FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Expanded Logistics Effort to Make Stadium Access Easier
Marathoners will find quicker access to the start and finish in 2011
LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2011 – New traffic routing and a
significantly-enlarged logistics effort will make access to the start line
at Dodger Stadium and the finish line in Santa Monica easier and more
efficient at the Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss on March 20.
"We have invested an enormous amount of time and resources to improve
access to the start line at Dodger Stadium." said LA MARATHON LLC chief
operating officer Nick Curl. "We listened with great care to the comments
from runners, their families and from transportation professionals on how
we can make everyone’s morning better and get people to the start on time."
Potential bottlenecks have been re-routed and dozens of additional buses
have been added to bring people from the start in Santa Monica to Dodger
Stadium in plenty of time for the start, just after 7 a.m. on March 20. In
specific:
-Three Dodger Stadium entrances will be devoted to the Marathon beginning
at 2 a.m. on March 20. Private automobiles will be allowed to enter ONLY
through the Golden State Gate from the Stadium Way exit on the Golden State
(5) Freeway, and will be directed to Lot 3 for complimentary parking. A
specific lane at this entrance will be available for drop-off only, in Lot
4.
-Shuttle buses coming from the finish area in Santa Monica will enter
Dodger Stadium using the Dodger Stadium exit off of the Harbor (110)
Freeway and entering the Downtown Gate, for drop-off on Lot 7, adjacent to
the start line. These shuttles are free for registered runners, and more
than 10,000 runners have already reserved their places on these buses,
which will leave from Olympic Drive and Main Street in Santa Monica between
2 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.
-Shuttle buses coming from the official Marathon hotels in downtown Los
Angeles will enter only at the Sunset Gate and will be parked in Lot K.
The Academy Road and Park Avenue entrances to Dodger Stadium – favored
"backdoor" routes for many – will be closed on raceday.
"We know that people want to get to the start line quickly and get ready
for the race," said Curl. "We now have a fleet of more than 175 buses ready
to go, and we want to emphasize that while people are welcome to come and
watch the start, they must enter via the Golden State gate only and must
leave the Stadium once the race has begun. There will be no transportation
from Dodger Stadium to the finish."
In addition, the pre-race pick-up of bibs, equipment bags and T-shirts has
been completely revamped with a major expansion of the pre-race Marathon
Expo at Dodger Stadium on Friday and Saturday, March 18-19.
"The pick-up area has been expanded by 25% to a quarter of an acre," said
Marathon director of operations Stacy Embretson. "In addition, the flow has
been completely changed to allow more access to more points of service
inside the pick-up areas. We have 27 service lines planned to handle our
runners quickly and comfortably."
At the finish in Santa Monica, the City of Santa Monica is again offering
pre-paid parking for participants in the City's many lots, with more than
7,000 spaces available at www.ThePermitStore.com/sm/event. Beyond this,
street parking will be available in Santa Monica, but based on the 2010
race experience, will be difficult to find within a mile-and-a-half of the
finish.
"We want the raceday experience to be focused on the challenge of
conquering the Stadium to the Sea course on March 20,” said Curl, “and we
have worked hard to improve on our inaugural effort in 2010. We think our
expanded program of Expo and transit support will be a big hit on March
20."
About LA MARATHON LLC:
We inspire athletes and connect communities. With thousands of volunteers,
tens of thousands of participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators,
the Honda Los Angeles Marathon presented by K-Swiss is one of the largest
organized road races in the country. For more information, visit
www.lamarathon.com.
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