Every year, thousands of runners converge on Los Angeles to participate in one of the most widely attended marathons in America: The L.A. Marathon. In years past, there was an official cycling event that coincided with the marathon, but that event was discontinued several years ago. Yet that didn’t deter the thousands of cyclists who know that the marathon course offers a brief reprieve from L.A.’s day-to-day traffic. Forgoing the official route, a group known as the Wolfpack Hustle created what has become the world’s largest unsanctioned, non-permitted race: the Marathon Crash Race.
The same group that raced JetBlue during the 2011 Carmageddon (and won), the Wolfpack Hustle is a weekly bicycle ride that has been meeting every Monday night at Tang’s Donuts on Sunset & Fountain since 2005. Starting in 2010, they have also hosted the now-famous Marathon Crash Race. That event, attracting thousands of cyclists of all types, will take place this coming Sunday and culminates at Santa Monica’s own Palisades Park.
Who: All cyclists are welcome (with protection and lights, of course)! For those who intend on racing, there are four categories: Men’s Fixed, Men’s Geared, Women’s Fixed, Women’s Geared. (Note: registration is required.)
What: From the organizer’s website: “The Marathon Crash Race is a road race across Los Angeles from the East to the Beach. The course is the pre-dawn Marathon route – approximately 26 miles of LA streets. At 4AM, Marathon workers begin to barricade the streets and shortly after that is when this race takes place.”
When: The event takes place on March 9, 2013. Racers gather at 3 am with a rolling start at 4 am.
Where: Tang’s Donut at Sunset and Fountain Ave. 4341 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
For a lot more information about safety, rules, etiquette, sign-up information, etc., visit the Crash Race’s official website.
Other Events:
- Friday: The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women, and Organization of Women Leaders hosts their annual networking breakfast in honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. The event takes place at the Meridien Delfina from 7:15-9 a.m. The organizations will honor Santa Monica Chief of Police, Jacqueline A. Seabrooks, and Channel 11 news anchor and Wednesday’s Child Founder, Christine Devine, with ‘Owlie’ Awards. Attendees will mix and mingle, enjoy breakfast, hear from the honorees, enter to win raffle prizes, and join together to celebrate women in Santa Monica.
- Saturday: The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica (UUCCSM) hosts a community event to raise funds and awareness for the ongoing fight against hunger in West L.A. For a $20 donation members of the public will share a simple meal of soup and bread and take home a beautiful handmade ceramic bowl of their choosing, to remind them of empty bowls right here in our community. 100% of the $20 donations will benefit Westside Food Bank, a local nonprofit that serves 70 different local agencies providing food to those in need. The event will take place from 11am-noon at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica (1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404).
- Sunday: Woflpack Hustle Race, detailed above.
