium for the start of the race, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Rorke told City News Service.
When the first runner crosses the finish line in Century City shortly after 9 a.m. it will be 57 degrees, Rorke said.
Temperatures on the course will “warm up pretty quickly,” rising to 60 by noon, Rorke said.
From Dodger Stadium, runners will head through Chinatown, downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park, Thai Town, Little Armenia, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood and Brentwood then back through Westwood to Century City, with the finish line for the “Stadium to the Stars” course on Santa Monica Boulevard, just past Century Park East.
The elite women will start 16 minutes, 5 seconds ahead of the elite men for the Marathon Chase, with the overall first finisher receiving a $10,000 bonus. The time difference was determined by projected winning times.
The chase was part of the marathon from 2004 to 2014, with women winning seven times and men four. It was discontinued in 2015 when the race served as the USA Marathon Championships. It was revived in 2022 with women winning each time since its revival.
The men’s and women’s winners will each receive $10,000, the second-place finishers $5,000 and third-place finishers $3,500. The men’s and women’s wheelchair winners will each receive $2,500.
The men’s race has been won by a Kenyan 22 times since 1999, including 2024 when Dominic Ngeno won. Ethiopians won the other four times. A US runner last won in 1994.
African women have won 12 of the last 15 races, including in 2024 when Kenyan Stacy Ndiwa won for the second consecutive year. Like with the men, a US runner last won in 1994. (CNS)
