Los Angeles city officials Wednesday agreed to hold the Los Angeles Marathon on a Sunday in March from next year, instead of Memorial Day, because some athletes complained about the possibility of intense heat in late May.

The date of the 42.195-kilometer race has been changed twice since the event's organizing rights were acquired by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt in September.

The Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee of the City Council approved the motion to reopen the contract with LA Marathon LLC and change the date of future marathons to a Sunday in March. The motion will next be heard by the Budget and Finance Committee.

Traditionally, the race has been run on the third Sunday in March. In a unanimous vote of the council in September, the race rights were transferred to McCourt's group, with the stipulation that the race be shifted to a Monday holiday to limit the impact on Sunday morning religious services.

The race was scheduled for Presidents Day in February. And then race in November, organizers moved the marathon to Memorial Day, or the last Monday in May. They said that new date would create fewer disruptions, as more people would have the day off from work.

But runners have argued that holding a marathon in Los Angeles during the month of May is problematic because of the heat, which makes it difficult to compete.

During the Chicago Marathon in October 2007, a runner died, and several others collapsed and were hospitalized when temperatures soared to 88 degrees. That marathon was canceled mid-race.

Scheduling the marathon for Memorial Day was "a wrong decision," said McCourt's spokesman Howard Sunkin.

The date change has had a significant impact on the number of marathoners participating in this year's race. While more than 17,000 runners crossed the finish line last year, only 9,162 runners have signed up so far this year.

(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2009)