Marathon Is Still a Loser in Run for Money

The second annual City of Los Angeles Marathon, run through 26 miles of streets Sunday, lost between $125,000 and $200,000, half the debt incurred by the initial running last year, the race organization’s president said Monday.

At an upbeat press conference, marathon President Bill Burke said costs escalated when more runners entered the race than officials had predicted. Nearly 15,000 runners took part and hundreds of thousands of people lined the race route to cheer them on and partake in street parties.

Burke said marathon organizers spend $140 for each runner, covering the costs of food, water, paper cups and the resulting cleanup. Runners pay only a $20 entrance fee.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t think the marathon will ever make a profit,” he said. “The more you do, the more you want to do. And the more you want to do, the more you cannot back it up.”

In an interview before the race, Burke predicted that the marathon would lose $70,000 to $100,000 because initial budgets had underestimated the number of runners.

“You can’t turn them away,” he said. “They’re our emissaries. Not a day will go by that they won’t talk about it with somebody. If you don’t treat them right . . . .”

Last year’s inaugural marathon left organizers with a $370,000 deficit, which was quickly paid off by sponsors.

“It’s like show business,” Burke said before Sunday’s marathon. “When you have a hit, you get a lot of new friends. Within 60 days, we’d signed up enough sponsors to pay that off and pay for ’87. . . . But how can you build if you don’t keep growing?”