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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 81 to 91]
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J. L. from Cleveland, Ohio
(2/29/2008)
 "Awesome medal!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 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! | |
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B. J. from Redondo Beach, CA
(2/12/2008)
"Could have been a little better" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 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. | |
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E. T. from Saskatchewan, Canada
(2/10/2008)
"A bit disappointed..." (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Pros... Excellent job done by all volunteers in such nasty conditions!! Really appreciate everyone at the water stations toughing it out despite the weather, especially those who manned a station along the beach-side path. Really challenging conditions over there. Also, the kids in the park were really enthusiastic. What a great way to start the race!! Under the right circumstances the course could have been incredible. Even in the rain and wind I really enjoyed the first section that cut back in to the park and residential areas. Lots of water stations and lot of bathrooms... don't think I saw any line-ups for a bathroom at all! Awesome medal and tech shirt! Cons... Would have liked to see an elevation profile and type of energy food provided during the race posted on the website much earlier. Even emailed the race director to get more info but they never got back to me. Definitely should have offered gels in addition to the Clif Blocs. Also was not impressed with Amino Vital and would prefer Gatorade or PowerAde. Response of race organization to the terrible weather was not impressive. The storm had been forecast for several days in advance but organizers didn't seem to take this in to account at all. When I finished the race my lips were blue, it was that cold!! But there was no where warm to recover. Some portable heaters in the race expo tent would have gone a long way. There was also virtually nowhere to sit down in the waterlogged tent! Finish line food was sub par, especially considering the weather. I was offered one glass of water when I came through the finishing chute and nothing at all in terms of hydration after that. Something hot to drink (hot chocolate, cup of soup) would definitely have been appreciated. Also, the food was pretty disappointing. Where was the bagel and peanut butter? Chips didn't seem like an appropriate option after running a marathon!! Really didn't see any mile markers in the last half of the race. Maybe they blew away?? Came down for this race from Canada and won't be back. I appreciate that everyone made the best of the bad weather but it just didn't seem to be organized well enough to convince me to try it again. Thanks again to all of the awesome volunteers. Was a tough day out there for you guys but you did a fantastic job!! | |
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Liam Mycroft from Dublin, Ireland
(2/8/2008)
 "Welcome to Sunny California" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What can I say? Well, I picked Surf City with the expectation that I would get a nice run in the sun in early February, and what happened on Sunday? We got the worst of weather. Having said that, the organizers should be congratulated on getting the volunteers out - and the kids in the Park in the first few miles were fantastic. Thanks! As others have said, the finish should be separated so that the marathons get a clear run to the line from that last little climb (relatively easy to do, I would think). I'll come over again next year if someone can promise to turn the sun on. :) Love the medal and the tech shirt. | |
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Ben Mueller from Wisconsin
(2/6/2008)
"Great race!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The organization of the race is great. The expo the day before is an excellent source of entertainment for those traveling to the race. Also, it is conveniently located next to the Pacific Ocean, so you can swim (if the weather is warm enough) while at the expo. The race course is absolutely beautiful, running adjacent to the ocean most of the way. I ran the half marathon, which was mostly flat with a few inclines. Plenty of volunteers were out on the course and there was water at least once every mile. The post-race food was good and the entertainment would have been good had the weather been better. This year's race was plagued by windy and rainy weather. It put a damper in the race... but that is out of the race director's hands. It is worth traveling to Huntington Beach, as there is plenty of entertainment and you are just a few miles away from Laguna and Newport Beach. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed my stay. | |
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B. L. from monterey, CA
(2/6/2008)
 "An adventure" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 The majority of the course is along Hwy. 1, so this is nice. The expo is tiny. This year we ran during an unrelenting storm where the rain was blowing horizontally and it was freezing. I can't thank the volunteers enough! A lot of these kids were soaking wet and freezing but stayed out there to hand out water. They are all amazing! My advice for anyone doing a marathon event during winter or wet weather is to be prepared and distinguish between rain gear and storm gear. As bad as conditions were, a poncho simply didn't cut it! | |
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C. K. from Diamond Bar, Ca
(2/6/2008)
 "Nice run on a bad day" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The nasty weather aside, the race was nice. The reversed course was a real improvement. The water stations were all well manned by soggy freezing teenagers. Kudos to them for sticking it out as well as props for the spectators who braved the weather to cheer us on. The post-race food left a bit to be desired; personally I could do with more citrus and less processed junk, but using the expo tents for distributing the food was nice. Not having to stand in the rain at the end was a plus. The pre-race parking was slow motion mayhem but I have no suggestions to offer on how they could improve it. | |
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M. U. from Tucson, Arizona
(2/5/2008)
"This could be a 5-star marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have run many of the big-time, huge marathons and really enjoyed the smaller field, the beautiful setting, the potentially fast course, and the great organization of this race. With the 3 different races, it really was a community event and celebrated runners of all abilities. Unfortunately, the weather took center stage this year and any hopes of PRs were dashed on the last half of the course with the rain and wind battering everyone for about 13 miles. These are the things I really liked about the race: 1. pre-race information - they have a great, informative website, the expo was well-organized with lots of vendors, the volunteers were cheerful and helpful; 2. The course was scenic, flat, and had plenty of aid stations; 3. Although it usually doesn't matter that much to me, the race shirt and medal were as classy as I've ever received at a race. These are things that I would suggest for improvement: 1. In the final mile, provide some separation between the merging marathoners and half-marathoners. It was tough finishing the marathon, struggling to the end while trying to dodge hundreds of half-marathoners. A narrow corridor reserved for just the marathoners would be all they need. It would also provide a little more recognition to those that just finished the entire marathon and allow the spectators to see and cheer for them; 2. Have some volunteers in the chute at the finish line to help runners in distress; 3. Mile markers in the last half of the race were non-existent. I suspect that they may have just been blown away by the wind, but it would have been good to know exactly how badly I was slowing down! Obviously, these are minor complaints. For someone who just wants to go out and race a fast course (if the weather is decent), enjoy great hospitality and not worry about thousands of other runners, the Surf City Marathon is a great option. | |
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C. F. from Superior, CO
(2/5/2008)
"Very nice race... bad luck with weather" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, chosen carefully for flat course and (usually) nice weather. Overall, the experience was super, and I would recommend this race without reservation. Some general comments: 1. The weather was 50-55 with rain and 10-15 mph winds. From mile 9 onward, the course is right on coast. I expect this is usually beautiful but made for some lonely miles in bad weather. 2. I read about congestion and overlap in 2007. They redid the course this year, so the marathon did not intersect with slower half marathon traffic except for last 0.5 mile. I would suggest that the race director make separate "lane" for marathoners during this stretch. The faster half marathon runners did start to pass about mile 12 of marathon, which did not create problem for marathon runners. I really did not have much problem maintaining my desired pace. 3. There were no spectators from mile 9-23, and because of the small marathon field (1000), expect to spend time by yourself. 4. Amino Vital sports drink was missing from many of the later aid stations. 5. Volunteers were awesome, especially given weather. | |
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Joseph Reilly from Orange, California
(2/5/2008)
 "Rain, Wind and Cold. But Great." (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love this course. It is truly magnificent. Much better than Carlsbad. Obviously, I love the continuous ocean view. But I also liked the 7 mile dip inland into Central Park (miles 3-9). That was fan-tas-tic! There is no denying that it would have been much better had we not had the storm. Rain, wind and cold can really sap an Ancient Marathoner (64 years) like myself. I had to wear a poncho for 20 miles. Probably the wind was the most troublesome. It wreaked havoc on my poor plastic poncho. That's why I dumped it at mile 20. But what the heck, at least we didn't have a killer heat wave that messed up Chicago 2007. Such are the breaks. I do wish that the Race Committee would ban the strollers. A woman ran right up onto my trailing-leg, in what could have been a major disaster. She didn't even apologize. All she said was, "I have a right to be here." I had read about the trauma caused by the merger of full-marathoners and the half-marathons between miles 9-16. Well, it was as miserable as advertised. I felt like a marathoning cowboy trying to cut through a herd of cattle. And the walkers.... Oy Vey! Why do they have to walk 3 and 4 abreast down the middle of the road? The advantage of a small marathon (1,050 runners) is negated by having to merge with 8,400 half-marathoners for 7 miles. At least we were able to shake them at mile 16. But, that being said, I still loved this race. The volunteers were fantastic. I couldn't believe that so many young people were willing to endure the cold, wind and rain to support a bunch of crazy runners. A previous runner noted that some marathoners started before the gun. I don't understand how that can happen with the "chip." Maybe they were running as bandits. But as far as I know, all marathoners started at about 6:53 a.m. The only exception was a wheelchair contestant. I will definitely be back in 2009. |
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