Mild temperatures forecast for Monday's Los Angeles Marathon alleviated fears about runner safety that have prompted calls for a change of the date of the race, an official said Friday.

About 14,000 runners have signed up for the race, which begins and ends in downtown Los Angeles, according to Peter Abraham, creative director of the annual event.

There will be water stations and Gatorade energy drinks offered along the route, but with only mild temperatures expected in the Los Angeles area, emergency plans for handing waves of heat-exhausted runners can be shelved.

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 race has been traditionally run on the third Sunday in March. But in a decision by city officials 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.

It was first scheduled for Presidents Day in February, and then organizers moved the event to Memorial Day, or the last Monday in May, to avoid disruptions as more people would have the day off from work.

Abraham said the calendar change has not kept the elite runners from joining the field, citing entrants from Morocco, Ethiopia and Kenya. But the officials refused to say if the total number of runners was impacted by the switch.

The men's elite field is highlighted by Tariku Jufar of Ethiopia, who set his personal best of 2:08:10 at last year's Hamburg Marathon, while in the women's division, Romania's Nuta Olaro enters with the best personal time of 2:24:33.

Registration for the event closes Sunday night, Abraham said, adding that some runners would sign up at the last minute.

"With the economy and the change in date and everything else, if we're between 15,000 and 18,000, that would be terrific," Abraham said.

Los Angeles city officials earlier this week agreed to move the race back on a Sunday in March from next year, instead of Memorial Day, after some athletes complained about the possibility of intense heat in late May.

"The runner would clearly prefer to run on a Sunday in March," Abraham said. "And we're supportive of anything that creates a better runner's experience."

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2009)