This is my hometown marathon, so I’m happy that it has always been one of my favorites! I have done this one 4 times and I’ve loved it (as much as you can love 26.2 miles, LOL) more and more each time! What I love about it is the course! It’s tough in the beginning because of some hills, but the fact that it covers so many different parts of the City where I was born is why I have loved it so much, and have recommended it to friends! (I will no longer be recommending LAM due to a course change for 2021, which will include a long out-and-back at the end of the race, replacing the finish at the beach, and resulting in an UPHILL FINISH! Why??!!) The course I love begins at LA Dodgers Stadium, takes you through Chinatown, downtown LA, Echo Park (where you can get free chili dogs from the locals around mile 5, if you dare), Sunset Junction, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills (Famous Rodeo Drive--Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc), Century City, Brentwood, and finally Santa Monica Beach! Running along the beach, to the finish line near the Santa Monica Pier, is the best ending to a marathon there is! The cool air and the gentle breeze coming off the ocean are oh so welcomed at that point, as you cruise to the finish with people cheering all the way! The finisher medals are beautiful and huge! And, if you do the 5K the day before, at Dodgers Stadium, you collect an additional extremely huge and heavy medal when you finish the marathon! Those medals literally will me to the end, every time! There is also great crowd support all along the course, in addition to the support of local running clubs who always come out to support their runners and everyone else on the course! To me, this was a perfect marathon until now, as a new owner has come in and plans to change everything that was so special about it his race! It’s really unfortunate for those who haven’t yet experienced it, as well as those of us who love to do this race annually!