L.A. Marathon to Run Through Westside Sunday

By Chad Winthrop

On Sunday, March 24, runners from all around the world will lace up their kicks and participate in the annual Los Angeles Marathon.

A field of close to 24,000 runners is expected on race day. The front of the race will be highlighted by an elite international field to include top professionals from Mexico, Ukraine, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

The “Stadium to the Sea” course, which has been in place since 2008, shows off some of the very best of Los Angeles. With Dodger Stadium as the starting point, the course traverses from downtown LA, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills to Santa Monica with a majestic finish overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

In traversing this course, runners will pass through many areas in and surrounding the Westside, and while the action will no doubt be exciting, the race will have a significant impact on traffic (for the worse, not the better). While staying off the roads is advised on Sunday, for those who need to hop in the car, here is a list of closures, and the time in which they will be closed, in and around the Westside.

• La Cienega Boulevard between Sunset Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard
(5 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.)
• Aiden Drive between Oakhurst Drive and Doheny Drive (5 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• 3rd Street between Oakhurst Drive and Robertson Boulevard (5 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• Burton Way between Robertson Boulevard and Rexford Drive
(5 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• South Santa Monica Boulevard between Rexford Drive and Moreno Boulevard
(5 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• Rodeo Drive between Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard
(5 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• Wilshire Boulevard between Beverly Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard
(5 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• Santa Monica Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard
(5 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.)
• Sepulveda Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire Avenue
(5 a.m. to 2:04 p.m.)
• Westbound Wilshire Boulevard between and Sepulveda Boulevard and Barrington Avenue (5 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.)
• Beverly Glen Boulevard between Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard (5 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.)
• Westwood Boulevard between Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard
(5 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.)
• Massachusetts Avenue between Sepulveda Boulevard and Cotner Avenue (5 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.)
• Ohio Avenue between Sepulveda Boulevard and Cotner Avenue
(5 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.)
• Wilshire Boulevard between Sepulveda Boulevard and Barrington Avenue
(5 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.)
• San Vicente Boulevard between Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue (5 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Note: San Vicente Boulevard and Montana Avenue open at 2:36 p.m., San Vicente Boulevard and Bristol Avenue open at 2:52 p.m., San Vicente Boulevard and 18th Street open at 3:08 p.m.
• Barrington Avenue between Montana Avenue and Dorothy Street
(5 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.)
• Montana Avenue between Bringham Avenue and Bundy Drive
(5 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.)
• Bundy Drive between Dunoon Lane and Montana Avenue (12 a.m. to 5 p.m.)