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Marathon Details - Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)

North America Marathons > USA > CA > Huntington Beach > Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)

Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)

Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) & Half Marathon, 5K

Huntington Beach, CA USA

February 2, 2025

http://www.runsurfcity.com

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SUMMARY. Picture this..."a start wreathed in light fog, led out by a covey of restored classic woody sedans and lifeguard vehicles," complete with surfboards on top! Marathon & Beyond Magazine calls it a "perfect start/finish." All races begin to the Beach Boys' soundtrack Surfin' USA and the cheers of local surfers from Huntington Beach's own surfing clubs. This exclusive oceanfront course is a classic California Dream! Run by the famous Huntington Beach pier and through scenic Huntington Central Park. Observe native surfers in their natural habitat from the beachfront running path that winds through the famed surfing beaches of Southern California. Retro surf bands entertain along the way and the Finish Line Festival includes a beach side beer garden and BBQ in the California sun. Finishers receive bodacious surfboard medals. Surf City, Here We Run!

The Surf City Marathon is well-regarded for its organization, scenic route, and community support, making it a must-do event for runners of all levels, is a celebration of California's beach culture, offering runners a scenic course along the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. Starting near the southern corner of Huntington Street and PCH, the race provides stunning ocean views, making it a memorable experience for all participants. The marathon's flat and fast course is perfect for setting personal records, with just a few gentle inclines to keep things interesting.

The course takes runners north along PCH, offering strong crowd support in the initial miles. The route then heads inland through residential neighborhoods, providing a brief change of scenery before returning to the coastal highway. With Bolsa Chica State Beach and Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on either side, the midsection of the race offers a unique experience of running between two bodies of water.

The event is known for its excellent aid stations, spaced at regular intervals and staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. The finish line rewards runners with a unique surf-themed medal and a variety of refreshments, including bananas, Dole fruit cups, and chocolate milk. The post-race festival by the beach is perfect for celebrating the achievement, complete with a beer garden sponsored by Michelob Ultra.

Contact Information

Name:	Surf City USA Marathon Office
Address:	Raceforce LLC. 7080 Hollywood Blvd, 4th Floor Los Angeles, California 90028
Phone Number:	888-422-0RUN
Email:	Email the organizers

Race Organizer

California's Classic Oceanfront Marathon (7/4/07)

Race Director

Picture this..."a start wreathed in light fog, led out by a covey of restored classic woody sedans and lifeguard vehicles," complete with surfboards on top! Marathon & Beyond Magazine calls it a "perfect start/finish." All races begin to the Beach Boys' soundtrack Surfin' USA and the cheers of local surfers from Huntington Beach's own surfing clubs. This exclusive oceanfront course is a classic California Dream! Run by the famous Huntington Beach pier and through scenic Huntington Central Park. The beachfront running path winds through the famed surfing beaches of Southern California. Retro surf bands entertain along the way and the Finish Line Festival includes a beach side beer garden and BBQ in the California sun. Finishers receive bodacious surfboard medals.
Surf City, Here We Run!

Runner Reviews (205)

Course 4.2

Organization 4.0

Spectators 3.6

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Number of comments: 205 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 21 > ]

Wayne Wright from Newport Beach, California USA (3/29/2022) "Surfin' City USA" (about: 2022) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 INTRODUCTION: I am a racewalker with a median marathon completion time of 5:24:10. The Surf City USA Marathon was my sixty-sixth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: 46 degrees, 51 percent relative humidity, and calm. Our course began on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) at Huntington Street. In an NNW direction, we passed by downtown in our first mile continuing on toward Seapoint Street at mile 2.9. Turning inland, we headed toward Huntington Beach Park. Upon reaching it just past mile 5, our course narrowed down to a winding foot path, punctuated by occasional dirt and a one-time soft surface underneath a jungle gym, for the next two miles. Mostly backtracking to PCH, we encountered our only significant hill, a short 0.3-mile, 54-foot incline on Edwards Street at mile 9 between Talbert Avenue and Ellis Avenue. Shortly after, we would no longer have the course to ourselves for the rest of the race. Beginning with our turn onto Overlook Drive, we would be joined by the half marathon runners, who outnumbered us by more than six to one. For tortoise marathon participants, we would initially be passed by runners running at a pace more than four minutes per mile faster. Three-fourths into mile ten, we returned back to PCH heading northward toward Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve for the next 2.4 miles. We then returned in the opposite direction for the next 4.2 miles where we separated from the half marathoners at mile 16.4. At 14th Street, U-turning northbound onto the Huntington City Beach bike trail, as warned by the organizers, we encountered cyclists, dog walkers, pedestrians, and marathoners going the opposite way on the eight-foot wide-asphalt path for the next couple of miles. Adjacent to the PCH/Seapoint Street intersection, as we entered Bolsa Chica State Beach, our course widened to, apart from crossing the bridge over the tidal inlet, a pancake flat, 20-foot-wide smooth asphalt surface with an imperceptible cant for the next 2.7 miles. All along, we had vistas of surfers, waves crashing against the beach, and Catalina Island off to the west; and the Long Beach skyline, where their marathon takes place in October, to the north. Turning around just before mile 21, we retraced our steps to 14th Street and slightly beyond, exiting back onto PCH at 11th Street for a total of approximately 9.1 miles of the marathon course on the multi-use trail. We then could count down the streets from 11th to 1st just before crossing the finish line. Atypically, separate finish lines were established for half (on the left) and full (on the right) marathons. Weather at the finish was 67 degrees, 46 percent relative humidity, and calm. ORGANIZATION: A nicely done event. It was a beautiful day for the efficiently run expo, which was held underneath tents in the Huntington City Beach parking lot. Free race day parking was provided at the Huntington State Beach, with the gates opening at 5 am. Those who arrived early were parked 0.8 miles away from the race start. Later arrivals had the option of boarding school busses stationed approximately 1 and 2 miles away from the start. Near by the expo, the beach bar, featuring Michelob Ultra and Kona Longboard Lager, was open Saturday expo day and, of course, race day, where a live band, disappointingly not playing surf music, was present. In keeping with the race theme, four-foot-high blue surfboard shaped mile markers made it easy to keep track of where we were on the course. Good support provided by the volunteers who manned the aid stations. SPECTATORS: Sparse. What appeared to be a junior high school aged brass band was playing in Huntington Beach Park at mile 6.3, and two surf bands were playing alongside PCH at Huntington City Beach parking lot and the entrance to Bolsa Chica State Beach. Faster marathon runners were within earshot of the appropriate tunes three times each, once on PCH and twice while on the multi-use trails. CONCLUSION: For those who enjoy running alongside the Pacific coast for 19.3 miles, this marathon should not be missed. Well done, Surf City.
M. F. from San Francisco (2/9/2018) "Great views but not a great course." (about: 2018) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Lots of beautiful views in Surf City but the course for the marathon is not great and as others have said the half marathon is the star of the show. Expo: I had two separate volunteers yell at me as I was trying to pick up my bib and asking questions. Totally surreal experience. Expo itself was extremely crowded, loud and awful. I almost always buy extra gear but high tailed it out ASAP. Course: a few problems. First of all only 1500 or so runners in the marathon so it widens out fast. There are very few spectators except for cute kids in the park who tell you you're almost there 4 miles in :) Then, you join up with the half marathon about 8 or 9 miles in and have bikes push you to the side to make way for race leaders, no big deal but lots of extra expenses energy. Then you run with the half all the way up to mile 18 or so when they are just finishing their course. You can basically see the finish line as you turn away from the finish and run another 8 miles on the bike path (which isn't closed to others). It's rough, not going to lie. It gets really hot and water stations are pretty far out - I had a hydration pack and I recommend one for this race. Finish line: you finish with half marathoners - for me as a 4:30 marathoner these were a lot of slower runners and walkers that you have to dodge. The lines for beer and food were really long. We skipped it and went to Dukes for a burger. Medals are amazing but I wouldn't run the marathon here again - maybe the half.
M. K. from South Burlington (2/15/2016) "Great setting for a marthon" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was in SoCal for work, decided to stay to run Surf City. My thoughts: The good: 1. The setting is unreal - the beach and the surf can't be beat. 2. The swag is great. Both the shirt and the medal are my faves from any race I've run. 3. Course is suited to PR or run fast. I barely trained and ran a BQ that was the 4th fastest of my 14 marathons. 4. Expo was easy to get in & out of. 5. Shuttles to and from the race were plentiful and on time. 6. Water stations were awesome. Lots of them, with lots of volunteers at each. 7. Corral system worked very well. 8. The date. I loved running a marathon on Super Bowl Sunday...the beach, a dip in the ocean, and watching the Super Bowl are a fantastic way to wind down after a marathon. The not so good. 1. Starting about mile 16, the race is on a bike path that runs next to the beach. Great views, but the bike path isn't closed. There are pedestrians and bicyclists. 2. I finished in 3:21, about the same time that the 2-2.5 hour half-marathoners were finishing. They were taking up the entire width of the PCH, with marathoners relegated to a very tiny lane on the far right side of the PCH. I wish that the marathoners' lane had been kept clear. 3. Post-race beer tent lines were crazy long. Neutral 1. If you thrive off crowd support, there isn't much. Especially from miles 8 on. Personally, I like that. 2. Sun & heat. If it's hot and sunny, you can't hide from it over the final 11 miles. I was prepared, but saw others who were not. Make sure to have a hat, sun screen, and water. Race does a great job minimizing this by starting at 6:30 AM. 3. No chips in the bibs. Didn't bother me, but don't get confused and forget to put your D-Tag on your shoe.
A. P. from Minnesota (2/9/2016) "Beautiful destination race" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Looking for an excuse to escape the frigid winter that embraces Minnesota every year, I had been eyeing up the Surf City Marathon for a number of years. The timing (Super Bowl Sunday) fits well with doing a fall marathon either before or after, and happens to be a generally good time to visit SoCal. The good- The atmosphere was spectacular. You couldn't ask for weather more representative of Surf City than 70s and sunny with a 'stiff breeze' With the VW campers and surf bands on the PCH, everything was great. The bad- As many have said, the trail is a bit rough (16.5-18 and 23-25). The seaside trail was also not blocked off from bicyclists (I nearly was hit a few times) making the rather narrow trail feel narrower was. The ugly- The ugly truth is that this is truly a half marathon with a full added on for good measure. Everything seemed to cater to the halfers including the inaccurate (for the full at least) map and the sparsely manned water stops along the full trail. The volunteers, though present in numbers, were also rather useless at the expo - I asked the kid who gave me my bib if there would be a bag drop and if I needed to supply my own bag - he was perplexed and said 'uh, ask the info booth' I have been at marathons that are both much smaller and larger where simple questions are either evident at the expo or easily answered. Would I do it again? Possibly- a perfect location for a get away, but I would be more likely to do the half. For those considering, we stayed at the ShoreBreak (.5 miles from the start/finish, .75 from the expo) and really enjoyed the hotel. The food choices on Main near the hotel are plentiful and delicious. I would also suggest flying into John Wayne airport (Orange County/Santa Ana) it's a quick drive to Huntington Beach.
L. S. from Winter Park, Florida (2/9/2015) "Course dangerously crowded with halfers" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Course and race were wonderful until the massive hoard of half marathoners descended upon us at mile 7-8. I was worried by the marked crowdedness of the course but thought I'd be ok until a halfer ran into me and knocked me down (I was running steady - not doing Galloway). I sustained a radial head fracture. I am a physician and am at work typing with my left hand (dominant right arm is in a cast)! Race director: Please fix the course - it's far too dangerous to have huge numbers of fresh halfers run down the marathoners. Would have been far better to have started half and full marathoners at the same time. Or give the marathoners the far right lane to run in like at the finish. Otherwise this was a great race. And I did manage to finish the race - broken arm and all!
M. G. from AZ (2/3/2015) "Great vibe and fun all around!" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It's all about the fun and easy going vibe. Priced well, easy packet pick-up, and an expo waaaay better than the rock 'n roll races. Race starts on time. Never alone on the course and the halfers (5X as many full entrants) start to catch you at about mile 7-8. Course mostly flat with some gentle rollers. Aid stations are numerous and most had gels, bars, energy cubes, and energetic volunteers. Clear skies and a bit warm towards the end. The pseudo energy drink seemed watered-down. One of the best medals out there. Results and photos posted fast. Great race shirt and beach bag. Nice mix of sceneryocean front, Central Park, quiet 'hoods. Would definitely do it again.
d. b. from los banos california (2/2/2015) "Volunteers are crazy good! Love the coursre!" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course is scenic surf-side California, a great place to get away in February. The best part is the volunteers - wish I could bottle their energy! The kids in Central Park never stopped cheering and the staff at all of the water stations were positive, upbeat and eager to please. I'll come back!
D. K. from California (12/5/2014) "flat, fast, pr course" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Beautiful beachfront course. Flat and fast and a good place for a PR. Beautiful wood surfboard medals. if you didn't register already, you can use my discount code SCAPKITCH for $10 off.
Eric Sulli from Orange County (2/5/2014) "AWESOME EVENT AND LITTLE WAIT TIME FOR EVERYTHING" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This event is very well organized. The shuttle from Edison High School, although looking like a long wait, was less than 10 minutes. There are a ridiculous number of bathroom stalls available. Plenty of water stations along the course. 2 free beers at the end, although I didn't stay for that, the line was about 10 minutes I'd estimate to get into the beer garden. They had a station for icing the knees and what not after it was over as well. My second time doing the run, and I'll do it again !
m. k. from Los Angeles (2/3/2014) "OUTSTANDING! Great course, great people, Great Rac" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The 2014 Surf City Marathon started to a brilliant sunrise behind us and a beautiful course ahead. Breathtaking oceanfront course. The volunteers were amazing-they have school kids from all over the area who are working the water stations and (my favorite part) in an oasis called 'Central Park' where they even have a school band playing to keep you going. Lots of spectators in the residential areas but not many on the closed sections near the ocean. Everyone I dealt with over the weekend seemed to go out of their way to make sure I had a good time. Can't say enough about the event and the people who put it on-whoever they are they know what they are doing!

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Wayne Wright from Newport Beach, California USA (3/29/2022) "Surfin' City USA" (about: 2022) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 INTRODUCTION: I am a racewalker with a median marathon completion time of 5:24:10. The Surf City USA Marathon was my sixty-sixth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: 46 degrees, 51 percent relative humidity, and calm. Our course began on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) at Huntington Street. In an NNW direction, we passed by downtown in our first mile continuing on toward Seapoint Street at mile 2.9. Turning inland, we headed toward Huntington Beach Park. Upon reaching it just past mile 5, our course narrowed down to a winding foot path, punctuated by occasional dirt and a one-time soft surface underneath a jungle gym, for the next two miles. Mostly backtracking to PCH, we encountered our only significant hill, a short 0.3-mile, 54-foot incline on Edwards Street at mile 9 between Talbert Avenue and Ellis Avenue. Shortly after, we would no longer have the course to ourselves for the rest of the race. Beginning with our turn onto Overlook Drive, we would be joined by the half marathon runners, who outnumbered us by more than six to one. For tortoise marathon participants, we would initially be passed by runners running at a pace more than four minutes per mile faster. Three-fourths into mile ten, we returned back to PCH heading northward toward Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve for the next 2.4 miles. We then returned in the opposite direction for the next 4.2 miles where we separated from the half marathoners at mile 16.4. At 14th Street, U-turning northbound onto the Huntington City Beach bike trail, as warned by the organizers, we encountered cyclists, dog walkers, pedestrians, and marathoners going the opposite way on the eight-foot wide-asphalt path for the next couple of miles. Adjacent to the PCH/Seapoint Street intersection, as we entered Bolsa Chica State Beach, our course widened to, apart from crossing the bridge over the tidal inlet, a pancake flat, 20-foot-wide smooth asphalt surface with an imperceptible cant for the next 2.7 miles. All along, we had vistas of surfers, waves crashing against the beach, and Catalina Island off to the west; and the Long Beach skyline, where their marathon takes place in October, to the north. Turning around just before mile 21, we retraced our steps to 14th Street and slightly beyond, exiting back onto PCH at 11th Street for a total of approximately 9.1 miles of the marathon course on the multi-use trail. We then could count down the streets from 11th to 1st just before crossing the finish line. Atypically, separate finish lines were established for half (on the left) and full (on the right) marathons. Weather at the finish was 67 degrees, 46 percent relative humidity, and calm. ORGANIZATION: A nicely done event. It was a beautiful day for the efficiently run expo, which was held underneath tents in the Huntington City Beach parking lot. Free race day parking was provided at the Huntington State Beach, with the gates opening at 5 am. Those who arrived early were parked 0.8 miles away from the race start. Later arrivals had the option of boarding school busses stationed approximately 1 and 2 miles away from the start. Near by the expo, the beach bar, featuring Michelob Ultra and Kona Longboard Lager, was open Saturday expo day and, of course, race day, where a live band, disappointingly not playing surf music, was present. In keeping with the race theme, four-foot-high blue surfboard shaped mile markers made it easy to keep track of where we were on the course. Good support provided by the volunteers who manned the aid stations. SPECTATORS: Sparse. What appeared to be a junior high school aged brass band was playing in Huntington Beach Park at mile 6.3, and two surf bands were playing alongside PCH at Huntington City Beach parking lot and the entrance to Bolsa Chica State Beach. Faster marathon runners were within earshot of the appropriate tunes three times each, once on PCH and twice while on the multi-use trails. CONCLUSION: For those who enjoy running alongside the Pacific coast for 19.3 miles, this marathon should not be missed. Well done, Surf City.
M. F. from San Francisco (2/9/2018) "Great views but not a great course." (about: 2018) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Lots of beautiful views in Surf City but the course for the marathon is not great and as others have said the half marathon is the star of the show. Expo: I had two separate volunteers yell at me as I was trying to pick up my bib and asking questions. Totally surreal experience. Expo itself was extremely crowded, loud and awful. I almost always buy extra gear but high tailed it out ASAP. Course: a few problems. First of all only 1500 or so runners in the marathon so it widens out fast. There are very few spectators except for cute kids in the park who tell you you're almost there 4 miles in :) Then, you join up with the half marathon about 8 or 9 miles in and have bikes push you to the side to make way for race leaders, no big deal but lots of extra expenses energy. Then you run with the half all the way up to mile 18 or so when they are just finishing their course. You can basically see the finish line as you turn away from the finish and run another 8 miles on the bike path (which isn't closed to others). It's rough, not going to lie. It gets really hot and water stations are pretty far out - I had a hydration pack and I recommend one for this race. Finish line: you finish with half marathoners - for me as a 4:30 marathoner these were a lot of slower runners and walkers that you have to dodge. The lines for beer and food were really long. We skipped it and went to Dukes for a burger. Medals are amazing but I wouldn't run the marathon here again - maybe the half.
M. K. from South Burlington (2/15/2016) "Great setting for a marthon" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was in SoCal for work, decided to stay to run Surf City. My thoughts: The good: 1. The setting is unreal - the beach and the surf can't be beat. 2. The swag is great. Both the shirt and the medal are my faves from any race I've run. 3. Course is suited to PR or run fast. I barely trained and ran a BQ that was the 4th fastest of my 14 marathons. 4. Expo was easy to get in & out of. 5. Shuttles to and from the race were plentiful and on time. 6. Water stations were awesome. Lots of them, with lots of volunteers at each. 7. Corral system worked very well. 8. The date. I loved running a marathon on Super Bowl Sunday...the beach, a dip in the ocean, and watching the Super Bowl are a fantastic way to wind down after a marathon. The not so good. 1. Starting about mile 16, the race is on a bike path that runs next to the beach. Great views, but the bike path isn't closed. There are pedestrians and bicyclists. 2. I finished in 3:21, about the same time that the 2-2.5 hour half-marathoners were finishing. They were taking up the entire width of the PCH, with marathoners relegated to a very tiny lane on the far right side of the PCH. I wish that the marathoners' lane had been kept clear. 3. Post-race beer tent lines were crazy long. Neutral 1. If you thrive off crowd support, there isn't much. Especially from miles 8 on. Personally, I like that. 2. Sun & heat. If it's hot and sunny, you can't hide from it over the final 11 miles. I was prepared, but saw others who were not. Make sure to have a hat, sun screen, and water. Race does a great job minimizing this by starting at 6:30 AM. 3. No chips in the bibs. Didn't bother me, but don't get confused and forget to put your D-Tag on your shoe.
A. P. from Minnesota (2/9/2016) "Beautiful destination race" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Looking for an excuse to escape the frigid winter that embraces Minnesota every year, I had been eyeing up the Surf City Marathon for a number of years. The timing (Super Bowl Sunday) fits well with doing a fall marathon either before or after, and happens to be a generally good time to visit SoCal. The good- The atmosphere was spectacular. You couldn't ask for weather more representative of Surf City than 70s and sunny with a 'stiff breeze' With the VW campers and surf bands on the PCH, everything was great. The bad- As many have said, the trail is a bit rough (16.5-18 and 23-25). The seaside trail was also not blocked off from bicyclists (I nearly was hit a few times) making the rather narrow trail feel narrower was. The ugly- The ugly truth is that this is truly a half marathon with a full added on for good measure. Everything seemed to cater to the halfers including the inaccurate (for the full at least) map and the sparsely manned water stops along the full trail. The volunteers, though present in numbers, were also rather useless at the expo - I asked the kid who gave me my bib if there would be a bag drop and if I needed to supply my own bag - he was perplexed and said 'uh, ask the info booth' I have been at marathons that are both much smaller and larger where simple questions are either evident at the expo or easily answered. Would I do it again? Possibly- a perfect location for a get away, but I would be more likely to do the half. For those considering, we stayed at the ShoreBreak (.5 miles from the start/finish, .75 from the expo) and really enjoyed the hotel. The food choices on Main near the hotel are plentiful and delicious. I would also suggest flying into John Wayne airport (Orange County/Santa Ana) it's a quick drive to Huntington Beach.
L. S. from Winter Park, Florida (2/9/2015) "Course dangerously crowded with halfers" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Course and race were wonderful until the massive hoard of half marathoners descended upon us at mile 7-8. I was worried by the marked crowdedness of the course but thought I'd be ok until a halfer ran into me and knocked me down (I was running steady - not doing Galloway). I sustained a radial head fracture. I am a physician and am at work typing with my left hand (dominant right arm is in a cast)! Race director: Please fix the course - it's far too dangerous to have huge numbers of fresh halfers run down the marathoners. Would have been far better to have started half and full marathoners at the same time. Or give the marathoners the far right lane to run in like at the finish. Otherwise this was a great race. And I did manage to finish the race - broken arm and all!
M. G. from AZ (2/3/2015) "Great vibe and fun all around!" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It's all about the fun and easy going vibe. Priced well, easy packet pick-up, and an expo waaaay better than the rock 'n roll races. Race starts on time. Never alone on the course and the halfers (5X as many full entrants) start to catch you at about mile 7-8. Course mostly flat with some gentle rollers. Aid stations are numerous and most had gels, bars, energy cubes, and energetic volunteers. Clear skies and a bit warm towards the end. The pseudo energy drink seemed watered-down. One of the best medals out there. Results and photos posted fast. Great race shirt and beach bag. Nice mix of sceneryocean front, Central Park, quiet 'hoods. Would definitely do it again.
d. b. from los banos california (2/2/2015) "Volunteers are crazy good! Love the coursre!" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course is scenic surf-side California, a great place to get away in February. The best part is the volunteers - wish I could bottle their energy! The kids in Central Park never stopped cheering and the staff at all of the water stations were positive, upbeat and eager to please. I'll come back!
D. K. from California (12/5/2014) "flat, fast, pr course" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Beautiful beachfront course. Flat and fast and a good place for a PR. Beautiful wood surfboard medals. if you didn't register already, you can use my discount code SCAPKITCH for $10 off.
Eric Sulli from Orange County (2/5/2014) "AWESOME EVENT AND LITTLE WAIT TIME FOR EVERYTHING" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This event is very well organized. The shuttle from Edison High School, although looking like a long wait, was less than 10 minutes. There are a ridiculous number of bathroom stalls available. Plenty of water stations along the course. 2 free beers at the end, although I didn't stay for that, the line was about 10 minutes I'd estimate to get into the beer garden. They had a station for icing the knees and what not after it was over as well. My second time doing the run, and I'll do it again !
m. k. from Los Angeles (2/3/2014) "OUTSTANDING! Great course, great people, Great Rac" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The 2014 Surf City Marathon started to a brilliant sunrise behind us and a beautiful course ahead. Breathtaking oceanfront course. The volunteers were amazing-they have school kids from all over the area who are working the water stations and (my favorite part) in an oasis called 'Central Park' where they even have a school band playing to keep you going. Lots of spectators in the residential areas but not many on the closed sections near the ocean. Everyone I dealt with over the weekend seemed to go out of their way to make sure I had a good time. Can't say enough about the event and the people who put it on-whoever they are they know what they are doing!

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Marathon Details - Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)