This is a beautiful setting for a marathon. The course was well marked and there was plenty of water, but we were counting on the GU as indicated at miles 8 and 16, and there wasn't any!

There are many marathons in Southern California, but for this native New Yorker, PSM is the classic. There are 19 miles along the beach, dodging surfers, skateboarders and beach cruisers. Miles 17-23 are inland and not scenic, but the enthusiasm of the local HS students who volunteer as cheerleaders make this stretch the most supportive of the entire race. The course is mostly flat, with 2 serious hills at mile 17 and 21, and the winds have been stiff in years past. A great winter vacation, but don't count on a PR.

Pre-paid parking was a good idea that was poorly executed. Organizers oversold these lots without notifying participants of this risk. There was no one to direct traffic and the shuttles could not get through either. The effect of this poor organization caused many of us to miss the start of the race. A very poor job!!

Was this a great race, or what? A perfect 50 degrees and a little fog greeted all the runners today. Both the half & full marathons were sell outs. There was a real nice buzz in the air, and it continued through the whole race. There was plenty of water & gel, and the scenery was spectacular. Almost the whole race was right next to the Pacific Ocean... and just a gentle breeze. Wow!! And a super nice medal celebrating the 10th running of this race. And I have to admit, the best post-race replenishments of any race I've been to. And I'm not even referring to the beer garden! Thanks Huntington Beach, I guess it's not a secret now.

Just completed the 2006 edition of PSM (their 10th anniversary) and was very pleased with it as usual. Although the course remains unchanged (and yes, you do have to double back a bit on the bike path, but in my opinion that's a small price to pay for being able to run within yards of the Pacific Ocean), it is still one of the prettiest areas to run in all of Southern California.

This year's weather was perfect (versus last year's overcast & drizzle), and the finisher's medals were the nicest I have ever received (the lucky stiffs who have run all ten PSM's even received medals with diamonds in them!). However, the rest of us were also treated to Sony MP3's, and instead of the usual cotton t-shirts, received 'technical wind shirts' that can actually be used for running.

To address some of the negative comments I heard from my fellow competitors: I don't know what you all expect in regards to parking. At the expo I took advantage of the pre-paid parking option and Sunday morning was waved right into the first available lot and parked just a few spots away from the public restrooms. Granted, I arrived about an hour and a half before the race started, but I don't know what everyone expects when it comes to this aspect of a marathon. With 1,000 people in the marathon, 6,000 in the half-marathon, several more thousand participating in the 5K and kids' run, not to mention all the volunteers and race officials, do you really exepect that you can just show up 30 minutes before the race and have no problem with crowds and parking? You spend all those months, putting in all those miles, only to be derailed because you didn't leave the house 30 minutes sooner?

The only aspect of the race that I think can use some improvement is in the area of restrooms. Although there are several public restrooms available on the beach, I think the race directors need to rent more portable toilets than they currently do (there seemed to be a lot of people still standing in line when the starting gun went off).

I'd also like to thank all the volunteers who, as usual, did a terrific job in handing out water, eletrolytes and GU to all of us. This is especially impressive since as usual, a large majority of these volunteers happened to be school-aged children who had given up their Sunday to do this.

Thanks again to everyone connected with PSM and I look forward to Year 11!

This was an awesome race. Extremely well-organized. I loved the pre-paid parking option that enabled me to park 50 yards from the start on race day. Beautiful oceanfront course. One complaint: there was no Gu left at the aid stations that were supposed to have them. I finished in the top third of the marathon field, so the 67% of runners behind me didn't get Gu either. The solution: next year, offer energy gels at the aid stations that are ONLY on the marathon course so the half marathoners will not consume all of them. You don't need energy gel in a half marathon.... You don't exhaust your glycogen stores in a race that short. Bottom line, MAKE SURE ALL MARATHONERS GET GU IN 2007. Other than that, an awesome event.

THE PACIFIC SHORELINE MARATHON 26 MILES, 385 YARDS, 0 FEET, 0 INCHES RUN, LOCATED IN HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA... generally the HUNTINGTON BEACH PIER area! Generally commenting to all the marathoners, let's put this in an overall grading comment perspective.

The entire PACIFIC SHORELINE MARATHON (P.S.M.) 26.2-MILER is not only the best in the State of California, but it rates at the top of the list of the entire USA marathon footraces, and P.S.M. can definitely hold its own and compete with international marathons too!

Good for marathon runners, racewalkers, wheelchair marathoners, ultra-marathoning ultra-marathoners, plus all of us real macho mountain trail/track/road/multi-daying ultra-runners. P.S.M. is a world-class, Super Bowl-Sunday, NFL Football Game of marathons!

I have actually run the entire P.S.M. and I have helped out in a minor sense. What can I say, marathon finishers? In the 2002 P.S.M., I finished in less than five and a half hours. Back on the date of 1/30/2000 P.S.M. I also walked and speed-walked, and crossed the finish line too within half a day.

This is a wonderful winter marathon. I came all the way from Toronto for it and ran a PB despite the headwinds and lack of spectator support. Pluses included a great pasta dinner at the Hyatt, lovely medals and a beer garden afterwards. One problem was the parking, so get a cab or get dropped off. Also, next year could they start the half marathoners after the marathoners? We ran into the back of the half mara field at 17 miles and had to weave in between some very big butts of slow walkers!! Otherwise, I predict this race will grow and grow. Thanks HB.

Chris

I have read some of the earlier comments. Were we in the same race? Sure the wind blew a little but what do you expect when you are 100' from the Pacific Ocean?

I wish I could be a salesman for the PSM. I'd do it again in a minute and encourage anyone looking for a well run, FLAT marathon to give the PSM serious consideration.

I had read several of the negative comments on the '04 race, so my expectations weren't terribly high. But the race ended up being fantastic. The course was very flat, with maybe two short (and fairly insignificant) inclines. Most of it was run along the water, so it was very serene and beautiful. It does loop on itself quite a bit, but I would rather run next to the beach than anywhere else in Huntington Beach anyway. The course is fast, I unexpectedly ran an 8 minute PR. Packet pick-up was a breeze, bag check was easy and well organized and the medal is the coolest I have received (a little surfboard). The size was also perfect, there was always someone to run with or catch up to without being too crowded. I would recommend carrying a gel packet for the first half, but the second half seemed well stocked with drink and gel. Overall, I loved this race. If you want a fast, beautiful and fun race, do Pacific Shoreline (and get a ride or walk to the start).