RunRace USA › California › LA Marathon
The complete, course-first guide
LA Marathon
Sunday, March 7, 2027 · Wave schedule — see logistics
Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles (point to point; finish on Santa Monica Blvd at Avenue of the Stars in Century City). Runners staying near the Century City finish must travel to Dodger Stadium on race morning, so plan the pre-dawn shuttle or rideshare to the stadium start.
The race in 60 seconds
The marathon is a true point-to-point: its finish sits about 9.9 miles from the start as the crow flies. The modeled line carries about 1107 feet of total climb and ranges from roughly 203 to 515 feet above sea level. Look for Los Angeles City Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Angelus Temple in the flyover, with recognizable forms modeled from architectural records.
Fly the course
The whole course, built from the best available published route trace and an extruded model of Los Angeles. Scrub it, change the camera, or let it play. Nothing here is a video: it is drawing the city live.
Route statusCurrent community course trace cross-checked against the published route. 2026 Stadium-to-the-Stars GPX, endpoints match the official map
The route line uses the best published course trace available. Public-domain USGS and USDA aerial photography plus USGS 3DEP elevation are baked into RunRace USA, so the flyover makes no paid map API or third-party runtime requests. Buildings, roads, parks and water use OpenStreetMap, ODbL. This is photographic terrain with modeled architecture, not photogrammetry. Bridge approaches, elevations and facade details are approximations; the organizer's published route remains the reference.
The elevation profile
This Marathon profile covers 26.2 miles, ranges from roughly 203 to 515 feet, and contains about 1107 feet of modeled climb.
- , mile 3.2 to 4.18: 119 feet up, 2.3% average.
- , mile 19.42 to 20.89: 89 feet up, 1.1% average.
- , mile 4.54 to 5.16: 62 feet up, 1.9% average.
- , mile 15.64 to 16.6: 57 feet up, 1.1% average.
- , mile 12.01 to 13.1: 55 feet up, 1.0% average.
- , mile 7.73 to 8.65: 52 feet up, 1.1% average.
The route at a glance
Gold is the selected modeled course; route provenance is stated beside the flyover.
Race-week weather, measured
At the start line, March 3-11 averaged a low of 46°F and a high of 65°F across 2016-2025. The same window reached 84°F at its warmest and 35°F at its coldest. Measurable rain appeared on about 30% of sampled days. Treat the range, not just the average, as the packing list.
Pace it by effort
The profile and grade strip come from the same route currently loaded in the flyover. Use even pace as a baseline, then protect effort on the highlighted climbs and exposed sections.
| Finish | Even pace | Halfway |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 6:52 /mi | 1:30 |
| 3:30 | 8:01 /mi | 1:45 |
| 4:00 | 9:09 /mi | 2:00 |
| 4:30 | 10:18 /mi | 2:15 |
| 5:00 | 11:27 /mi | 2:30 |
| Published course limit, 6:30 | 14:52 /mi | 3:15 |
Build your race weekend
The course
Live 3D flyover, synchronized elevation, route map, mile-by-mile shape and local landmarks.
Where to stay
29 mapped places to stay, compared by the endpoint that matters.
Expo and logistics
Packet pickup, the published weekend schedule, transit, parking and current entry tiers.
Spectators
Route-aware viewing anchors and a plan that respects the actual course geography.
The weekend
A city guide built around the places modeled beside the course.
Official race site
The organizer's current dates, entry details and late course notices.
Common questions
How do I get in: lottery or first-come?
There is no lottery on the race's own pages. You register online directly, and the site says registration closes when the race sells out. Other routes: Team TMF fundraising ($725 raised earns a free entry, or a $3,000 tier that includes a hotel), or an official nonprofit charity team. Military, first responders and law enforcement get 10% off via GovX.
Are corrals enforced, and how do I get seeded?
Corral placement has a hard deadline (January 7 for the 2027 race) and assignments cannot be changed after it. To be seeded you must submit proof of a qualifying time during registration, or email [email protected] with subject line "SEEDED CORRAL." Start waves: 6:30 pro wheelchair, 6:35 handcycle/AWD, 6:40 pro and elite age-group women, 7:00 pro men and the full field.
What is the time limit and what happens if I fall behind?
The site gives two readings. It states a 6 hour 30 minute limit measured from when the last runner crosses the start line, then adds "we do allow those who finish slower." The operative rule is pace: hold 15:00 min/mile and you finish on closed streets under the finish structures. Slower than that, you must move to sidewalks and obey traffic laws as a pedestrian.
Is there bag check, and when does it close?
Yes, all marathon participants get race-morning gear check at the start, but it closes promptly at 6:30am, well before the 7:00am gun. That is the single most common first-timer error here: you must be through Dodger Stadium security and at gear check early. Charity Half participants have no gear check at all.
Can I transfer, defer, or get a refund?
No. The race states flatly there are no refunds, transfers, or deferrals for any reason, explicitly including event cancellation, the event being run at a shorter distance, converted to virtual, or rescheduled. There is also no proxy bib pickup and bibs are not mailed: you collect your own bib at the Expo, or buy the Start Line Hospitality add-on for race-day pickup.
What does the weather usually do in early March?
The race's own pages publish no weather guidance or historical data. From general knowledge, not the race site: early-March Los Angeles mornings typically start cool near the Dodger Stadium start and warm quickly as the course runs west, with sun exposure the real risk. Warm years have been notably hot. Verify a forecast rather than relying on this.
What catches people out about the course itself?
It is genuinely point-to-point: you start at Dodger Stadium and finish miles away on Santa Monica Blvd at Avenue of the Stars in Century City, so plan your gear and post-race meetup around two separate locations. Support is dense, 19 aid stations roughly every 1.5 miles with water and Electrolit, plus Precision Fuel gels at miles 12 and 18 only.
What is banned on course, and is the half really a half?
Headphones and costumes are fine, but no face-covering or bulky outfits extending beyond your body, no strollers, no bikes or skates, and no animals except service animals under AWD rules. Hydration packs are allowed but get security-checked at Dodger Stadium. Note the Charity Half is about 13.7 miles, not an official half marathon distance, with a 4-hour limit and an 8:15am start.
Register for the 2027 LA Marathon →on Haku
Course geometry provenance is stated beside the player; elevation profiles always use the same route loaded there. City geometry is OpenStreetMap, ODbL. Aerial imagery is from USGS and USDA; other images carry their own source credits. Weather figures use Open-Meteo reanalysis for March 3-11 across 2016-2025 at the start line. Schedule, prices and expo hours were checked in 2026-08-31 and are the fields most likely to move: confirm them on www.mccourtfoundation.org/event/los-angeles-marathon before you book anything. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it fast.