By Jonathan Friedman
Staff Writer
September 23, 2009 -- The LA Marathon has a new finish line -- in Santa Monica. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to end the final leg of the 26.2-mile race on Ocean Avenue just north of Santa Monica Boulevard.
The previous 24 LA Marathon races took place exclusively in the City of Los Angeles. But the 2010 event slated for March 21 will be a multi-jurisdictional affair, beginning at Dodger Stadium and going through Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and West Los Angeles, before concluding in this city. The race has been dubbed “The Stadium to the Sea.”
The council was first presented with an LA Marathon proposal in July, and the event received unanimous support. More than 40 people spoke at the meeting in favor of the City hosting a portion of the event.
The final decision on Tuesday was a much quieter affair with only one public speaker and no comments from the council.
The proposal that appeared before the council on Tuesday had some adjustments from the July version. The initial route had the race ending in Venice, with post-event activities taking place in the south beach lots. With the new Ocean Avenue finish, the festivities will take place in the parking lot located just north of the pier.
The LA Marathon will reimburse the city for all the costs of the race, including City staff time. The event organizers estimate the economic impact for Santa Monica will be $21 million over five years. But the City staff report states it is unable to project an estimated benefit.
To allow for the approval of the LA Marathon, the council needed to make adjustments to its Community Events Ordinance and Extended Events Policy. The City has only previously hosted 5K and 10K runs.
There is also a proposal for a half marathon to go through Santa Monica three weeks prior to the LA Marathon. The council was informed on Tuesday that the event organizers are in talks with City staff about that race, and are finding a new date that is not so close to the LA's biggest marathon.
LA Marathon participants will enter Santa Monica on San Vicente Boulevard at 26th Street. The runners will proceed west on San Vicente Boulevard toward Ocean Avenue, and then make a left for the final dash to the finish line.
Race organizers say several local organizations will receive contributions from the event, including Heal the Bay, Sojourn Services of OPCC and Students Run LA.
