Los Angeles Marathon organizers will allow participants at Sunday’s race an option to exit the course after 18 miles and still receive a finisher medal as temperatures are expected in low-80s by midday.
The change was revealed this week on the race’s weather overview section of its website, but not widely circulated until Friday.
A message from The McCourt Foundation, the race organizer, urged runners to be mindful of conditions on the course and wear light colors along with lightweight fabrics.
“You will still receive your finisher medal and any challenge medal you’ve earned, and your official race results will be updated at a later date to reflect your time and mileage,” the message read. “There is no shame in making a smart decision for your body.”
Runners will not have to notify race officials if they exit at Mile 18 and the policy only applies to this year’s event.
While warm weather is not uncommon at marathons, races are usually scheduled in months when temperatures are typically in the range of 40 to mid-50 degrees, which are preferred by runners for the best performance. For the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors, three of the races are scheduled in late winter and early spring (Tokyo, Boston and London) while the other four take place months apart as fall events (Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York).
Still, all of these races have have experienced high temperatures, with the 1979 New York City Marathon reaching the low-80s, which is the warmest for the event and the 2022 race at 75 degrees and high humidity.
The L.A. Marathon has endured similar conditions and in 1993 the race saw an event-record 87-degree temperatures at the finish line just after 1 p.m., with the 2014 race in the low-80s and 2015 race reaching the high-80s.
Opinions on the decision to implement the exit option at Mile 18 drew a range of reactions, with comments on social media largely disapproving the plan, while others were mindful that precautions in warm weather took priority over running all 26.2 miles and competing the course.
The race starts at 7 a.m. with a sunny forecast in the mid-50s as the first wave of runners hit the course. The five waves of participants will have a six hour and thirty minute time limit from when the last person crosses he start line, according to organizers.
More than 26,000 participants are expected to take on the race, which begins at Dodger Stadium and ends in Century City at Santa Monica Boulevard.
Matt Richtman won last year’s men’s race in 2:07:46, while Tejinesh Gebisa Tulu crossed the finish line first in the women’s field in 2:30:16.
