Posted: February 6, 2004

Athletics: "The Challenge" Should Bring A New Level Of Excitement To Marathon Racing

L.A. Marathon's Inspired Innovation to Debut with 2004 Race

LOS ANGELES - With the innovation of "The Challenge," the Los Angeles Marathon is taking a leadership role in reinvigorating the sport. With the introduction of a concept as simple as men trying to catch women who have been given an event-specific head start, the goal of "The Challenge" on March 7 is to bring even casual sporting fans to the sidewalks of L.A. and TV screens of NBC4 and KVEA as the match race between the genders unfolds and tightens throughout the 26.2 miles. The concept for The Challenge stems from a desire to make the elite competition at the marathon more appealing and relevant to the thousands of average participants in the race and for the sporting public at large.

Over the last decade or so the Los Angeles Marathon along with the rest of American running has witnessed an on-going phenomenon, the domination of the sport by foreign-born runners at the level of the John Wooden-coached UCLA Bruins basketball teams of the 1960s. And while these foreign athletes have shown themselves to be incredibly dedicated, talented and gracious, they at the same time have not drawn a natural constituency with them to the races in America.

At the same time, we have seen the fortunes of American-born runners slide to new lows. Gone are the days when home-grown stars like Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Alberto Salazar helped kick off the running boom of the 1970s and `80s. As a consequence, there has been an expanding gulf between the growth of running as a mass participation activity and the interest in top-end racing as a spectator worthy sport.

Therefore, in an attempt to stimulate a renewed interest in the competitive outcome of the elite races, to re-establish a rooting interest while giving full regard and appreciation to the athletes involved, the 2004 Los Angeles Marathon has devised "The Challenge". The addition of a $50,000 payoff to the top finisher over and above the traditional first place purse of $25,000 and a new Honda Accord will surely contribute to the keenness of the competition as well as the interest of the viewers and spectators.

Based on the 2003 LA Marathon and using a hypothetical 20:00 head start, the first place woman would have held the men off by a mere 12 seconds.

Here are more compelling race stats based on the 20-minute time differential:

* The men would have triumphed 10 times over the 18-year history of the event; the women 8 times.

* The average margin of victory in all 18 years has been 20 minutes 30.4 seconds. Over the past 5 years the margin has averaged 20 minutes 43.8 seconds.

* In the 18-year history of the race, the closest victory by a woman would have been 12 seconds and the longest a full 6 minutes. The range for men's victories was 31 seconds to 5 minutes, 52 seconds.

The 19th running of the City of Los Angeles Marathon Presented by Honda will take place on Sunday, March 7, 2004. Four hours of live race coverage will commence on NBC 4 and KVEA at 8am. Detailed event information and applications are available at www.lamarathon.com and by calling (310) 444-5544.

The 2004 City of Los Angeles Marathon Presented by Honda is sponsored by American Airlines, City of Angels Medical Center, The Gas Company (A Sempra Energy Utility), KVEA 52, NBC4, Saucony and Sparkletts. The City of Los Angeles Marathon is enjoying expanded support from new sponsors and licensees including Barbara's Bakery, Buitoni and Emerald Nuts.