LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Marathon will move to Memorial Day, marathon operators said Monday.
It is the second time since September that the marathon has been given a new spot on the calendar, the Los Angeles Times reported. It had been run in March for 23 years, but city officials issued a demand that the event move to a Monday holiday, the newspaper said.
In September, LA Marathon LLC -- the company that operates the race, with funding by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt -- scheduled the 2009 marathon for Presidents Day, Feb. 16.
However, LA Marathon President Russ Pillar said so many people in the region work on Presidents Day that traffic and scheduling issues would complicate matters for the marathon.
Pillar told the Times the 2009 marathon will be held May 25.
"We think the Memorial Day date does two things," Pillar said. "It lets us honor the city's wishes that we have the race on a holiday Monday, and it lets us create a better runner's experience than we could have on Presidents Day."
The May 25 date could pose a complication of its own, the newspaper said, since it falls relatively late in the marathon season. Marathoners typically train for a season that runs from late February to early March.
Bill Lockton, president of an LA running club, noted that Memorial Day is also a big day for families.
"People are going on vacations, having barbecues," he said.
