Los Angeles Marathon

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX) -- Taking the tour This year's route will give participants a tour of some of the city's landmarks and highlights. Hollywood Bowl Soon after the start near Universal City, runners will head downhill past the Hollywood Bowl. -- Hollywood & Highland At Hollywood & Highland Center, site of the Academy Awards ceremonies, Walk of Fame regulars such as Darth Vader, Superman and Elmo pose for pictures with tourists. -- Hancock Park South of Melrose Avenue, the route passes through a residential area of tree-lined streets and lovely old homes.

When Dodgers owner Frank McCourt bought the Los Angeles Marathon last year, he gave management a new goal: Create a route that shows off the best of Los Angeles. That new "Stadium to Sea" route will be unveiled today, and it will start -- where else? -- at Dodger Stadium. The 25th edition of the race, on March 21, will wind through downtown, pass through West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica and end at the beach. Along the 26.2 miles, runners will pass landmarks including City Hall, the Capitol Records Building, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive and the Santa Monica Pier.

From around the country and around the world, thousands of runners, walkers, bike riders and wheelchair racers converged on downtown Monday for the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon, a race that swept them past many of the city's most famous landmarks and through its most diverse neighborhoods as throngs of spectators cheered them on. The Memorial Day race featured an abundance of American flags, colorful balloons and exotic running outfits.

As the 23rd running of the Los Angeles Marathon approaches, the race remains something of a mixed bag. It is popular with Southern Californians but is ignored by many top marathoners who prefer events in London, New York and Boston, and viewed with suspicion by sports agents who have had trouble collecting appearance fees from current race operator Chris Devine. Now the marathon that founder William Burke sold to Devine four years ago for $15 million reportedly is on the block again.

After months of training, buckets of sweat and countless tasteless energy bars, they're ready -- or hope they are. More than 26,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes will take to the streets Sunday as the Los Angeles Marathon kicks off its 23rd year with a 26.2-mile race through Hollywood, Koreatown, Boyle Heights, downtown and points in between.

From the starting line near Universal Studios, marathoners will traverse a point-to-point course that goes through Hollywood, Hancock Park, Koreatown, downtown and parts of Boyle Heights and finishes among downtown high-rises. Participants should familiarize themselves with the course before the race, but knowing what to expect goes far beyond looking at a map.

Taking on a marathon for the first time is both exhilarating and mystifying. To help runners navigate those 26.2 miles, we asked experienced marathoners and coaches for their advice. Weighing in are Pat Connelly, official coach of the L.A. Marathon and the L.A. Roadrunners, the marathon's training program; Kathrine Switzer, author of "Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports" and a former L.A.

Entrants to this year's L.A. Marathon may have been training for months, but the remaining days leading up to Sunday are critical. The body needs appropriate rest, nutrition and a little exercise to stay in racing shape.

The bear is still there. When Johan Otter runs through the city streets in Sunday's Los Angeles Marathon, he will do so in unmarked clothes, a gentle gait, seemingly very much alone. Yet he will have 400 pounds of company. The giant grizzly he once fought to protect his daughter will be felt with every step. "In many ways," he says quietly, "the bear never left." The grizzly will be there in the simple cap he wears on his head.

For many Kenyan athletes, the road to the Los Angeles Marathon and other major races unexpectedly turned life-threatening in late December when a disputed presidential election ignited unrest that left 1,000 people dead. At least two of them were runners -- and one was a former Olympian. The carnage since has given way to an uneasy peace in the wake of an agreement reached this week.