The Los Angeles Marathon is Sunday. Here’s what you need to know

Thousands of people will take part in the Los Angeles Marathon Sunday, racing along a 26.2-mile course from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.

The event will force the closures of numerous streets and freeway ramps, as well as public transit detours.

Whether you’ll be competing, cheering on a friend or just trying to find a clear route to work in the morning, here’s everything you need to know.

The race

The “Stadium to the Sea” route begins at Dodger Stadium and ends at Ocean and California avenues in Santa Monica.

The race starts at 6:30 a.m. with the wheelchair participants, followed by the women’s elite field at 6:45 and the rest of the participants at 6:55.

The runners

More than 24,000 athletes are slated to participate. The elite field includes three previous men’s winners and the women’s defending champion. The men’s event, in particular, is expected to be competitive. More on that is here.

If you’re among the lucky 24,000, we’ve got some pointers on making it your best marathon yet. Here are 10 secrets to running a great race that only veteran competitors know.

Road closures

Closures will begin as early as midnight and continue throughout the day along the course. Most roads should be open again by midafternoon.

Ramps will be closed along major freeways as well. Here’s a complete list of the closures.

Drivers are advised to expect delays and congestion around the race route. The L.A. Department of Transportation’s traffic management plan is here.

Getting there

Race participants can take a free shuttle from Santa Monica or downtown Los Angeles to the starting line at Dodger Stadium. Here’s a list of time slots and pickup locations.

On the flip side, Santa Monica has designated the east side of 5th Street between Broadway and Wilshire Boulevard an area where motorists can pull over and pick up participants after the race.

Marathon spectators are encouraged to take public transportation. To accommodate what’s expected to be a spike in ridership, Metro is adding cars to its Red Line trains between 5:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Starting at 9 a.m., Metro will also operate longer trains along its Expo Line, which travels to the marathon finish line in Santa Monica, and will increase the service frequency to every nine minutes.

Those headed toward the finish line on Metro bus lines 534, 720 or 733 will be rerouted to a temporary bus hub at the Expo Line 17th Street/Santa Monica College station, where riders with TAP cards can transfer to the westbound Expo line at no additional charge. Those returning on lines 534, 720 or 733 can also transfer from the Expo line to those buses for free.

A number of other bus routes will be detoured due to the race. Here’s a complete list.

Not getting there

If your interest in the marathon is purely aspirational, we have something for you, too. Enjoy some virtual competition with our interactive graphic.

Enter your mile pace or previous marathon time (and, if you’d like, find your friends’ times on the L.A. Marathon website) and see how you stack up against people you know, past winners and some unexpected participants (one is a Metro bus).

alexandra.wigglesworth@latimes.com

Twitter: @phila_lex