Last week, Mayor Karen Bass announced that an agreement had been reached between the organizers of the LA Marathon (which is now called ASICS Los Angeles Marathon) and the organizers of the Oscars Awards show that allows both events to take place in LA in March of 2026.
Prior to Mayor Bass’ stepping in to mediate, both events were scheduled to take place on the same day next year creating logistical conflicts such as overlapping routes.
The LA Marathon had announced March 15th, 2026 first. Many runners register a year in advance. What doesn’t happen… is A-list stars registering for the Oscars a year in advance. Catering to a select few Hollywood elite versus thousands of runners coming from all around the world and country to aid the LA economy doesn’t make sense to us.
Perhaps this would have been a grand opportunity for a partnership. Something fun for both organizations to showcase and celebrate two major events that take place in Los Angeles on Hollywood Boulevard. After all, runners ran through the Oscars’ setup in 2022.
“Under the leadership of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have finalized dates for the 2026 calendar that will enable each to take place on separate dates in March. The 2026 Oscars will take place on March 15, 2026, and the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon will take place on a date in March 2026 that will be announced in the coming days,” said Murphy Reinschreiber, COO, McCourt Foundation, and Bill Kramer, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a joint statement.
In future years, all parties have agreed that the Marathon will take place on the third Sunday in March. The ASICS Los Angeles Marathon and the Academy Awards have also agreed to establish a partnership to promote each other’s events to benefit the greater Los Angeles community.
Los Angeles regularly hosts marquee events like the Oscars and LA Marathon and is gearing up to welcome the world in the coming years.
Mayor Bass established the Office of Major Events, headed by Council President Emeritus Paul Krekorian, to ensure that the City is well prepared to host the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Perhaps they should have waited to make this announcement for when the LA Marathon had a new date.
