2018 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Media Guide 1 Table of Contents Important Media Information 3 Race Week Schedule 4 About the Race 7 Legacy Runners 9 The Course 10 Logistics 32 On Course Entertainment 37 Media Coverage 43 LA BIG 5K 44 Elite Field 46 Race Records 64 Other Stories 69 Charities 71 Partners & Sponsors 77 Marathon Staff 82 2018 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Media Guide 2 Important Media Information Media Contacts Carsten Preisz Kelly O’Rourke VP, Brand Strategy and Marketing Public Relations & International Marketing Conqur Endurance Group Manager 805.218.7612 Skechers Performance [email protected] 310.318.3100x1110 [email protected] Robert Santini Beth Andrews Senior Director, Brand Marketing & Senior VP, Brand Marketing & Communications Communications PMK BNC PMK BNC 310.854.4733 917.859.5066 [email protected] Finish Line Media Center Media Credential Pickup Fairmont Hotel LA Convention Center Wedgewood Ballroom South Hall, Room G & H 101 Wilshire Blvd 1201 S. Figueroa Street Santa Monica, CA Los Angeles, CA 90015 310-899-4136 Friday, March 17: 10 am – 7 pm Saturday, March 18: 9 am – 5 pm Press Conference Schedule Fairmont Hotel Friday, Wedgewood Ballroom 8:00 am Sunday 6:00 am to 3:00 pm ‘Meet the Elites’ Event, Griffith Park Top athletes Social 11:00 am Pages Website: www.lamarathon.com Pre-race Press Conference, LA Convention www.goconqur.com Center, South Hall, Room 301B Top athletes Facebook: facebook.com/LAmarathon Instagram: @lamarathon Sunday, Twitter: @lamarathon 10:00 am Snapchat: @lamarathon Champions Press Conference, Fairmont Hotel Top three male and female finishers and wheelchair winners. 2018 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Media Guide 3 Race Week Schedule Friday March 16 8:00 am Meet the Elites Griffith Park 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Health & Fitness Expo LA Convention Center, South Hall 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Credential Pickup LA Convention Center, South Hall, 301a 11:00 am Press Conference LA Convention Center, South Hall, 301b Saturday March 17 8:00 am LA BIG 5K Dodger Stadium 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Health & Fitness Expo Los Angeles Convention Center Sunday March 18 6:30 am Wheelchair Start Dodger Stadium 6:42 am Handcycle Start Dodger Stadium 6:45 am Professional Women Start Dodger Stadium 6:55 am Professional Men and rest of the field Start Dodger Stadium 8:00 am 1st Place Male Wheelchair Finish (estimated) California & Ocean Ave 8:25 am 1st Place Female Wheelchair Finish (estimated) California & Ocean Ave 9:05 am 1st Place Male Marathon Finish (estimated) California & Ocean Ave 9:10 am 1st Place Female Marathon Finish (estimated) California & Ocean Ave 9:30 am Champions Awards Ceremony Finish Line Awards Stage 10:00 am Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Champions Press Conference 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Finish Line Festival & Angel City Brewery Beer Garden Second St & Santa Monica 2018 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Media Guide 4 Fast Facts 2017 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Champions Open Men: Elisha Barno- 2:11:52-Kenya Open Women: Hellen Jepkurgat- 2:34:23-Kenya Wheelchair Men: Laurens Molina 1:37:21-Costa Rica Wheelchair Women: Alicia Ibarra Barajas - 2:11:09-Mexico Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Race Records Open Men: Markos Geneti- 2:06:35 –Ethiopia (2011) Open Women: Lidiya Grigoryeva- 2:25:10 –Russia (2006) Wheelchair Men: Kurt Fearnley- 1:23:40 –Australia (2007) Wheelchair Women: Amanda McGrory- 1:48:13 –USA (2009) 2017 Numbers: Legacy Runners: 144 Number of States Represented: 50 Number of Countries Represented: 63 Charities: 75 SRLA Students: 3,000 Cheer zones: 50+ Cheerleaders: 600+ Bands: 50+ Media Coverage: Media coverage of the race extends worldwide, on multiple platforms: • Live local television broadcast on KTLA (Ch. 5) from 6:00 am -11:00 am PDT. • Live national television broadcast on WGN from 7-10 am PDT. • Live streaming of the race broadcast on www.KTLA.com Fast Facts: • The Skecher’s Performance Los Angeles Marathon is one of the four largest marathons in the U.S and one of the top 10 worldwide. • This is Skechers Performance’s third year as Title Partner of the marathon. Skechers Performance is a global company headquartered locally, in Manhattan Beach. With sponsored athletes, including Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher, Skechers Performance is at the cutting edge of the sport. • The race is contested over the iconic Stadium to the Sea course that starts at Dodger Stadium and passes through West Hollywood and Beverly Hills before finishing in the City of Santa Monica. The race concludes at the intersection of Ocean and California avenues, just steps from the Pacific Ocean. • The course features a host of local landmarks, such as Los Angeles City Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, TCL Chinese Theater, the Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive and a finish near the Santa Monica Pier. 2018 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Media Guide 5 • A total cash prize purse of $100,000 will be offered to both the men’s and women’s fields at the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon, with $23,000 for first place, $11,250 for second, $9,000 for third, $4,500 for fourth and $2,250 for fifth in each division. • The men’s professional field features the last three Los Angeles Marathon champions, the defending champion Elisha Barno(KEN), 2016 Winner Weldon Kirui (KEN) and the 2015 Winner Daniel Limo (KEN). • The women’s professional field is headlined by defending Champion Hellen Jepkurgat who will be up against Olena Shurkhno (UKR) and two Ethiopians Dire Tune and Tsehay Desalegn. • 75 official charities are participating in this year’s race. • This year the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon introduced the first ever Stadium to the Sea Charity Challenge. The Charity Challenge is a race within the race where participants run either from Dodger Stadium to Hollywood (Stadium) or from Hollywood to Santa Monica (Sea) in support of their favorite charities. Participating athletes are required to raise money and awareness for one of the marathon’s official charities. • Entertainment planned for the 26.2-mile course includes 50 bands, 500+ cheerleaders, four entertainment centers and over 50 charity cheer zones. • This year, the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon introduced the fourth edition of its official smartphone app. This app provides users tools like runner tracking, interactive maps and a music player with three unique, curated playlists designed to motivate athletes during training and on race day. • This year, the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon is recognizing, fostering and rewarding civic pride in a fresh, new way with the LA Loyal program. It’s fitting, then, that they partner with a homegrown, Los Angeles Dodger who embodies the grit and determination this city was built on. On Sunday, March 18th, runners will be welcomed to the start line of the marathon and home of the Dodgers by third baseman and MVP of the National League Championship Series, Justin Turner. Aside from serving as an official race ambassador and race starter at this year’s Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon, Justin’s own Justin Turner Foundation is one of this year’s official charities. The athletes on Justin’s team will fundraise through their participation in the full marathon, the Stadium vs. Sea Charity Challenge and Saturday’s LA BIG 5K at Dodger Stadium. • The LA Loyal program personifies the coolness of LA, and it celebrates the marathon participants who run the marathon consecutively. It was inspired by the 144 Legacy runners who have run every one of the previous 32 Los Angeles Marathons. We recognize the consecutive runner with a distinct black and gold bib and with cool swag at year 5 and year 10. Additionally, at the 10th consecutive marathon, the runner will be awarded with a coveted gold medal which features the original 1986 Los Angeles Marathon medal mark. • Save the date! Next year’s Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon will be on March 24, 2019. 2018 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Media Guide About 6 About ABOUT THE SKECHERS PERFORMANCE LOS ANGELES MARATHON “Stadium to the Sea.” Say just those four words, and runners across the world will immediately know what you’re referring to: the iconic course of the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon, which is set for its 33rd edition on March 18, 2018. Frank McCourt purchased the operating rights to the race in 2008. Soon afterward, he asked his team to devise a course that would show off the very best of Los Angeles. Working with public officials and community stakeholders, the “Stadium to the Sea” course was born. With Dodger Stadium as the starting point, the course traverses from downtown LA, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills to Santa Monica with a majestic finish overlooking the Pacific Ocean. At each mile along the way, runners pass internationally renowned iconic landmarks including Chinatown, the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park, Los Angeles City Hall, Little Tokyo, the Disney Hall and Music Center of Los Angeles County, the Dolby Theater - home of the Academy Awards in Hollywood, parts of Historic Route 66 in West Hollywood, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and the famous runner’s mecca of San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica before finishing on Ocean Avenue alongside the Pacific Ocean. A field of close to 24,000 runners are expected on race day. The front of the race will be highlighted by an elite international field to include top professionals from Spain, Mexico, Japan, Kenya and Ethiopia. Fundraising is the race within the race as runners and walkers representing the Marathon’s 75 Official Charities “compete” to support their worthwhile causes. In total, more than $4 million is expected to be raised.