This was the first time I've run this course. The weather was excellent and the race was well organized. They had an on-time start, and plenty of water/aid stations. The one improvement is to eliminate the small uphill climb at the 25.8-mile mark.

I've run this marathon for the last two years, and this was the best yet! The field was larger - about 2,500 in the marathon (?) so there were plenty of runners to keep me company in the back of the pack. The students in the park were remarkable - they cheered non-stop for everyone and made me feel like a superstar; they even brought their band! Great course support, great views, and great race. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone. As for me, as our governor said, "I'll be back."

First, I would like to thank the organizers for letting the marathoners start first ahead of the halfers and also that they provided us with our own finish lane. Great job for listening to past year's feedback.

I arrived at 5:30 and had no problems parking in the beach lot next to the start line. Weather on race day was perfect: About 51 degrees when I pulled in, plus some bonus fog rolling in later to keep us cool during the early parts of the race. Also, the winds were fairly calm and turned out to be a non-factor. The expo was fine and the free parking was appreciated.

The race itself was pretty good. Two hills, but only the second was a bit challenging. Some long uphill grades to conquer coming back down PCH, but manageable. Plentiful water stops, all well stocked. Great volunteers. Thanks all!

Post-race was fine, with okay food (banana, apple, Fig Newtons, granola, and some sports bars). Overall, a great race, great race organization, and great volunteers.

Now for some suggestions. Please provide gel next year. The Sharkies gummy candies were very hard to chew. When you're in the death throes of the marathon, expending lots of energy trying to chew tough candy is not high on your list of to-dos. Also, can we have PowerAde or Gatorade next time? At many stops, it seemed that the Vitalyte tasted like water. Perhaps it was too diluted when mixed. Also, it is an inferior product compared to Gatorade, which has substantially more carbs and sodium per eight-ounce serving.

Overall, a great race, and I hope to be back next year.

This was my second time running this marathon in addition to running the half two years ago. Of my three years, running this was the best yet. There were plenty of water stations fully stocked and loaded with carbs for the last 10 miles. The weather was perfect this year, and the cool breeze coming off the ocean was unbelievable. For the first year ever, they separated the marathoners from the half-marathoners. Great touch!! You weren't slowed down by the half walkers. As noted by most, the medals are awesome. I highly recommend this race for people who live in the cold and would like to get away for a destination marathon.

Having run approximately 80 marathons, I can say that this is definitely a must-do marathon. The location is wonderful, the course is great for a Boston qualifier, and the weather (usually) cooperates. The medal is definitely in my top 5. I will continue to do this one every year; changing the design is smart business to attract those wholike to collect medals.

Only a couple of things: 1) This is the second year that the mile markers were off at miles 18 to 23. I use a watch and know my pacing. They were in the wrong spots last year and I attributed it to the wind. This year they were off as well. My friend used a Garmin and noticed it as well. They are really off. So it's not the wind, but rather wrong placement. Someone needs to remeasure those miles and make sure they are placed correctly. Not a big deal, but for those who are trying to qualify for Boston, it can really mess with their heads. My son was trying to run under 5 hours to win a bet and he was totally losing it when he saw one mile was 17 minutes long rather than the usual 11. I assured him the placement of the marker was off. The only other thing would be to have gel at some of the aid stations rather than just bars. For fast runners, gel is quicker and easier than trying to eat a bar.

This is the fifth year that I have run this race. Every year it gets better and better.

The early start for marathon runners is great. This - and the wave start - allows for a smooth beginning to the run, with wide open roadway (no need to weave through other runners; people are well spaced out and you can just run). Why other marathons don't do this is beyond me.

Great support throughout the run. The park is the best, with the enthusiasm of kids giving high fives and handing out water and encouragement. The aid stations are well positioned and well stalked with water and electrolyte beverage.

The expo is medium-sized - not too big, and not too small. It was easy to navigate through and well organized, so you can pick up your bib and timing device without difficulty.

Overall, I have run 7 different marathons and this is definitely the best (by a long shot). Every year, I sign up early and look forward to Super Bowl Sunday so that I can run a great marathon in the morning and hopefully watch a great football game in the afternoon. Definitely will be there next year.

This race would have been the greatest - but it must have been a once-in-a-lifetime stormy day at the beach in So. Cal that day. Even so, the rain gave us all something to talk about... kudos to all the volunteers who stuck it out with us. I would definitely like to experience this race in the normal California weather - and get another one of those awesome medals! A real wooden surfboard with a metal medallion! Very cool, and it made it all worth it.

I came from New Mexico to do my first full marathon to enjoy the ocean view. I have done lots of previous races: 1/2, 10K, etc. This race unfortunately had to be the worst organized that I have ever run.

The shuttle buses were nowhere to be seen in the morning when I arrived, so I walked the distance from my car to the start in the pouring rain. The first few miles were great going back to the residential areas and into the park. The crowd support at that point was great. Unfortunately, after that point, the crowd support practically disappeared. It was nice running along the ocean, but would have been better if people were around. We were out there by ourselves for the last 8 miles: the toughest to get through. The aid stations during those miles were not prepared either.

No Amino Vital and a few aid stations without any people to hand you the water; I would have had to pour it myself! I think with more crowd support and a little more organization, it could be a better race, but this is not one I will return to.

We came in from Ohio to get away from the bad weather to get some sunshine and ocean time. Well, so much for that idea. The rain storm, strong winds, and gray sky made us feel like we were still in Ohio on a training run. We were soaked before the race even started and the wind pounded us so hard the rain was coming down horizontally. However, it is days like this that you can look back on and tell great stories (remember in '08 when we braved the storm and...). So, we smiled and just kept putting one foot in front of the next until the distance was covered.

The finisher medal design was the lure that got us to commit to the trip, and I must say it lived up to its billing. It is an awesome medal! The expo was small, but nice. I enjoyed running along the ocean, but for those of us doing the full marathon it was a bit deflating to get so close to the finish only to be turned to run back out again and then return a second time. We spend most the race running north and south on the same road. Also, the mile markers were either not there or in the wrong place for most of the second half of the race. Example: mile 24 and 25 were only about 1000 meters apart and were both blown over.

Thank you to all the volunteers who braved the weather, especially those great kids in the park area. They were not only out there in that bad weather, but they continued to cheer us on and shout encouragement. My faith in the next generation was reinforced that morning. Those kids should all get a medal for the help and positive attitude they displayed.

I will most likely be back to run this one on a sunny day and get another one of those awesome medals. The only negative (besides the already mentioned course issue) was the lack of food afterward. We could not find any. There was no one directing people to the tent, so we missed out. It also would be nice to have water or some kind of fuel given to you right after crossing the finish line. I agree with others that making a separate finish for the full marathoners would be nice. All it takes is a few cones lined out a few hundred meters. Overall, a good race and positive experience. Thank you, Huntington Beach!

Like most have stated, the weather this year was very nasty and by far the worst out of the 13 marathons I've run. The spectators and volunteers who braved the weather were amazing and I am very indebted to them. That said, the race organizers could have done a few things differently to make it better. First, the toilets around mile 3 did not have the zip ties removed from most of them and although there were plenty there, most were locked. Also from miles 15-23 there were very few spectators and the few aid stations did not have any Amino Vital and only Clif Blocks at one station. I was relying on the Amino Vital to get through those miles since my extra gel fell off my belt somewhere around mile 5.

Living in SoCal I understand that rainy weather is not a normal occurrence, but a little more pre-planning and race day communication would have gone a long way.