City Is Hoping to Put Itself on Marathon Map : Organizers, Officials Announce Plans for Major Los Angeles Race on March 9

In the world of big-time marathon running, Los Angeles rates as little more than a dot on the map. Except for the men’s marathon in the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and the women’s marathon in the ’84 Games, there has never been a world-class marathon in the city, although several suburban races have been locally popular.

All that may change soon. On March 9, the first Los Angeles Marathon will be run. Organizers and city officials are predicting that it will finally put Los Angeles on the marathon map.

Friday morning, at a press conference on the steps of City Hall, Mayor Tom Bradley and William Burke, president of the Los Angeles Marathon Inc., announced the date, detailed the course--start and finish line will be at the Coliseum--and introduced the sponsors. Mostly, though, they wanted it known that they intend for this city-sanctioned marathon to be on the same level as those in Boston, New York and Chicago.

Said Bradley, wearing running shoes and a marathon sweat shirt: “After the success of the Olympic Games, we came to the conclusion that Los Angeles ought to join the ranks of those first-class cities in this country and the rest of the world that annually hold marathons. It is my expectation that, at some point and quickly, Los Angeles will rank with the best in the world.”

Burke said that his organization already has a million-dollar budget, sponsorship by Coca-Cola, Trans World Airlines and Air Cal, among others, and is currently negotiating a national television deal. He did not disclose details.

Expectations may be high for the L.A. Marathon, but it most likely won’t become an instant world-class race if organizers are unable to draw a representative share of the elite men and women marathoners. Fall and spring are the heights of the marathon season, and the L.A. Marathon will be competing against world-class races in Boston, London and Rotterdam--all in April.

Burke said that the amount of prize money and appearance fees to be awarded will be announced in about two months. So far, the only world-class runner the race has drawn is New Zealand’s Rod Dixon, 1983 New York Marathon winner and the 10th-place finisher in the Olympic marathon.

Burke said the race will draw other big names. “We’re going to put a lot of emphasis on that, but maybe a little less than the others because we have Los Angeles,” he said. “This is not only a top media market, it’s also a high consumer market.”

Still, the competition for the top runners, who usually run only two marathons a year, will be fierce. Boston, which had not awarded prize money for 89 years, recently relented and will offer runners $250,000.

Rotterdam and London also offer prize money, as well as fast courses ideal for world-record attempts. At Rotterdam, Carlos Lopes of Portugal set a world record of 2 hours 7 minutes 11 seconds, which has yet to be officially recognized because the course has not been measured. Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen set a women’s record of 2:21:06 at London this spring.

But Burke said he doesn’t anticipate or want a big-money battle with the other spring marathons, such as the bidding war raging between the Chicago and New York marathons, which will be held within a week of one another in October.

“I don’t think we’ll be involved in that type of competition,” Burke said. “If we do, we’ll just have to decide what we’re going to do when it happens.”

Dixon, who had flown in from New Zealand for the press conference, believes that top runners will be lured to Los Angeles for more than just the money.

“When I went to New York, Fred (Lebow, the race director) asked me how much (money) I expect for running. I told him, ‘The last thing I think about when running is how much I make. But it’s probably the first thing I think about when I finish.’ From an elite point of view, you look in terms of recognition and what it does for your career.

“There is room (for another spring race). Top runners are getting more selective about where they can run now, and I think L.A. fits in on the priority list because runners--even elite runners--can go back home and say they ran L.A. People know Los Angeles. You don’t have to say, ‘Well, I ran the such-and-such marathon in Wyoming that drew 20,000.’ ”

It isn’t known, of course, how many entrants the Los Angeles Marathon will have. But officials estimate anywhere from 10,000 to 18,000. The lure for the recreational runners is a fast, flat loop course, starting and finishing at the Coliseum but weaving through several areas of Los Angeles. The last three miles will be the same as the Olympic course, which began at Santa Monica City College.

“I’ve always thought, ‘Why not have a marathon in Los Angeles?’ ” Dixon said. “I had a great time at the Olympics. The people here were great, very supportive. That’s what it takes to have a successful marathon.”

Marathon Notes Specifics on the course: After starting on the Coliseum track, the course will run northeast through downtown, Chinatown and Little Tokyo, then will turn west through Hollywood. The loop will go south through Hancock Park and then finish at the Coliseum. Differences of opinion on the course was one of the major reasons it took so long to organize the race. . . . Entry fee will be $15. Information on the race can be obtained by writing the Los Angeles Marathon, Inc., 5985 W. Century Blvd. Suite 322, Los Angeles, CA. 90045.