HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE!

Before you discount my comments as just someone angry with the race, PLEASE READ THEM!

First off, I would like to say this race has A LOT of potential because the course is beautiful if you can keep your body in the shape to enjoy it! I just finished this race no more than 11 hours ago. What is SEVERELY lacking is race management and an understanding of what matters in a marathon. You will pay as much as any PREMIER race ($110) and not even get a t-shirt! Now, the race management will tell you it's because you will receive a 'Finishers Beach Towel' at the end (because I asked). But I was informed I could buy one for $20! SHEESH! For $110 I would expect to get a technical shirt, medal AND a finisher's beach towel!

Now on to the race itself. I didn't mind the farmland start, and while the wind and hills were a factor, that's just part of the course. Once you get to the coast, the views are breathtaking. What is HORRIBLE is that the ONLY thing you will get at the aid stations is WATER and COCONUT WATER... yes, you heard me right... COCONUT WATER! What the heck?? I took some because I needed "something" and found myself with a 5-7 minute bathroom stop that wasn't pretty. I tried to stay away from it but there was no stop (therefore no water) between 12 and 15 and when I got to 15 they were OUT of water and ONLY had coconut water. So I drank it... and 5 miles later... shall I say more? Oh, and do you like it when a marathon provides pretzels, gummy bears, chips, etc? Well, you won't find that here. Maybe an orange or something called a "LAVA GEL" at a few of the aid stations, but nothing more.

By 18 I was so out of electrolytes (even taking my own gels), I started cramping and it was only getting hotter. The cramping got worse and worse and it seemed like everyone around me was in the same shape. They NEED something like Gatorade/PowerAde out there!!! By the time I finished, my quads, hammies, calves and adductors were CRAMPING BAD. I'm an experienced marathoner and I don't cramp because I take in electrolytes along the way! I asked race personnel if they had ANY Gatorade/PowerAde. I was told, "NO! Gatorade is BAD for you. It has too much sugar!" Well, I think they're NUTS!!

Nice medal, nice towel, and nice course... but everything else SUCKED! I got my California marathon but it didn't come without a BIG price... both in the wallet AND with my BODY.

I would like to understand why we paid a handsome fee that rivals all of the well established marathons, yet we were not even provided more than a glass of water at the start and were left with no electrolytes on the course (the vast majority of us that train for marathons aren't avid coconut water consumers). I was sorely disappointed with the layout of the course that started in the barren farmlands and brought us up onto the highway to hold our own amidst the tracker trailers that I prayed didn't pick us off the course. I wouldn't recommend this as a Boston qualifier since we never received a finisher's certificate - much less a confirmation that we were even present.

Inaugural marathon. I absolutely loved the entire experience, except for the ferocious wind. This will be an annual event for me each November. About 1,000 total runners - 332 in the full and 600+ in the half. Hills that rival Big Sur and Palos Verdes.

Ferocious wind from miles 9 through 18. Temps started to climb after Mile 9, possibly to mid-70s, but no shade.The last 18 miles along the beautiful Malibu coast were absolutely gorgeous. Lots of Marathon Maniacs were in attendance.

I finished first in my age group (65-69). The thrill of this accomplishment was somewhat muted by the fact that I was probably the oldest runner in attendance.

Some marathon finishers ran into the surf and allowed the cool ocean water to tame their sore muscles.... Ah, only in Malibu.

Post-race: Hung out with Marathon Maniacs right there at the beautiful Malibu beach - fantastic! My right knee-shin was tight for the first half, but then it eased up.

I didn't notice any problem with vehicular traffic. The motorcyclists were harmless enough. It was the bicyclists that were the major pain. Why don't the bicyclists yell out, "On your left" instead of blasting by us at mach speed?

I have to say that this marathon was the most satisfying for me to finish. The small number of people running made it a very friendly race. I chatted most of the way with the runners passing by or to the spectators who where following the race by leapfrogging in their cars. Speaking as a guy from southwestern Ontario, I found both the agricultural scenery and the Pacific Coast scenery beautiful. With a brand name like "Malibu," I can't see how this marathon won't attract many other running-tourists like me.

Those who like Big Sur will like this race. The organization is impeccable and the course breathtaking. Dont expect spectators or a big expo, but the necessary amenities (all miles were accurately marked, water ever two miles, gel twice, sports drink four times) were all there. The last eight miles were quite hilly, and coupled with a stiff head/crosswind, it makes this a rather tough race, but worth the effort. The biggest negative was the lack of hotels near the race venue. Next year I'll stay in Santa Monica rather than braving the gnarly Malibu Canyon road at 4 a.m.

This is a new marathon, so I understand the low crowd turnout. It doesn't go through any neighborhoods, so to speak, so it makes it hard for people to come out and watch. Nice scenery and weather. Temps at the race start were 50 or so; at the finish, it was 70. It was pretty darn windy from mile 11 to the finish. Hills weren't too bad, but combined with the warm weather, it made for a tougher-than-expected race. It was a great experience. Goody bags at the end were perfect. Instead of making people go through lines with sweaty hands digging through bins of food, they packaged each runners food in a thermal bag that had their logo. Great idea. Inside was a bag of chips, Pirate's Booty, pineapple juice, fruit cup, water and banana. No race shirts, which was great because they replaced them with a beach towel, which I used after I had an iIce bath in the ocean!!!

Way cool; I would do it again and probably will.

Course gets four stars. (Five stars would be a PR course.) There were some gusty wind areas with the tougher hills towards the end of the course, but a nice down for the final mile. Be prepared for Sand devils that pepper you in the wind then the ocean spritz every now and then.

I was going to give Organization gets two stars because getting to the parking area was not crystal clear to find in the wee dark hours of 4:15 a.m. Also, there were no t-shirts in the goody bags, and the expo was lacking in vendors. But they definitely made up for the lack of shirt with a very cool beach towel along with the medal and a nice, surprise, reusable lunch bag filled with a few snacks. So I gave Organization three stars.

I gave Spectators two stars, as they were few and far apart, but that's ok with me. Spectators are not why I'm out there. I would definitely do this race again as it's just too beautiful to pass up with the farmland, freeway on ramp, beautiful sites of the base and got to see an airplane take off! Of course the beach, ocean, mountains, and sand dunes are always a treat to be near, see, feel, smell! The course was well marked with mile markers, which was nice... maybe a few more water spots or maybe put trash cans farther beyond the water stops would have been good. I think I carried my cup between the water stops at miles 13.8 and 16.6 - I just didn't want to litter or step off of the course to use a trash can in the sand.

I was unsure about signing up for this one given the cost, but did so, and the scenery was spectacular. The race felt a little disjointed - the first third was through rural Camarillo, going through celery fields, then the second two-thirds down the Pacific Coast Highway on the road that slides between the Santa Monica Mountains and the sea.

I don't know how many cones they used for this race, but I was glad that for most of it the southbound (ocean side) lane was coned off and runners had that and the shoulder. There was almost no spectator support, but that may have been partly because I was among the last runners and also because there was a cap of 1,300 total in the half/full field. The volunteers were great and I would have taken my hat off to those handing out water in brutal winds at mile 14 - or at least I would have if my hat hadn't already been blown back to Oxnard!

Parking was easy. I'm glad they didn't charge us to park on race day (though it would have been nice to know about that before the expo); and the buses worked fairly well, except our bus driver got lost. We found the race on time, though. Start was easy with only 450 runners. My main criticism about the early portion of the race is that someone should have been sent out to unlock the porta-potties that had been delivered to the even mile markers. Padlocked porta-pots do not make for a good first few miles! Especially when running through celery fields. No cover.

Water stations were plentiful and well stocked. Ditch the coconut water, please. Special thanks to the volunteer at mile 23 who brought tangerines; they were delicious and much needed.

Mile markers were easy to follow.

Course was rolling and there were some vicious winds, but only for a small part of the race, and you should expect rolling hills along the Pacific coast. Finish line was easy to get through. And it is lovely to finish, take off your shoes and socks, and wade into the Pacific Ocean.

The J-chip was much easier to use than a Champion Chip. I haven't used a J-chip before but I like them.

No shirt - this wasn't something I thought about until the race reminded me that they didn't give out a shirt. We were supposed to get beach towels but they ran out, so I'm hoping that one will be mailed.

Overall, a good first effort, and it must have taken an incredible amount of planning, with two counties, two cities, the Navy, and the Coastal Commission involved. Congratulations to the organizers.

It is always nice to run by the ocean, but other than that, this race was very mediocre. The first 12 miles run by the Camarillo Fields and by the Point Mugu base, which is nice for awhile and then gets really boring. The biggest disappointment was having cars speed by the whole time on PCH. Malibu "graciously" allowed one lane to be closed, and sometimes it was scary how fast cars went by. I hoped none of the drivers were on their cell phone. It was very loud, with lots of motorcycles, and we were breathing fumes. At one point, a truck veered into the runner lane and came close to hitting some people, including me.

The volunteers were nice, and there was plenty to drink and gels, and pizza toward the end was a nice touch.

Beautiful medals, but bad merchandise - I got a $40 sweatshirt that looks 10 years-old after the wash. And they ran out of towels (which were promised) but they said they will mail them. All in all, I'm always happy to be running, but found this race just ok and somewhat dangerous.

Getting to the race was hard, too; they should have had buses back to the start, that part seemed really unorganized.

- MP, Irvine, CA