Long Beach Marathon - Race Reviews

Overall great event. Loved the course so much. Just a bit frustrating when the half-marathoners merged in for like the last 2+ miles or so. There were so many of them. Some were taking selfies or having their spectator friends come into the course to take pics with them - completely oblivious to the fact that some people had gone twice as long as them and were on the final stretch pushing through pain to clock a time. I almost tripped and fell maneuvering between two of them, and quite a few times had to break stride and dodge to avoid collision. My last marathon had full on dividers to keep them separated and I wished this one would've as well.

INTRODUCTION: I am a racewalker with a median marathon completion time of 5:25:41. The Long Beach Marathon was my sixty-ninth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: 68 degrees, 89 percent relative humidity, overcast skies and no wind. The course started on Shoreline Drive adjacent to the waterfront. Traveling west for the first mile, we backtracked to the bridge crossing over Queensway Bay. The bridge, at 36 feet in elevation, was the only noticeable incline we had for the first ten-plus miles. Several views of the Long Beach landmark Queen Mary were present during the first several miles, beginning with the crossing over the bay. After a loop on Queensway Drive, we went back over the Queensway Bay bridge returning to Shoreline Drive. We then turned back toward the bay, passing by the Aquarium of the Pacific at mile 4.6, eventually embarking on a walkway running alongside Queensway Bay and Rainbow Harbor. Of interest to marathoners, there were park benches along the course commemorating earlier Long Beach Marathon events. About six and a half miles into the race, we went onto a three-mile bike trail that took us on Alamitos, Junipero, and Belmont Beaches that afforded us with unobstructed view of the San Pedro Bay. At the end of the trail, we reversed course on Ocean Boulevard where, at a little more than halfway into mile 11, we headed inland on an out-and-back, an out-and-back within an out-and-back, and a loop course. The first crest, at 36 feet in elevation, took place on Nieto Avenue at East Vista Street between miles 11 and 12. Our out-and-back within an out-and-back was alongside Marine Stadium, site of the 1932 Olympic rowing competition, beginning at mile 12 and ending just after mile 13. The second crest, at 54 feet in elevation, was located at Clark Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, about halfway between miles 15 and 16. Beginning just before mile 17, we embarked on a loop around California State University, Long Beach. It was here where we approached the highest point of the course, at 83 feet, at mile 18. We began our return toward the coast just past mile 19, arriving at Ocean Boulevard just before mile 24. The final two miles took us westward on Ocean Boulevard, allowing us a final view of the coastline and the Queen Mary as we travelled past Bluff Park. At mile 26, we turned left on Shoreline Boulevard, where we crossed the finish line just steps away from where we started. Weather at the finish was 73 degrees, 69 percent relative humidity, scattered clouds, and southwest wind of 6 mph. ORGANIZATION: Fairly organized event run by Motiv. Decent water station support by the volunteers, though a few of them got distracted in the latter stages of the event. Excellent traffic control by the Long Beach Police Department. SPECTATORS: Sparse. Some spectators on the course. No live bands present. CONCLUSION: For those who like running alongside the Pacific coastline, this would be a race to consider. With the half marathon starting 90 minutes after the marathon, there is little interference with the other race, giving marathon participants plenty of space to run in. Well done, Long Beach.

This is my 8th marathon and my 6th state. What a great marathon to run in. I am from Chicago, which is very flat. Course - For the most part its flat. The only hills you will mostly encounter will be at Long Beach State University. The course runs through some of downtown LB, next to the Queen Mary, next to a beach, and through neighborhoods and Long Beach State. I consider this a moderately flat course. Organization - Perfect. Gear check was great. Water stations were fantastic. I love how they started the 3,000 marathoners seperate from the 13,000 half marathoners. Only complaint is that the half marathoners and marathoners combine at mile 22 or 23. This started to become an obstacle since the marathoners ran into the walking half marathoners. And there were plenty of those. I feel like I lost some time on this. Water Aid Stations - They had NUUN and water at the aid stations. It seems like every other mile or mile and a half. This was huge. We got lucky with the weather because I can see how the weather can be hot. I read it neeared a 100 degrees a few years ago. We had hot weather the day before, but this morning was cloudy and started while sun was down. Low sixties and I believe when we finished it was upper sixties. We lucked out. There was plenty of GU on the course, some coconut water aid stations, and a big shout out to Sigma Chi!! They actually had water bottles for us at an aid station at Long Beach. That actually helped since I was able to get more water and douse myself with a shower while I was running. This is a good marathon to run if you are a beginner. I heard the L.A. Marathon is hilly, so this is a good one to do if you want a flat course. Hotels won't be a problem. I stayed at a friends house, but I heard there were plenty of hotels in the area and cheap depending where. The marathon was easy to get too. I used Uber. Great job Long Beach!! And thank you Snails Pace Pacing Group for a job well done!!

This year's race was unfortunately way too hot (100 degrees+) for a marathon. The organizers allowed the half marathoners to start with the marathoners which made the course extremely crowded until they split off. The marathon course is flat I guess, but it's dull and has no shade. There were a decent number of bands and spectators, including some handing out ice bags and frozen goodies. The marathoners rejoin the half marathon course near the end where it's all the HM walkers who are difficult to dodge.

A record heat wave arrived in Long Beach on marathon weekend. It was 105 on Friday at the Expo and the marathon organizers sent out warnings to the runners to beware of the heat. They added water stations and ice to some of the aid stations. The volunteers were outstanding in support of the runners. I probably finished two of the hottest marathons in 2015, LA and LB. It was still rewarding to finish even though a slow time was inevitable. It was my 15th finish in LB and by far the hottest (97) when I finished at about 11:30am. I will be back in 2016 for the Beach Cities Challenge medal for the 6th time!

I have now run the full marathon 13 times in a row, dating back to 2003 (does anyone else remember when they offered an in-line skating marathon?). In the last several years the race has gotten much better with the routing of the course through CSULB, the earlier marathon start time, etc. Unfortunately, this year I think it took a giant step backwards. I was disappointed to see the marathon start extremely crowded this year with all the early or 'preferred' starters for the half-marathon. When I saw that they were offering that option this year, I assumed it was for people with disabilities, the elderly or people who needed the entire day to complete the course. However, from what I could see, these early half-marathon starters were all relatively young, healthy and had no need to be starting early. As a result of the over-crowded marathon start, I had to start in the second wave, couldn't catch-up to the pace group that I had planned to run with, and all the early water-stops were more crowded and hectic than usual. Please go back to the separate starts for the marathon and half-marathon as it used to be!

This was the 4th time I've run Long Beach; previously ran the half twice (2007, 2008) and the full once (2009), and ran the half this year. I race mostly 5K/10K distances, so for me, longer races are a big deal. I did consider doing a different course this time, because of my previous experience with the chaos of Long Beach race morning traffic and parking. So I was all ready to sign up for Santa Clarita's half, which is in early November, but then I rescheduled for Long Beach since it fit my schedule better, and also really wanted to break two hours - would happily take 1:59 - which meant a flat and fast course. This year, however, I sprung for a hotel room within walking distance of the start line. It wasnt cheap, even for the 'runners special' rate, but it was worth every penny to be able to wake up at a sane hour and walk to the start line with zero stress. I stayed at the Hilton, which is just about a mile from the start line, and one of the hotels that did not require a multi-day stay. Not to mention the Hilton is a very nice facility, even though I didn't spend a whole lot of time in it. On to the race. Separating the full from the half marathoners (the full marathon started 90 min earlier this year) was a welcome change from previous years, given the sheer size of these races. For the half, the 7:30 AM start was reasonable; it's typically not very hot in Long Beach this time of year, usually low to mid 60s, and this year was no exception. The start area was fairly well organized, considering that there were about 14,000 of us. Although the corrals were, as usual, entirely on honor system, and the boundaries between the corrals were poorly marked. That could use some improvement. With an estimated finish time under 2 hrs, I was fortunate to be in the first corral (its nominal cutoff was 2:10), which was snugly packed but not super crowded. Nevertheless, I saw some people in it who, judging by their shoes and the amount of stuff they were carrying, sure looked like walkers. No offense to walkers, but they definitely didn't belong there. How about next time, requiring proof of a recent race finishing time - 10K, half or full marathon - a PDF of a results printout would be fine - and then color code the bibs for each corral. That might help seed people where they belong. The race course was modestly but not overly crowded, but again, may have been the luck of being in the first corral. A number of of twists and turns on the first few miles of the course, but it didn't seem to be a problem, perhaps because I was expecting them, but overall the pack was very courteous and people were paying attention to where they were going. The water stations were well spaced, well managed and not crowded. Plenty of water and sports drink. I do only water for races up to this distance, but it was very clear which drink areas were which. As for flat and fast&the course is definitely that. A few trivial hills in the early miles, and then flat and straight along the bike path and Ocean Blvd. I also noticed more spectators along the course than in previous years. Moreover, they were making more noise and holding more signs! Fantastic! Thank you everyone who was out there to cheer us on! When all was said and done, I finished over 5 min faster than that 2 hr goal, and gleefully waving my hands in the air. Doesn't get much better than that. The finisher's medal was wonderful. I heard later that some of them got mixed up (evidently some 5K medals were given in error to half and full marathoners&) but I got a correct one. The post-race food/drink, as usual for Long Beach, leaves something to be desired - a lot of other races have more quality and variety - but I've come to expect that. However, the coconut water was a nice touch. So next year is the 30th anniversary of this race, and I might just come back for it. But if I do, absolutely will stay in a nearby hotel the night before.

Lots of great energy at the start line despite the half hour delay due to traffic and road closure issues. Prepare for 8 miles or so on concrete. The beauty of the Pacific Ocean can do only so much to distract you from knowing that your calves are going to be very sore. Loved the support from the students at Long Beach State University!! The out and back on the 2nd half allows for a great view of the front runners. LOVE to watch them run. Stayed at the Queen Mary, and despite asking FOUR different people, no one told us that the road way would be closed in the morning. Also, no one told us that there was a FREE water taxi which would take you to the start. Overall, loved the event. Lots and lots of half-marathoners. Makes you feel like you run fast as you pass all of them on the last 4 miles of the marathon. Very fun event.

Run Racing is listening to the previous years' comments and has implemented some needed improvements. An earlier start (6:00 am) for the marathoners was the best change. The delayed start should be fixed next year. The bike tour starting in the opposite direction and only covering 20 miles of the course was good. By getting to the marathon early there are no problems with traffic, parking, access to porta-potties, etc. The Beach Bum Club is great and the beer garden wasn't crowded after I finished the marathon. The Best of Long Beach is the band belting out classic rock tunes until 2:00 pm. Keep the course, the aid stations and the volunteers which were all great. I have already signed up for the 30th edition of Long Beach. See you there!

I have run the full and the half in years past - both several times - but ran the half this time around. If I had run the full, I *definitely* would have appreciated starting ahead of the halfers this year - the ~20 minute delay at the start line, not so much, tho'. :-/ As others have mentioned, the start line corrals are loosey-goosey - self-seeded and not well delineated. In spite of being in one of the first corrals, I still spent a fair amount of time working my away around walkers. I love the course itself - first 10 miles are particularly scenic. I did not run this year using GPS, but am pretty sure some of the mile markers were incorrectly placed based on my (wildly) erratic splits (ergo my 4 star rating). Totally messed up my pacing. Water and Gatorade along the course was plentiful as were volunteers. A+ in that regard. My biggest beef w/ this event is traffic control race-day morning . . . or lack thereof. There is no police presence downtown to direct traffic and optimize flow - all of the downtown signal lights are cycling normally, creating numerous totally unnecessary bottlenecks at various intersections that have little to no cross-traffic. Net result is a HUGE, multi-mile backup on the 710 freeway approaching the downtown area . . . and a slow trickle of vehicles into the actual parking facilities. Setting all of the signal lights to flashing red, at a minimum, would be a significant improvement. And speaking of bottlenecks . . . REALLY wish they would improve the finish area. After crossing the finish line and wending my way toward the expo, I found myself asses to elbows w/ hundreds of my fellow (and equally hot and sweaty) finishers attempting to exit thru a relatively small opening in the fenced runners only area, only to then run into a huge throng of spectators pressing in from all sides and further impeding progress. Kept thinking what a complete unmitigated disaster it would be if there was some kind of incident or emergency requiring immediate evacuation of the area. Since I was waiting for some friends to finish the full, I had plenty of time to cool down and check out the finish-line expo. I ultimately camped out in the beer garden and thoroughly enjoyed the band . . . and the beer - love that Shock Top! Felt very badly, tho', for the slower marathoners who arrived only to find that the beer had run out. As an aside, have to say the Beach City Challenge thing, in conjunction w/ the OC and Surf City marathons, is pretty cool - as someone who has completed the consecutive three-event cycle more than once, I was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a huge beach towel in addition to an especially hefty medal . . . and got a second free beer to boot. Sweet! In spite of my frustrations, I will be back!

I've run several courses and I have to say that the Long Beach International City Marathon was by far the most beautiful. Participants were able to enjoy beautiful Southern California sites, such as the Queen Mary, The Long Beach pier, Pier Point landing, a light house perched upon a grassy hill, the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I thought the scenery was inspirational, I really enjoyed running the course. I had so much fun!! I would definitely run the Long Beach 1/2 marathon again next year. I thought the parking was very organized as well. Great Event!!!!

Not a Marathon worth doing again if it's not your local Marathon. Like many Marathon/Half combos this race and course was really geared towards the half. After breaking off from the beach path, which was way too crowded with half Marathoners, there is really nothing to be excited about. Once again with a major commercialized Marathon it was way too crowded and way too focused on the half Marathon experience.

This event includes a marathon and half marathon, and just as expected, there are significantly more half marathoners. So it is a large event, but gets less crowded after the marathon and half marathon split. The organization was good, except for waves that were self seeded. There always seems to be slow people that decide to start with the faster runners. The course is flat, with only a few minor hills, making it a great PR course. I recommend this marathon for anyone that wants to run a big city marathon or that is looking to set a new PR.

I have now run this marathon for the last 10 years and always enjoy it. The course routing has gotten better over the years, and the weather in October is usually great. My only complaint continues to be the starting line. With nearly 3,000 full marathoners, and another 15,000 half-marathoners, trying to cram everyone onto half of Shoreline Drive is ridiculous! Why can't the full-marathoners start 30 minutes or so before the half-marathoners? Other local races (Surf City) that are managed by the same company do it? Please fix this in order to have a truly great marathon. P.S. I like the fact that the finishers medal has a place on the back for me to engrave my finishing time and position, but you can eliminate the space for my name (I'm pretty sure I'm not going to forget that!).

I enjoyed running this marathon. It is scenic and both the support staff and the spectators were friendly. It is cool to see the Queen Mary and run along the ocean for about five miles. Yes, you do run for a considerable time with half marathoners, but I did not think that it was much of a problem. There were two things that killed my time on this race. First  it was hot this year, reaching above 80 degrees in the last hour or so. There is not very much tree cover, so you have the sun beating directly upon you. Also, there are some hills on the course. You run up one side of a hill around mile 11 and up the other side around mile 23. The Cal State campus has a couple of hills. Finally, there is a pretty long grade around mile 24. I plan to be back after more training in hot conditions.

Let me start by saying this was my first marathon and being from the midwest, I have to say the senery was very nice. The course itself was flat, so that makes it nice for a first marathon. Having run half marathons and other races, I still think that improvements could be made. So here are my pros and cons: (1) Pro: Very scenic first 10 miles Con: Miles 12-17 (until you get to CSLB) and then Miles 20 - 25 can be very boring. I do understand that it is tough when you have to have a 26.2 mile course. (2) Pro: As I mentioned earlier, the course is mostly flat Con: Starting Corals need to be sectioned off by time. I have run the Chicago Half Marathon and Columbus Marathon's half and both seeded you by time, which is very nice. (3) Pro: the students at CSLB were amazing. You hear the students before you you turn the corner. Then you get to run through a big crowd that were encouraging you the whole way before the only hill. All I can say is that I ran the race for the view, but I will remember those cheering students more. They need to be commended. Con: Need to get rid of the bike ralley during the race. Have it after or way before. It added more confusion and too many people. (4) Pro: Did I mention the views for the first half? You run on boardwalk between the beach for about 5 miles. It is amazing view and fun to run Con: The finish is the worse I have ever experienced. Now I may have never run a marathon, but I am a veteran of bigger 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons (races over 15,000 people). First, spectators could not really cheer for you for the last .2 miles because of the fences. After the finish, the food and drinks where almost non-existent. I finished in the top 15% of marathon and all I got was a bottle of water right after finishing and bag with a banana, a cookie (that you could not open the package), and some granola. I was offered so coconut water, but honestly I would have rather had a gatorade or another water bottle. If I had known that I was not going to get plain water, then I would have grab three water bottles at the finish. Overall, the course, organization, and spectators were great. But, I would beg the organizers to please have a better finishing area. It really left a sour taste in my mouth about the race. I do not think I would do it again unless that changed.

I thought it was a great marathon, only thing I didn't like was it was so crowded for the first 10 miles until the half-marathoners veered off. Other than that it was fun.

Did the race before in 2004, so I knew what to expect. I agree with the other comments that more should be done to separate the marathon runners from the half-marathoners. Couldn't get into my own pace until after the split. The biggest disappointment was the flash mob in the beer garden. Although I understand that the fundamental premise of 'the mob' was for charity, I am annoyed that it came at my own expense. I paid $108 for admission to the race and was promised a free beer by Michelob for my efforts. Unfortunately, I finished my marathon and showed up at the beer garden at the same time as the flash mob. The garden was overpacked with non-runners at the time who didn't pay a dime to be there and it was difficult to find a place to stand much less move around as you should after running 26.2 miles. Maybe Michelob should consider restricting the beer garden to paying customers only? If you are in the garden, then you should at least have to buy a beer. Just a thought.

This was my first time running this marathon, and I ran it purely as a training run in preparation for a longer race in November. The course overall is quite nice, especially the bits run on the beach (paved path). The inland stuff is kind of boring, but really enthusiastic students on the UCLB campus really help. Serious shortchomings, which means that I will likely not be back: 1. paltry number of portalets. I think there were like 100-150 at the starting line, which serves 10k + runners. Out on the course, there were not enough either (why is this such a big problem at so many races? Some races nail it perfectly, but others seem happy to let runners use the bushes along the way). There were lots and lots of people using the bushes, and others in long lineups on course. Who wants to wait 10-15 minutes to use a portalet in the middle of a race? 2. The course is way too crowded in the first half. Once the half marathoners split off things are fine, but it was impossible to get into any kind of rhythm in the first 11 or so miles. Split start times are needed for the two races. 3. Finish line food was pretty much nonexistant. I don't know if they ran out or if everyone got offered the same stuff. We were given one bottle of water and offered mini boxes of Wheaties Fuel (which I couldn't eat due to allergies). That was it. I couldn't believe it. It was a warm day and I didn't appreciate having to wait until I got to my hotel to rehydrate properly. Some races have a separate area for marathoners, which helps with ensuring that there will be adequate food for slower runners. We finished in around 5 hours (training run pace for us) and at least 1200 others finished after, so there should have been more food/drink. 4. The t-shirts are nice, but they are short-sleeved and on the full and half marathoners get the same shirt. The organizers will happily sell you a finisher shirt at the expo, though. On the plus side, Long Beach is a very pleasant place to visit and the start line is easy to get to from area hotels (we walked over the bridge from the Residence Inn). We'll probably not be back, however, due to the negatives mentioned above.

That was the funnest thing I'll never do again! Well spaced water stations, PLENTY of porta-potties, and an early start time for the walkers!!!! THANK YOU!!!

Absolutely gorgeous, but I think the course was longer than 26.2 by approx. .2 of a mile. I noticed it on my Forerunner, but thought it must be wrong. It happened between the 10k split and the 12.5 split. When I checked my time I noticed it jumped during that section, then I checked many other runners and I noticed that all of their times jumped as well. Did anyone else notice this? Am I crazy?

The good: (1) Beautiful course. That, by itself, keeps me (and I suspect many others) coming back. (2) Virtual race bags were a nice move toward reducing waste (we still got race bags, but instead of filling them with useless marketing paper, all that stuff was electronic). And most importantly, (3) the organizers finally responded to years of runner complaints and separated the marathoners from the half-marathoners for the last two miles of the race, when the courses merge back together. No walker groups taking the full width of the road this year. Major improvement! That really improved my race experience. The bad: (1) This race remains far too crowded. I would gladly pay a higher entry fee if the race capped participants at a lower total and managed its start line better. By letting participants put themselves in whatever wave they wanted, the early waves were far too big and far too full of people who didn't belong there. Please, organizers, take a cue from other bigger races, and manage your start corrals better to ease crowding on the course. (2) The finish area is perhaps the least spectator-friendly of any marathon I've ever run; there must be a better way. It's disappointing for athletes and spectators alike when the few fans who actually can find a decent spot to cheer on finishers have to do so through a chain-link fence. Overall, I continue to think of this as a good-not-great race. Its problems have been well-documented here for years; it was great to finally see some responsiveness on the last-two-miles issue, and I just hope the organizers are equally invested in other avenues of improving the race experience. I enjoyed it again this year, but I'm not sure I'll be back.

PROS: Can't ask for a better course. Absolutely beautiful. Rainbow Lagoon, Rainbow Harbor, Queen Mary, fireboat waterworks show, and a tour of the nice parts of the vast city. FLAT except for minor inclines through Cal State Long Beach and at mile 24, nothing to worry about. The crowds were great, especially through the college. Course support was excellent. Water and Powerade at every station, every mile, and Cliff Shots every other station, every other mile towards the end of the race. Beautiful weather, 60F at the start and about 80 by noon this year, not a rare occasion in SoCal during fall. CONS: The race is VERY crowded until the halfers split (around 11.5 miles in). I had several run-ins with walkers.

The music at the race was great. The race had a lot of fast runners.

The race had a lot of nice scenery. The spectators were nice. The water and refreshments were great.

This was one of the most well organized races - of any distance - that I've run. Frequent water stations were all well staffed, efficient and supportive. The course was pretty flat and included some great stretches along the beach. Although there were quite a few "dead" spots without any fans, where there were fans, they were great, especially through the CSULB campus. The students were a huge boost at a spot in the race when I really needed it (between miles 17-20, if I recall correctly). The start, on-course and finish organization was terrific... except for the bag check. After the race, trying to pick up your bag was a disaster, although organizers have already said they'll make some changes there. Overall, it's a great event that I'd be happy to run again.

This was my first full marathon (after 7 halfs). I chose this marathon based on last year's reviews on MarathonGuide.com. I definitely picked the right one. The race was well organized (I know there were problems with checked bags, but I didn't check one). The course very scenic for a person who doesn't live near the ocean; it was flat and probably as easy as a marathon can be. There were a couple of hills, but I train in Colorado, so I didn't think they were an issue. There were fans out and lots of support. The medal is gorgeous. The ONLY disappointment I have is that the shirt is so small that I will never wear it. I don't wear clothing that is skin-tight. Sad, because this is probably my one and only marathon. It is a good one and I would highly recommend it.

Long Beach is a really nice well run race. My fears about the bike riders starting before us and mixing with the runners were unfounded. The course workers were great and the expo was well-organized and the information booth well manned and very helpful. The course is really pleasant and the weather was excellent. The only real problem I have is with the spectators they are just too quiet and restrained. I doubt if any spectators read these postings but people come on and make some real noise - even the college crowd was subdued. All in all a great race. JPO

Long Beach represented my #100 marathon, which is now officially in the record books at Marathon Maniacs. Yeah, me! Decent time of 5:45:00. I am proud of this time since I also ran a 5:29 last week in Chicago. Also, I am running in my recovery mode, and have been for almost 6 months. Long Beach is a great course. It took us by the Queen Mary, along the beaches, along Marine Stadium, and through CSULB. What's not to like? My #1 highlight: Running on the boardwalk (bike path) along the magnificent Pacific Ocean. My #2 Highlight: Running through the campus of Long Beach State University with howling, cheering students doing their thing. My #3 Highlight: Twice passing that ambassador of Long Beach good will, Travel Mama Ingrid. Ingrid supplied me and others with our hard candy fix. My #4 Highlight: The 2-mile out/back along Marine Stadium at Marina Vista (Miles 12-13 ) and Colorado Lagoon at mile 14. Marine Stadium was used during the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games for the water sports. My #5 Highlight: I really enjoyed watching the 2,000 cyclists take off at 6:00 a.m. They were going to cover the same course as the runners, but with the aid of two wheels. My #6 Highlight: I took an early start at 6:15 a.m. That enabled me to avoid any merger with half-marathoners and an over-crowded course. My #7 Highlight: At the expo, I received my "California Dreaming" jacket for having run Surf City, San Francisco, and Long Beach. After the race, I received a humongous "California Dreaming" finisher's medal. All in all, some great swag. LOGISTICS Getting to the marathon was no problem. From my sanctum sanctorum in Old Towne Orange, I took the 22 Freeway to the 405 Freeway, and down Atlantic Boulevard to the Convention Center parking and the marathon start. Parking was no issue since I arrived before 5:00 a.m. and parked right next to the start line. Subsequently, I took a nap until just before the cyclists took off at 6:00 a.m. Drop bags were no problem since I used my car as my drop-area. After my pal Deo told me about the nightmare of the post-race drop area, I felt ever so pleased with myself. The weather was almost perfect at a consistent 61 to 62 degrees and overcast. But the humidity wasn't so perfect. Yes, there were hills, especially the entire 24th mile. But nothing to really complain about. Yes, there was concrete, probably a grand total of 10 miles worth. But that is the price that you pay for majestic views of the Pacific. It is worth it. Because I took off at 6:15 with an early start, I did not encounter the usual problems of overcrowding on narrow paths. Ergo, I was able to cut my tangents, and I only had to run 26.40 miles instead of 26.60 (as I did in 2007). The bridge that took us over Shoreline Drive after the race back to the lots wasn't a problem for me. That could be because I didn't attempt to cross it until about 1:00 p.m. But I guess that it was nightmarish for some of the people who departed early. Oh well. C'est la vie.

The half marathoners all start up front, which really jams up the course and makes the first half tough. Then the poor showing by the photographers was really disappointing. Everywhere I was, they were on break. There was almost no entertainment on the course, and if it hadn't been for a couple of bands up by the university, it would have been pretty bleak. Hitting Disneyland and Universal made it a good trip.

The Long Beach Marathon might be the best organized marathon I've ever run, and I've run many. Honestly, I only registered for Long Beach because it's local for me as a Los Angeles resident and because my wife registered. I had very low expectations about running in a city that is of little interest to me. That said, I was blown away by the excellent organization of this marathon. The course was pleasant and fairly fast. The volunteers were plentiful and helpful. Fluids and gels were abundant. Honestly, for organization, ease of participation and the course, the Long Beach Marathon beats every other marathon I've run. I can't really see it as a very satisfying destination race, as Long Beach isn't a very interesting city, but for anyone who lives within a reasonable distance, it's a great race.

You really couldn't ask for a more scenic race - several miles along the beach, past the Queen Mary, around the UCLB campus... it was all lovely. And the community really came out to support and cheer for the runners. I was handed everything from a few gummy bears, to doughnut holes (or Long Beach Energy Balls, as they were called), to a small cup of beer! Unfortunately, the poorly planned race overshadowed all of this positiveness. The course had the marathoners running with the half marathoners through mile 11 (nothing shocking there), at which point we split off, but reconnected at mile 24 for the finish. The big problem with this is that, since both distances started at the same time, competitive runners spent the last 2 miles of their marathon weaving through much slower half marathon walkers. Come on, ladies; do you really need to walk four abreast, hand in hand, ensuring that no one can get past you? Also, as others have mentioned, the baggage claim was a joke. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes, and plan for a better 2011.

The start of this was probably the most crammed in I have ever been in at the start of a race. The marathoners should start an hour before along with the walkers as there are over 11,500 half marathon runners but only 5,000 running the 26.2. Way too many people were allowed at the start who were just spectators - not runners. Needs a complete organization overall. The course is scenic for the first half but nothing to look at the second half. Spectators were amazing, and great job by the volunteers also. Plenty of water stations, but only had blue PowerAde that I could not stomach. Gatorade is much better and more forgiving on you body. Hopefully these tips will be taken into consideration for improvements as I feel they are needed. Great first-time marathoner course though. Nice and flat....

I arrived at the course at 6:40 a.m., which was too late as the waves are not accessible from the side - I arrived in wave 6, and waded up to wave 4. This meant that I bobbed and weaved for 8 miles to catch up to wave 1 runners, which I suppose was my fault, but this would be eliminated by simply having side entry access to each wave. The course is flat, the weather was perfect for running (overcast/60 degrees) and I was able to haul through to the end. The largest issue was the JetBlue bag check - it was absolute chaos. After waiting for over an hour for my bag, I was told to return in 2 hours to see if it had surfaced. I watched them stepping on Blackberries, car keys, wallets, etc. Security was eventually called in, where they announced that any runner who tried to breach the tent to find their valuables was "trespassing." Pretty unpleasant ending to an otherwise ok experience. My advice is to put an adult with those 18-year-old JetBlue volunteers to help them sort and retrieve the 20,000 identical bags instead of leaving them alone to fail. I eventually got my bag back.

I had a great time in Long Beach and at the race. It was well organized, and the course is very manageable. The mid-section of the run is a bit boring, but the start and finish miles more than made up for the boring parts. Got lucky with the weather, and would definitely consider running it again. Thanks, Long Beach.

Pros: - The course is about the fastest I've seen, outside of Chicago, and barring any run-ins with the walkers. - Weather was 62 and sunless, which is pretty much ideal for a marathon. - The snack and aid stations were well equipped and ideally spaced. - The expo was very efficient, in spite of what others have said previously. - The field is small, compared to LA, making for an easier start. Plus it has self-assigned waves (though it would be nice if these were officially assigned, like Chicago, and easier to get to). Cons: - Air quality is never great in Los Angeles County, so don't expect to achieve a personal best unless you've been training here. - Walkers and half-marathoners seem to make up the bulk of the entrants. It only becomes problematic at the finish, though, when they're all lumped together. It would be helpful if the race set up discretely marked lanes for each set of contestants, since I found myself having to navigate between bodies. - The organizers screwed up my timing, having given me a half-marathon chip instead of a full. It remains to be seen whether that will get fixed or not. Summary: This is a nice, runner-friendly race, in spite of some logistical drawbacks. It's much, much better than the LA Marathon, which has all of the above mentioned problems tenfold. I would recommend it as the best destination marathon for fairly new runners wishing to come to California.

The start of the race is poorly organized. Many people inside the corals that were not runners and just got in the way. Runners were climbing over the fences to jump ahead of the crowd because the were unable to get to their wave start. It was extremely overcrowded. They need to see how NYC organizes the start; it's much more efficient. The course itself is very scenic for the half marathoners but once the course splits for the full marathon it gets very boring. Going through the college campus is reenergizing with the students cheering you on. It's mainly a flat course with few minor hills and other than the start it very nicely run. Spectators are sparse but the ones that do come out have gummy bears or candy or fruit, which is awesome. All in all, an enjoyable run.