For organizers and their city partners, heat, humanity and global community define LA Marathon 2026

With temperatures climbing into the mid to high 80s by late morning, heat became the defining operational factor for this year’s Los Angeles Marathon, testing runners and planners.

Emergency planners expanded cooling resources along the route, adding misting stations, ice supplies and additional medical support to help runners facing rising temperatures. “When you start seeing heat like that across a course this long, it changes the operational picture,” said LAFD Battalion Chief Brian Wall...