Got Hills? LA Marathon = not flat, fast, or all downhill!
The LA Marathon course was rumored to be a fast, flat course that was (dare I say) pretty much all downhill. For those of us who were out there Sunday morning can easily attest, the majority of the course was neither flat nor downhill. After missing our time goals by 5-10 minutes, Lori (@lj3000) & I started researching the course. (For us, I think this is how we cope with our slight disappointment.)
Here is a rough course elevation comparison map for 2009 Honolulu Marathon, 2010 LA Marathon, & 2010 San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Marathon (& Half)… all on the same scale (for comparison sake):
HNL, LAM, SDRNR
(click image for full size version)
The top line (black & pixely) is this year’s Los Angeles Marathon. The bold red line at the bottom is 2009′s Honolulu Marathon. And the turquoise, yellow, & magenta lines are the San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Half & Full Marathons, as defined on the graph.
Note: Seriously, my apologies for the unpolished-ness of this graph. I was really excited to see how the courses compared with each other, so I cranked it out quickly last night before passing out. Planning on polishing it up soon. And also adding Long Beach & Boston… y’know, just for kicks! Follow me @cowhateration to stay updated!
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The fact that you guys even ran this marathon should be an accomplishment. I’ve definitely wanted to run this and will most likely be signing up next year unless procrastination and a strong desire to not run 24 miles sets in…..again lol.
Dig the blog!
I ran the marathon with my Garmin Forerunner Sunday. It claims that my “total descent” was 3936′ while my “total ascent” was 3497′. I am not claiming that this is absolutely accurate, but based on the chart, it seems reasonable that the difference between the totals may be as little as 500′.
Incidentally, my Forerunner claims I ran 26.58 miles. grrr.