The 2016 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon on Feb. 14 starts in Los Angeles and ends in Santa Monica. Local florists say the big event will cause major logistical challenges on Valentine’s Day.
A Sunday holiday. A three-day weekend.
If you thought Valentine’s Day 2016 couldn’t get more stressful, think again: Some florists in Los Angeles are dealing with a major logistical headache, in the form of a major marathon on — you guessed it — Feb. 14.
The 2016 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon starts at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles and passes through West Hollywood and Beverly Hills before ending in Santa Monica. The earliest event, the wheelchair start, begins at 6:30 a.m., and the “Finish Line Festival” runs through 3 p.m.
To accommodate the race, the city will have significant street closures Feb. 13 and Feb.14 — making some holiday deliveries impossible, according to Lance Williams of Playa del Rey Florist in Playa del Rey.
“By cutting the city in half and closing roads the night before, we are being dramatically restricted and having to either turn down business or try and offer alternate solutions,” said Williams, who reached out to race organizers to express his disappointment over the race’s timing. “It is making everything more difficult, time-consuming and generally very hard.”
On Feb. 13, the city is also hosting a 5K run, along with the 2016 U.S. Olympics Trial Marathon, where the top 375 marathoners in the country compete for a prize package and spots on the women’s and men’s teams representing the country at the upcoming Olympics in Brazil.
According to Rachel Sanchez, manager of charity partnerships for LA MARATHON LLC, the company behind the races, the city opted to move the Skechers marathon, traditionally held in March, to Feb. 14 to accommodate those trials and the already scheduled accompanying TV coverage on NBC.
“The Olympic Trials are an important opportunity for the Los Angeles area to showcase itself leading into the 2017 vote to determine the host city of the 2024 Olympics,” Sanchez explained, in her response to Williams. “Should Los Angeles win, the economic benefits of hosting an Olympics for businesses will be substantial.”
For his part, Williams — who kept his email to race organizers brief, polite and professional — said the potential of Olympics-related business eight years from now is hardly worth the frustration and hardship of a wrecked holiday.
“I have friends who have shops on the route, who have decided to close on Valentine’s Day, because they will not be able to do any business anyway,” he said. “It is a very sad thing.”
Affected by the marathon? We want to hear about it. In fact, E-Brief editors want to know all about your Valentine’s Day challenges and triumphs. We know you are knee-deep in prep now, but after the holiday, send us a note at mwestbrook@safnow.org.
And, be on the lookout for SAF’s Valentine’s Day Gut Check and Post-Holiday surveys. By participating in the surveys, you’ll help us provide more comprehensive insight on the holiday this year.
