Apr 27, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 3.6
Number of comments: 205 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
|
G. C. from Harbor City, CA
(3/2/2011)
 "Nice, but some flaws" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My experience was like most others reporting here. I've been running the Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10K for years, always held the same day as the marathon in Huntington Beach. This year I opted for Surf City for the first time, for no particular reason. I wasn't disappointed. T-shirt and medal are excellent. The weather was near perfect for running and the volunteer support and conveniences along the route were excellent. Fan support was fair; often sparse to non-existent. An intangible: among the runners, there seemed to be a good "vibe." The stretch along the bike path was not as bad as I had feared, but I ran 3:10+ and so probably was ahead of most of the crowding that others have mentioned.... I did have to dodge a few cyclists though. I parked on city streets a 10-minute walk from the starting line and had no worries getting in or out, both for the expo and on race day. Speaking of the expo, there was a ridiculously long line to get in, like 20+ minutes. I dinged "organization" for that, which was otherwise fine. The post-race beer garden served Kona Longboard, which was a nice surprise; I had expected only Michelob Ultra, which is completely undrinkable. I'll leave it at that. Cheers. | |
|
s. T. from Washington, DC
(2/28/2011)
 "Best Winter Marathon!" (about: 2011)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I flew from Washington DC to run this and it didn't disappoint! The weather was fantastic (cloudy but sunnier after the race), the scenery was nice and the spectators were awesome (lots of them throughout). The t-shirt and medal were nice! Great organization! I am tempted to do the California Dreaming series now. | |
|
A. M. from Torrance, California
(2/25/2011)
"The race was great." (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race was great. There were a lot of people at the race. | |
|
L. K. from North Liberty, IA
(2/16/2011)
 "half-heavy, but I ran the half :)" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a friend run the full and his complaints were mostly about the smaller paths along the beach, with runners going in both directions while also dodging non-participant walkers and surfers. I have no complaints about the organization and spectators, but this is my first half marathon. I have run one previous marathon, but it was much smaller. It was my first time in California, so the change in weather was great for me. I had been running indoors here in Iowa because of lots of snow accumulation. I'd go back and run the half again, but the full course might need to be modified... although I wouldn't want it to be anywhere other than on the beach. Can they block that path from walkers/surfers? | |
|
C. R. from Europe
(2/15/2011)
 "Change the course" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I don't really want to be too negative because overall there was a good vibe behind it, but I suppose I came a long way to do it and if asked if it was worth the trip, I'd have to say no. This course was one of the most boring routes I've ever run - I know, I know, the ocean part was lovely, but the amount of doubling back and highway-based running made this a very tedious race and not one that I would wish to run again. Thank God for my Mp3 player. Pros: Excellent volunteers - very supportive and encouraging. Lots of food and drink stands during the race. Gorgeous medal and cool t-shirt. Cons: Initial online registration was a nightmare, as it appears that it was not set up for foreign addresses. Terribly boring route. Poor standard of souvenirs for purchase - and they were overpriced. The t-shirts etc. for sale were as if the organizers had found left over garments and just slapped the logo on them. All in all, if you live in California, or you'll be passing this neck of the woods this time of year, it's one to do; other than that, to be honest, it's not worth the trip or the expense. | |
|
Rebecca Lago from New England
(2/13/2011)
"Best Marathon Yet!!!" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had high expectations for this race and it did not disappoint. The wave start prevented congestion in the early miles. There were water stops about every mile and the kids cheering were a great motivator. The finishing miles along the beach were spectacular. I highly recommend this marathon. | |
|
Kyle EricSon from Riverside, CA
(2/9/2011)
"Surf City Might Be Outgrowing The Course" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run this marathon now for the last 8 years, and I appreciate the changes and improvements that the organizers have made to it during that time. It's still one of my favorite "mid-size" marathons, but it's becoming less so each year due to the congestion out on the course. As other reviewers have mentioned, when the marathoners and half-marathoners meet on PCH, it is way too crowded to do any real racing. And for the marathoners, the small path in the park for miles 5 - 8 is too small to accommodate all of the runners (there were sections where we were actually walking this year and I started mid-pack). Additionally, the bike path from miles 16 - 25 is also too small, not to mention that there are runners going in both directions while simultaneously dodging walkers, surfers, bikers, skateboarders, etc. (if you can close down the streets for a few hours, why can't you do the same with the bike path?). I realize modifying the course would be unpleasant and the organizers would like to keep the start/finish lines near the Hilton, since it's the host hotel, but if the start/finish lines could be moved back a couple of miles down to Beach Boulevard or Brookhurst, moving the turn-around down at Warner (basically, 13 miles out and 13 miles back), I think that would alleviate a lot of the current overcrowding. And not to only highlight the negatives, as this race does a lot of stuff right. As usual, the volunteers were great (especially the kids), the shirts are great (thanks for getting away from white!), and the medals are the best! | |
|
A. S. from Minnesota
(2/8/2011)
"A great race that gets better every year!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run this race the past five years. Every year small improvements are made and it gets better and better, and I thought it was awesome to begin with! Definitely worth running - I come all the way from MN and plan to keep coming. | |
|
P. R. from Palo Alto
(2/8/2011)
"Awesome race" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Loved the way the halfers start later, and by the time they catch up, we're on the beach walkway rather than the PCH. Schwag good: medal, bag, shirt. Post-race food: ok, but there's lots of pre-packed stuff. Organization: super. Crowds: the best I've experienced so far. Must be a lot of people with hoarse voices this week. ;) | |
|
D. K. from Eugene, Oregon
(2/8/2011)
"A well organized marathon" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The 2011 Surf City Marathon was a fairly small marathon (2,000 runners), but a large event (18,000 runners in other distances) with good organization. They ran out of full marathon t-shirts in my size (small) and said they would mail me one - we'll see if that actually happens. The start area was well organized and controlled. The entry points to the starting waves were close enough together to get reasonably close to my starting wave, but too far apart to enter the exact wave. The crowds were too dense to move around more than a few feet after you entered a starting wave. The race was small enough that it was very easy to move around without any delay once the race started. The course started on Pacific Coast Highway and then went inland on closed roads through some paths in parks and then back to the ocean on closed roads where it zig-zagged back and forth until you got to 26.2 miles - literally you ran down PCH, up PCH, down the beach path, and back up the beach path until the finish. There were a lot miles of multi-use paths. The beach paths were not closed to pedestrians. There was bike and pedestrian traffic, but it never interfered with my running. The finish area had people handing out a post-race food bag, water, and an electrolyte replacement drink. The food was pre-packaged into a bag and contained mostly fruit with some granola bars. The post-race expo had several vendors handing out samples, free massages, and some other entertainment type stuff. I had fun and it was a good event, but I would not travel from Oregon again to do Surf City. |
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
