Dr. Bill Burke, Six Deep Thoughts on the Real Person Who Gave Los Angeles the Marathon – runblogrun

Dr. William “Bill” Burke died on May 29, 2026. Bill was 87 years old. Former Los Angeles Olympics tennis commissioner Bill and his business partner Marie Patrick spearheaded the seventh attempt to give the city of Los Angeles a marathon, and, well, it stuck. There were over 10,000 starters the first year (1986). Here are some stories from those early years that I have organized as deep thoughts:

1. Bill Burke was amazed at how Peter Weberoth saved the Olympic movement. In Los Angeles in 1984, Weberoth brought in a large number of sponsors and saved the Olympic movement’s finances. There should be a statue of Weberoth in the headquarters of the IOC. Burke liked Weberoth’s approach and used it in the Los Angeles Marathon. Burke and his partner, Marie Patrick, knew how to circle the city and control the marathon.
2. In 1986, this writer observed the registration line for the Los Angeles Marathon. It was a very long line. People were grumbling. Bill Burke walked around the building and told the runners that this is what successful marathons look like. The late one Fred Lebow and: Allan Steinfield told me that the Los Angeles Marathon must be one of the greatest marathons in the world. Bill Burke was a BS fantasy artist. He could wrap up a story like I’ve rarely seen. That charm gave Burke the charisma of a circus manager and used car salesman with an iconic Los Angeles twist.
3. Bill Burke and Marie Patrick turned the marathon into a long-running event. Before Bill Burke and Marie Patrick, six attempts were unsuccessful. Burke and Patrick weren’t part of the local running community, but they were able to develop interest in big-city marathons and Los Angeles’ heritage. Their greatest talent was surviving the need to swindle in Los Angeles.
4. Burke and Patrick knew that the Los Angeles Marathon and its sponsors provided money and merchandise. Sponsors put the dynamic duo in charge of one of the most important marathons in the world. The truth was that Burke, in the first year, completely destroyed the relationship with the sparkling water popular in the 1980s, when Burke showed up at the reception with a bottle of a competitor in his hand. Burke was Burke. He didn’t bother with the details. He had Marie Patrick to keep the momentum going.
5. With half a dozen shoe sponsors and a handful of presenting sponsors, Burke and Patrick were able to juggle Los Angeles politics, the moving parts that are Los Angeles, and the groups that are hell-bent on seeing the event fail.
6. Bill Burke used his and his partner’s skills, Marie Patrick, To build a lasting legacy in Los Angeles. 27,000 runners and walkers who complete the marathon receive it. It Los Angeles City Marathon gives them a view of Los Angeles that few get to see. The McCourt Foundation, which now owns the LA Marathon, keeps that legacy alive. To read and a tribute to Dr. Burke by Tony Revis, one of our best sports writers please go. https://tonireavis.com/2026/05/30/dr-william-bill-burke-la-marathon-entrepreneur-passes/