LA Marathon Date: Too Hot!

Writing in the LA Times op-ed pages, Tina Dupuy says the suggestion to change the date of the perpetually troubled LA Marathon (now owned by Dodgers owner Frank McCourt) from Feb. 16th, Presidents' Day, to Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is a terrible idea. "LA Marathon President Russ Pillar said the switch to May was because many employers don't observe Presidents' Day, so fewer runners and volunteers would have been able to participate. But there's a reason cities in hot climates have their races in the winter months. Honolulu and Las Vegas have theirs in December. Big-city races want to attract the broadest number of runners, and the best course with the best weather is the best bet." A race in warmer weather means fewer people will run--and those that do will be pissed. One fellow runner tells Dupuy: "Great. First we don't have a football team, and now we don't have a marathon." [LA Times]