Can women push L.A.’s marathon across the line?

The race lags behind New York City and Boston, but L.A. women are changing running and creating opportunity

- ASHLEY MATEO GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

THE L.A. MARATHON has grown 25% in two years, becoming the country’s sixth-largest race.

(ETIENNE LAURENT For The Times)

IN 1984, UNDER a punishing California sun, American distance runner Joan Benoit Samuelson ran into L.A. Memorial Coliseum and into history, winning the inaugural Olympic women's marathon.

It was a breakthrough for women's running; the iconic image of a sweat-drenched Samuelson charging toward gold modernized how the world perceived female runners.

For all its Olympic legacy, however, the hometown energy of the Los Angeles Marathon — which debuted a couple years later in 1986 — is still overshadowed by the bucket-list mania that surrounds other major American races. But now, as women reshape the culture and economics of distance running, Los Angeles has an opportunity to change that.

Women are fueling the growth of running nationwide, and are more likely to increase event participation over the next 12 months, according to the 2025 Running USA Global Trends survey. On average, women spend more in every single running category compared to men, from race fees to shoes; they also make up 64% of global travelers, influence 82% of trip decisions and spend more than $125 billion a year seeing the world.

The New York City, Chicago and Boston Marathons — each part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, seven of the world’s largest and most prestigious races — aren't just running events, they're cultural touchstones and economic engines for their cities. New York, with a record-breaking 59,226 participants in 2025, and Chicago, which draws around 54,000 runners each year, drive nearly $700 million each in annual economic impact. Even Boston, which caps its participants at around 35,000, generates more than $500 million each race.