25th Annual LA Marathon

On Sunday, March 21, 2010 the Annual LA Marathon made history with a new route starting at Dodger Stadium in downtown Los Angeles and ending at the Santa Monica Pier. The route was dubbed "the Stadium to the Sea." It was the first time the course has included areas outside the Los Angeles City limits and it passed such landmarks as Graumann's Chinese Theater and Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive. Over 25,000 participants joined in the 26.2 mile run, sponsored by Honda and presented by K-Swiss Charity Program. The first place champion was 27-year-old Wesley Korir, a Kenyan man from Louisville, La., who defended his reigning title in 2:09:19. It was the third fastest time in race history and about a minute behind Korir's 2009 winning time of 2:08:24, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Edna Kiplagat of Kenya won the women's event in 2:25:38. "Edna just pushed the pace, which was not the pace I was running for," Silvia Skvortsova, who came in third place, told KNX 1070 News. "I was staying with my pace, which is what I was planning to run."

The LA Marathon gender challenge bonus paid $100,000 to Kiplagat, who was first to cross the finish line. Women are given a handicap when competing against the elite men, who started 18 minutes and 47 seconds behind Kiplagat, according to eliterunning.com.

A strong goal of the race is to raise money for numerous charities. Sixty charities benefited from the race and raised over $2 million, doubling what was raised last year, according to The Los Angeles Daily News. Among the organizations involved were Heal the Bay, American Cancer Society and Students Run LA, a program that challenges at-risk youths.

The marathon ended at the Santa Monica Pier where an enormous beach party took place. Music and entertainment were provided as dozens of exhibits took place in the surrounding area. Companies gave away free samples of their latest products and sponsors provided food and drink to runners, spectators, and fans.