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Sep 19, 2024

Malibu International Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Malibu International Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.5

Number of comments: 48 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

A. A. from California (11/13/2012) "Loved the course" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This has become one of my favorite marathons. The course is the most scenic of any road race I have run in Southern California. The first 8 miles or so are flat or very slightly downhill towards the ocean through farmland. Then it turns and we ran along a pretty marsh/wetland area. I think the first 10-12 miles built up my anticipation and excitement for the second half, which I knew was along the coast. We headed through the rock at Pt Mugu and then the course is absolutely stunning. The Pacific was so close on our right that it felt like I could jump in at any time. You could see the waves breaking on the rocks. You could see little coves with seaweed. You can smell the salt in the air. Then you look to the left there was pretty hills and a big sand dune. The miles just rolled off while I enjoyed the views. Coming out off the beach at County Line (Neptunes Net on the left) we hit one of the three hills on the course. It did not feel too bad since it worked different legs muscles. The last 7 or 8 miles of the course are mostly gently rolling which was good for my legs since the only real ups to mile 18 or 19 were an short overpass and a slight up going to the Pt Mugu rock. It felt good to work different muscles the last part of the race. PCH dropped towards the beach at Leo Carrillo. Coming up the hill there slowed me down some but my legs felt good since again it worked different muscles from pretty much flat first 18 or 19 miles. We had short break downhill to allow my breathing and legs to recover and had one more uphill. The hills are not too bad at all. None are super steep but the three main ones are a little long. You always got a nice break after an up. The last two miles were a nice downhill towards the beach. You could see all of Zuma and Pt Dume and way down the coast. I got a smile on my face when I ran past the sign that said something like Welcome to Malibu 27 Miles of Scenic Beauty. Most of the second half of the course was right out a postcard or a movie. Beautiful. Don't expect a lot of frills if you run this race. It is a low key event in a the mellow town of Malibu. People talk a lot about the hills but there are only really three hills. If they were not late in the course, they would not be that big of a deal. Overall I think it is a relatively fast course. Faster than Surf City or Carlsbad. There are some ways the event could be improved but overall it is a great event and one I plan to do in the future. I appreciate the hard work of those who organized this thing. It must have been a task to get it approved and all the great volunteers out there to help with the race day activities.
E. S. from New York (11/13/2012) "Nice long training run" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I was supposed to run NYC and wound up in Malibu, so please take these commens in that context. The course was challenging, but doable if you had been training on hills. When you look at the elevation it appears as if there are three hills. Driving the course also gives you a similar impression. Instead, when you run it, you discover that the hills start after mile 10 or so (and are welcome at first, I find it hard to run on that much flat). Around mile 16 the larger hills start. There are probably about 7-10 depending on what you classify as a hill, with three very large hills. The last hill is really during mile 25. So while you will feel like you are through it at mile 24, be prepared for a little more. Organization: Not great, though i appreciate that they are in the beginning of this race. They started a 1/2 hour late in 2012. I was told that there was no parking at the start but my fiance and I decided to risk it in order to get a little extra sleep. There was ample parking. I would recommend showing up for this race about 15 minutes ahead of time. Use a bathroom at the 101 exit. They do not close the road, and the water breaks are sporadic until mile 12. my fiance met me every two miles or so with gatorade which he says was really easy to do. the accelerade they serve is a poor subsititute if you have been training with a real sports drink. Spectators... There are none to speak of. Be prepared to be running almost alone (if not completely) running past people standing and staring at you but somehow not cheering. I do not understand why someone would stand there on mile 20 up a hill and not cheer for people, but perhaps my view was colored by having been prepared to run NYC. In fairness, the race volunteers did a great job cheering. but 15 seconds of cheering every 15-20 minutes is not a lot. If they could fix some of the organization and spectating issues, I think this would be a great marathon to run. Challenging but doable and great views.
Kristy Wilson from Arizona (11/12/2012) "Beautiful Race" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The Malibu Marathon was the prettiest marathon I have run with the exception of Kauai, Hawaii. It gets more beautiful with each mile. The course was hilly between miles 19-24. The weather was perfect...a chilly start but I was warmed up by mile 3. I was disappointed with the expo, but I am also one of those runners who loves a free bag of junky samples. The race started 30 minutes late which was a little disappointing. I stayed at the host hotel and I got conflicting times as to when we were leaving in the morning. Overall nothing big went wrong and nothing beats running along the ocean and finishing right on the water.
P. F. from Los Angeles, CA (4/17/2012) "Nice, Small Marathon" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Believe it or not, the wonderful thing about this marathon is the lovely run through the farm fields between Camarillo and Malibu. Great, green, fields, cool, beautiful. I've gone back there for some long runs since then. Just loved it. Then, you get 12 fine, beautiful miles running along the ocean. The last five miles are painful, hilly, and not very pretty working your way Point Dume. The last five miles is the weakest part of this marathon. Organization was OK, about what you'd expect for a small marathon. Enough stations, but don't skip one. Bottom line. This probably doesn't deserve to be a destination marathon, but if it works for you, dont' hesitate to go run it. It's a nice marathon
T. L. from Canyon Country, CA (11/30/2011) "Much improved from 2009!" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Malibu International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I did Malibu in 2009 and was not impressed with the organization. I skipped it in 2010. I received my 2009 beach towel in the summer of 2011, and decided to give Malibu another try. I found it much better this year. The bus didn't get lost (one broke down but that's not something the race can help). The start was organised. The portapotties were present and unlocked. The first part of the course was a good flat warmup for the rolling hills along the coast. And it wasn't windy! Yeah!! It would have been nice to have a water stop somewhere between 13 and 17, that was the longest gap. The oranges at 13 and 20 were wonderful. We got to see dolphins and I'm almost certain I saw a sea otter snoozing in the kelp bed offshore. Finish line was well organised, glad they had beach towels this year. There was plenty of food and drink for the finishers. Parking was easy, albeit not cheap. I would like to see race morning packet pickup as an option, driving out there twice was one trip too many for my taste, especially since I was doubling Santa Barbara/Malibu so had to get my Santa Barbara packet too. Not ecologically friendly to make runners drive to the race twice. But much improved from 2009 and it was a good experience.
M. P. from West Covina, Ca (11/23/2011) "Very scenic course" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Malibu International Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Love the course, very scenic and well organized!
P. N. from Camarillo, CA (11/15/2011) "Good Course Needing More Support" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I appreciate the challenge to provide a ton of water stops, but I would suggest updating the website to reflect the actual number and location of water stops. I would've worn my Fuel Belt had I known the first 15 miles or so were so unsupported.
p. w. from Phoenix, Az. (11/15/2011) "Very challenging second half." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon was run very well. Everyone that cheered or worked the course were very nice. There should have been larger water or accelerade cups. I had to drink about 4-5 cups at every water station. It was a very humid day so I couldn't get enough liquid in me. Other marathons that I have been too use larger dixie cups. Very tough hills in the second portion of the race. Beautiful day and all in all it was a great race.
j. h. from Los Angeles, ca (11/14/2011) "Need more water stations" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Just ran the 2011 marathon last weekend. The route was ok. Just like how u would have expected. First half was all fields, then second half was by the Pacific Ocean. Good bus transportation from the parking lot to the start line. I ran the L.A. and Pasadena the same year. They had water and energy drinks stations almost every mile. But here, every three miles the first 13 miles. I got so thirsty by the 5th mile and I had to drink water out of the portable toilet's hand-washing sink. I got bad stomachache after 20 mins. Had to go to the bathroom 3 times for whatever reason u would think. Towards the 13 miles on the PCH, you had to share the narrow road with cars, cyclists and it was just awful! The end line was fun, tons of people cheering u up, and tons of food and drink after the finish line... I would recommend it or do it again if they will put in more water station...
Tristan Merica-Jones from San Diego, California (10/25/2011) "Baby: Ain't nothing like the real thing!" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Malibu International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love the angry comment that I saw here that said 'it was like they dropped you off at the airport and told you to run back to your car. Because, yes. It was very much like that. But wonderfully so. Like a friend gave you and some people that you'd never met before, but who also love to run, a ride up the coast, and closed down half of the fabled Pacific Coast Highway. And left water and Gatorade, and some strange coconut milk that by the end of the day you kinda started to like, by the side of the road so that you and the other similarly seduced runners could celebrate together along some of the world's most beautiful coastline. Support was shoestring. But it was sincere. In this day of counterfeits, the real-deal is conspicuous. The energy surrounding this race is good. Very Positive. Very authentic. I bet many of the people posting negative comments would be ashamed of themselves if they really thought about it. I mean, what are we doing here?! This is distance running, and yet people are complaining about inconvenience and discomfort? My life as a runner is littered with blisters and pain, early mornings and training sessions that are sometimes downright unpleasant. Obviously, there's a reason that we tolerate such inconveniences and discomfort, and the reason is manifest abundantly at the Malibu Marathon. I promise you, if approached in the right frame of mind, each of the shortcomings that I've seen listed regarding this race will show itself merely as a symptom of something unique and great about the Malibu marathon. Don't look at the blister. Look at what caused the blister and then decide. If you love to run, you'll put up with a few blisters. If you love to run, you'll be doing yourself a favor to overlook the Malibu Marathon's blisters. In the last miles of the race, as the headwinds and hills queried my body's true limits, I felt peace that after this race, I didn't need to do another. But that's just it. Falling asleep that same night of the race, I had that deep, somehow eerie knowledge that the day's experience almost ensured that I must do another. If you just like running, and being a part of something, and telling people at work that you're doing a marathon, that's great. You might be annoyed to have paid the 'hefty' Malibu entry fee and be bothered that the aid stations aren't run with corporate precision. But if you long to, one more time, be ravished by that queer luxuriant pleasure that comes from a long distance experience, don't miss Malibu. I'm not a weird person or a super athlete. What I like about running is probably what most of you like about running. Even so, enjoying long distance running is, almost by definition, going to be peculiar, counter-intuitive. Headwinds, hills in the final miles of the race, picking up already used gel packs off the ground to suck the last drops out because, being my first Malibu Marathon, I didn't realize that you'd be well advised to carry extra water and gel. Yes. That was how my first Malibu marathon went. And yes, I was surprised when I picked up my goody bag at race registration. I was disappointed by it's contents. I'd trained hard for this race. I expected some guy on a stage, flanked by enormous speakers and loud music, to give me the registration day reception that I deserved. And a fat goody bag. I mean, the next day, I'd be running a marathon. That's pretty impressive. Why weren't people seeming more impressed? If not with me, at least with themselves? This race wasn't following standard marathon protocol. There was very little hype. I didn't understand. However, what I was disappointed by initially about the Malibu marathon, turned out to have very little to do with why I like running, and what I like about races. I hadn't been gipped because my goody bag didn't have a free t-shirt, and a bunch of coupons and advertisements, and samples of the latest power energy nuggets. As they handed me the banana and bottle of water at the finish line, the scales fell from my eyes. They gave us towels there after the race, too. How could they have done otherwise?! Because while wearing a marathon t-shirt to work on Monday might give you the chance to talk to people about how much you like to run, is that really what matters? I will never be able to convey the rich connection with life and earth and other people that I felt, wading into the pacific with everyone after the race. But I don't have to try to explain myself because every person that I made eye contact with at Malibu's finish line understood. And that's what distinguished the race most for me. This is a shared, intimate experience that the mega-thons can't be. When life's best experiences occur, it's rarely due to planning. I'm not sure a race could be flawlessly administered and yet still be authentic. Not that the one produces the other, but they seldom coexist. The guy said: It was like someone dropped you off at the airport and told you to run back to your car. And it was. And it was wonderful.

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