If the press releases issued from Metro flacks are usually pretty straight-forward, yesterday the claws came out. The transit agency was not pleased with the Sunday column of Los Angeles Times sportswriter Kurt Streeter, who covered the changes that Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt has brought to the L.A. Marathon. In addition to all the fuss about the weather and the marathon date, Streeter talked about all that's wrong with the current marathon, including the county infighting that has led to the route staying within LA city limits, rather than traversing pretty places like Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Streeter writes, "Just as with the pitiful transit system, 'Not in my backyard' has been a rallying cry, leaving the L.A. Marathon stranded in the hot, smoggy gloaming." In their Tuesday release, Metro PR guy Marc Littman writes, "Kurt Streeter's May 24, 2009 marathon column refers to local public transit as "pitiful," which is ironic since thousands of runners and spectators use Metro Rail to access the racecourse... Yet, in Streeter's column and all of the Times' advance coverage and maps for the marathon, there is no mention of this convenient option. Talk about pitiful." [LA Times/Metro]
Filed under:
Loading comments...