In the words of the late Nipsey Hussle, “the marathon continues!” In this case, it’s the annual Los Angeles Marathon returning this Sunday, March 8 with the “Stadium of the Sea” course — from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.

If you’re participating in the race or planning to cheer on runners, Metro Rail is the best option to get to all marathon festivities and avoid extensive bus detours and street closures.

Like previous years, the marathon is offering complimentary shuttle service to all participants from Union Station to the starting line at Dodger Stadium. Reservations are required. More information here. (Please note: there is no shuttle service back to Union Station after the race.)

Those who need to return to Union Station can take the E Line (Expo) at Downtown Santa Monica Station (4th St. & Colorado Ave.) and transfer to the B Line (Red) or D Line (Purple) at 7th St/Metro Center to complete the trip to Union Station. Be sure to load $3.50 in stored value on your TAP card ahead of time.

Here are the Metro Rail stations within walking distance of the route:

• L Line (Gold): Chinatown Station, Union Station
• B Line (Red) and D Line (Purple): Union Station, Civic Center/Grand Park Station
• B Line (Red): Vermont/Sunset Station, Hollywood/Western Station, Hollywood/Vine Station and Hollywood/Highland Station
• E Line (Expo): Downtown Santa Monica Station

Metro will provide enhanced E Line service on March 8 with three-car trains running every nine minutes from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. to accommodate crowds.

Several Metro bus lines will be disrupted along the marathon route. Lines that normally travel in the area will be on detour. Check our Service Advisories page for details and allow extra time to complete your trip.

Again, we recommend loading a TAP card ahead of time with $3.50 round trip fare in Stored Value. Each person must have their own TAP card, which can be purchased at any Metro Rail Station for $2.

For more details on getting to the race via Metro, use the Metro Trip Planner.