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.

I'm a legacy runner and I think this is one of the best marathons and I have ran a few. The scenery, people and atmosphere are fantastic.

Last year was my first race in Malibu but it was great. Smaller than my usual in number but waiting to start the run on the sandy beach felt home town. Beautiful ocean views most of the run. I am doing it again this year.

I ran the half marathon last year as my first ever race. I thought it was an amazingly beautiful course and everything was well done. I'm planning to do it again this year!

Loved the race. Running along the ocean is the perfect way to complete a marathon or half. The organizers have a rough time with Malibu being notoriously strict but every year it keeps getting better. Definitely a race you should do. The local friendly vibe plus the ocean keeps me going!

Hello! I enjoyed the 1/2 marathon last year and plan to go back again this year. I think we will see more water stops and for everyone's sanity, please ditch the coconut stuff. Gatorade would be so much better. But, that is all I can complain about. It was a beautiful day, beautiful view of the ocean and a great start for the 1/2 marathon right on the beach. I am from Seattle, and really enjoyed the sand and sun! More water stops would be great...but, I bet you are planning on that! Loved loved loved my towel. Fun to bring and show off at Yoga!
Hope there are towels for this year too.
Thanks for all your work.
Judy

I ran this during the early part of my training season for LA Marathon 2011, and found it for the most part very enjoyable. The opening miles are a little boring but once you get out on PCH it's quite spectacular. The cyclists were annoying, as expected, and water stations were a bit hard to come by, but for a small (<600 full marathoners), a good run. Definitely going to see about repeating this year.

This was my first half marathon. The hills were difficult and challenging but well organized. The expo was small, since its a new race. Race support was present for the half, and it was awesome that every finishers name was announced as they crossed the finish line.

The first year I ran I was given a discount code but that was moot because they then added another non advertised clean water fee of ten dollars per runner on top of that! That's a sneaky way of getting extra money from us. It's expensive enough as it is. Why be deceptive in advertising. Then someone from the race told me I would get my fee returned and of course it never happened. The people running the race were also rude to me when I tried to explain what happened.

I did rate 'spectators' as a 1. While this is true, spectators in this race are non-existent, this is mainly because the races takes place on a major highway overlooking the ocean. Logistically, this is a very hard course for Spectators. HOWEVER, the fact that these guys were able to pull of a marathon on PCH is an amazing feat in its own. Where else are you going to hold a MAJOR marathon in the heart of Malibu if it's not on PCH, offering the most beautiful views Malibu has to offer. While bad for spectators, good for the scenery. Can't have it all, right?

Let's move on.... So, two of the biggest issues I had with Malibu marathon are:

1. Half Marathoners start exactly 90 minutes after the Full RIGHT from the 13.1 mile mark on course. If you're trying to pull off some kind of a time goal, at mile 13.1 you will have to run through 2000 half marathoners that will set you back a few minutes. I really hope that the organizers fix this as I am sure that this was something that was overlooked. If you reach mile 13.1 in under 90, you don't have this problem but that's clearly applicable for only a few full marathon runners.

2. Lack of REAL sport drink. Coconut water is good and provides some electrolytes, but it's not comparable to major sport drink counterpart (although marketing folks at coconut water would like you to believe it is). I get the 'greenness' of the event, but most people don't train with it and having it on course for the first time can be bad. To their own defense, Coconut water was advertised way in advance on their website so people had plenty of opportunity to train with it. But it doesn't work for me as it gives me terrible stomach cramps. Towards the end of the marathon, starting at mile 18ish, aid stations ran out of coconut water. Plain water was the only option... If you're going to charge $150 for an event, make sure you have plenty of on course support.

Besides these two points that I considered 'negative', Malibu Marathon is truly an AMAZING event. It's a challenging marathon with spectacular views of the pacific ocean. When the going gets rough, all one needs to do is look to their right and watch the dolphins play. How many marathon in all honesty have this kind of beauty? I command these guys for pulling off a major marathon in Malibu. This marathon will be in its 3rd year and I am confident that as the years go by, it will grow to a near perfect event. Who ran LA in 2010? What a mess that was during the introduction of the new course. Let's not place too much blame on the organizers as a lot of it isn't their fault (spectators).

I found expo small, intimate, easy to get to, and informative. No problems there. Small expos mean less money blown on useless stuff. True, it was in a beach parking lot, but it was also in front of the most beautiful beach in So Cal... after picking up race materials, I was able to walk on sand, put my feet in water, and lay on sand while reading a book. How many expos give you the opportunity to do this?

To conclude, I loved Malibu marathon and I cannot wait to run it again.