The Los Angeles Marathon rescheduled to a new date to make way for Hollywood’s biggest night, the Academy Awards.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday that organizers of both events compromised to avoid scheduling conflicts on the previously double-booked date of Sunday, March 15. The marathon route typically runs past the Dolby Theater, where Hollywood’s stars gather for the Oscars. From 2026 onwards, the L.A. marathon will take place on the third Sunday of March. The Oscars will remain on March 15 for 2026, but both parties have agreed to avoid conflict in the future.
“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,” Murphy Reinschreiber, COO, McCourt Foundation, and Bill Kramer, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said in a joint statement.
“My mission is always to ensure that L.A.’s signature events are safe and successful for visitors and Angelenos to enjoy,” Mayor Bass said Friday. “I’m pleased we were able to reach an agreement that sets up the L.A. Marathon and the Oscars to continue reflecting all that our city has to offer while establishing a long-term partnership to benefit the organizations for years to come.”
The Oscars were held on March 2, 2025, while the marathon took place two weeks later on March 16. The marathon began two years after the 1984 Summer Olympic Games hosted in Los Angeles, and it is one of the five largest marathons in the country.
Conan O’Brien is slated to return to host the 98th annual Academy Awards ceremony. A new rule was implemented for academy members ahead of the 2026 awards ceremony. Now all voting members must watch all nominated films in each category to be able to vote in the final round.
