Big Sur International Marathon - Race Reviews

The VIP had everything including heated tent before and after race. I never have been so spoiled in marathon and I have done over 30. This was the way to go. Well organized. Beautiful tough course.

I've run close to 30 marathons around the world and while others have been just as scenic (Hawaii, northern Michigan and Grandmas to name a few) this was far the most brutal course from the hills to the winds there is no reprieve - and no spectators to cheer you on either! But far worse was the management. The cramped and chaotic runners' expo, the morning of the race none - NONE - of the busses showed up, waiting in the cold for HOURS before the race - with no heaters and not enough porta potty's - the race actually started late because it was so disorganized and then at the end you get like a flimsy plastic medal and a box of chips, granola bars and vegan jerky and have to board another bus (school bus) back to Monterey where they just drop you off and you're on your own to find your way back to the pick up area/hotel. Terrible terrible management. Course was fine but no water, just terribly tasting fake gatorade. The course was quiet scenic but for the money we pay (and that they get with the other races that are run at the same time - including the bizarre 21 miler which can only be explained as a way to bring in more money) they should oh I don't know have heaters for us at the start and more support/food along the way and at the end. And for the love of God have the buses show up on time in the morning and be clear about where we go to get on them. hire a new race manager for 2024 who will ensure the organization behind this marathon is worthy of the course.

Any runners bucket list race for sure! This marathon was hard but beautiful. A "wow" course! I didn't train hills and was still fine. I normally run 3:35 marathons and finished this race in 3:48. Gatorade and water stations were placed just right throughout the course. We stayed at the Marriott in downtown Monterey and would recommend the area to stay while there! Lots of great food within walking distance. Overall I would definitely recommend this race for the challenge and beauty!

What I didn't train for killed me. I worked hard all winter on up hill training but what killed me were the downhills. Took me 32 mins to do Hurricane Point without walking and I was all smiles. But soon thereafter going down the remaining numerous hills killed my quads and reaggravated a knee problem. So treat the downs like the ups!

Big Sur Marathon Like backhanded compliments Serves lashings with smiles Thanks race director For limiting the guest list The size is just right Friendly field of folks Much less intense than east coast This one 'just for fun' Go to the woods stat Consider buying a van Make friends with locals Enjoy wealthy town Expensive? Yes. But YOLO Booze coffee by beach Oh? What's that you say? You want to hear about race? Run from A to B Rolling hills hurt legs So do marathons, dummy Consider the sport Retirement race But no, too much fun. Next year I come back for more

I LOVED Big Sur. It was marathon 30-something for me, and one of my favorites. It was worth the trip from the East Coast. I stayed in Monterey which is a beautiful coastal town with decent restaurants and plenty to do. The Marriott made all the runners feel welcome race weekend. Organization for the marathon was top notch. We were informed and transportation to the start was easy. The views are breathtaking from the first step off the bus. The course is beautiful and we lucked out with minimal headwind this year. On course support and entertainment is enjoyable and uplifting. Many thanks for the strawberries towards the end of the race. I loved every moment of the marathon. Sure, there are hills, but the organizers don't hide or downplay that fact. This was a bucket list race for me and did not disappoint. I have zero complaints.

What can I say, this race is amazing. The course from beginning to end is incredible. You have forests in the beginning, hills and sea throughout before finally seeing more spectators heading into Carmel. There actually were some spectators early in the course in Big Sur. The lack of spectators did not bother me at all. You are warned to train for hills which I did. Hurricane point was not that big of a deal for me. However, the rolling hills at the end were brutal considering their placement. The weather was perfect. Winds were minimal and the heat only became a slight issue for me towards the end. A few negatives. There ought to be more aid stations towards the end. I believe they are still 2 miles apart. The finisher village did not have a changing tent and there was only one spot to get water. That said, I definitely want to run this race again.

What can I say. I'm disappointed. This course was not what I had expected given the comments here. Very difficult course made even more difficult by the lack of aid stations and how well they are stock, lack of spectators and lack of any entertainment besides the view. The med tent did not have any asprin or ibuprofin which shocked me. I usually bring my own but forgot on this morning thinking they would have them on the course. Nope. I don't get the hype here. The view is great and all, but anybody who has been to a blue beach has seen all of this before. The awe of the view quickly wore off on the 2 major climb from miles 10-12. A constant 5% grade climb for 2 miles into a headwind. Organization was lacking as well. We had to get on the buses by 3:30 AM to get to the start at 4 AM to start the race at 6:45... They only shut down one lane on highway one and leave the other lane open for traffic. You are constantly being told not to cross into the live lane (for good reason) but I would think paying nearly 400 for a marathon they could do a bit more to reserve space on the road. All in all, I will not recommend this marathon. The difficulty, lack of aid and lack of entertainment made it a very difficult race to finish, both mentally and physically. At the end, I didn't have the accomplishment feeling that I've had with my other marathons. This felt more like a chore than anything.

I flew into San Jose on Saturday before the race. It was around $100 cheaper than Monterey, and was very easy to get in and out of. I pick up the rental car from Enterprise. I had reserved a crossover (it was surprisingly the cheapest option), and when I went to pick it up - Jerry from Enterprise was talking to me and asking me what I was in town for. I told him it was my first time to CA and I was going to Big Sur for the marathon and staying in Monterey. His ears perked up and asked, 'first time in CA and you're going to Big Sur, eh? Let me see what I got here...' He checks for a second, and sets me up with a loaded out Grand Cherokee, with the dual sky roof, GPS - the works. I was hooked on the Cali hospitality. I drive in and immediately go to the expo in Monterey. They had some construction work going on in the venue that originally housed the expo, so they just set up a tent. Plenty of signs to point you in the right direction and they made SURE you knew the logistics for the following day (free parking, bus passes, etc.). Friendly, helpful staff. I arrived the next morning at 3am and parked (realistically, 3am is still like the middle of the night). But you board the busses and trek down Hwy 1 to Big Sur. 30 miles of a rural, twisting highway with 100+ foot cliffs in top heavy school busses need to be carefully driven. We arrived at Big Sur station about 4:30am. PLENTY of porto's. Even had some food (bagels and such) and water and coffee. TIP: If you're a big coffee drinker, take a large disposable cup. The cups were 8 oz, and the line backed up pretty quickly. The race started promptly at 7am. The first 5-6 miles are through the forested area, very natural and pretty...but I was ready for the coast. For the next 20 miles, the Pacific is your constant companion. You've seen pics...I know you have, otherwise, you probably wouldn't be reading this review. What the pics don't show you is the headwind. Holy mess - they are no joke. It felt like I was running with a parachute half the time. That coupled with the steep elevation made this race the most difficult I've ever finished. But it was totally worth it. I'd do it again (in fact, I signed up again this year). The race, the finish festival...everything was perfect. The crowds are sparse throughout the race - but you don't need them. Also, I can't say enough about how friendly the folks in Monterey and Carmel were. I'll admit - I was a bit apprehensive in thinking they were haute and a little snooty, since the area is very, very wealthy. But I was completely wrong. The locals were some of the nicest folks I've ever met in my life. There must have been 3 or 4 times where I just sat down at a random bar and would have hour long conversations with the locals about what to do and see. Extremely hospitable. The extras to do in town: I went on a few hikes that the locals recommended (McWay Falls/Big Sur, Rocky Ridge Trail, etc). I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, 17 mile drive, and even went sky diving for the first time (Skydive Surfcity - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!). But I think my favorite thing of all was just to park the car on one of the pull-outs and tailgate the sunset with a camera. The Pacific Ocean was named such because of it's calm, peaceful demeanor. I would have to agree.

I ran this race in 2014 as well and this year the incredible, consistent head winds for the first 20+ miles made 2016 an entirely different experience, but still one I was happy to have had. The course is stunning, the logistics well-handled and the finish area especially enjoyable after the long haul. My one suggestion (other than running the course in the opposite direction so we can have a tailwind!) is that the portos should be better set up/organized at the start village. It was a bit of a mosh pit, albeit a friendly NorCal one, to get to a stall. Special thanks to the volunteers at the aid stationsthey really are friendly and caring toward wind-and-hill-weary runners.

I like to think I did B2B...but Boston was 2002 and Big Sur, my first marathon since Boston, was 2016...needed a bucket lister for motivation and this fit the bill...I was well trained but missed my PR by about 4 miles...far hillier, far windier, far friendlier and far more beautiful than I would have imagined.

Bucket list marathon Inspiring vistas Grazing cows and grizzled vets Seaside cliffs Unending hills Robust winds Loved, loved, loved Big Sur!!

First of all - the course is tough. No way around that. Major hills and head winds. But the scenery is incredible and the organization is spectacular. This run should be on any serious marathon runner's bucket list.

I echo previous comments. Very challenging terrain plus wind. Gorgeous views. Great organization. Friendly, helpful volunteers. This was the most majestic and difficult marathon of my 23. Monterey area is a sweet destination.

Did the big sur yesterday. In fact did the B2B. What an enjoyable race. Great volunteers and very well organized. Wind did make it very difficult. Hurricane peak was a killer. Would recommend this race to any marathoner

The rumors are true! By FAR the most picturesque course of any marathon I have ever done, but under no contest, the most difficult. I am not sure I have ever worked so hard for a marathon medal! That being said, I never thought about dropping and geniuenly had a fun time running. Where else can you go from camp ground, to cows meandering, to the loud crash of the ocean, in under an hours time of running? The expo was well-run and easy to navigate. I had my bib/packet in under 5 minutes and the expo was smaller and nice to wonder around. The shuttle does start early, but I understand for a good reason. The ride on the shuttle from downtown Monterey to the start was about 75 minutes. The start area, I felt, was really unique (I have done many marathons and typically bigger ones) near a state park. It was pretty chilly with the headwind most of the way, so I never ditched my throwaway shirt. The course was really beautiful, and honestly, the Hurricane Point hill portion was not that brutal, if taken slowly and easily. Charging up this hill will do you no favors come the later miles. In my mind, the hardest part was the uphill at mile 25. I swear tears formed in my eyes when I saw the hill and my legs were just shot from the rolling hills from mile 11 on. Never have I been so sore after a marathon, and I took this one relatively easy. It was great to run a smaller race (about 3000 marathon runners), but never was I alone out on the course. One thing to note is that relay racers and runners of other varying distances (21, 10.6, 9) will be on the course along with you. This means 2 things: 1) there will be runners out there with fresh legs, and 2) there will be a LOT of walkers. It did get to be pretty irritating towards the end that the 10.6 & 9-mile participants were walking 4-6 people abreast, essentially take up the whole road. I felt that as a marathon runner, getting to the end miles with completely destroyed legs, this was the worst part of the race. I would definitely do this race again in the future. It was such a grand experience and I am so glad I went out!

I ran the Boston to Big Sur challenge this year and boy was it challenging. I had trained through a brutal New England winter, but I was prepared for Boston sized hills. The hills of Central CA are ridiculous! But I knew this going in... This marathon was incredibly beautiful. I ran Boston on Monday and pretty much went all out on it, so I was pretty sore.. On Friday, my husband and I hopped a plane to the west coast. Attended the expo on Saturday and it was great. Very organized..got a wonderfully needed massage, picked up my number and went on my way. Because this race is point to point, they bus you to the start at like 3AM. and the bus drivers are really champs, they navigate those switchbacks on Rt 1 like nobody's business. It's a pretty small marathon in comparison to Boston, so I think I crossed the start line in like a minute..3K runners, doesn't take a long time. :) The course was brutal and I did a lot of shuffle running...but hey, I finished the Boston to Big Sur challenge! The B2B challenge has its own tent...which is so cool. I got my big sur medal and headed to the tent, where I got another medal (b2b) and a finisher jacket.. They had a huge buffet table of food in the tent plus beer! I'm not an eater post marathon, but the tent was cool. All in all, this marathon was awesome. I'm glad I did the b2b challenge, not sure I would do it again, just because my quads are totally shot..I would come back and do big sur again, on its own. It's a great marathon, awesomely organized with amazing scenery.

This one was much more than 'moderately difficult' in my book but it was a nice accomplishment. The hills were hardly 'rolling' and the headwinds were brutal. The scenery was nice BUT didn't make up for my discomfort. If you like music, be sure and bring it...there was very little entertainment on the course and it's true, hardly any spectators. This one will challenge you mentally, that's for sure. Never even considered quitting one til this one. I managed to end up with a surprisingly decent time given the speedy downhills, but that was my only saving grace.

The course really is as beautiful as other reviewers have said. You run through the redwoods, then rolling green hills with cows, then have gorgeous ocean views, then more rolling hills. 2014 was a fantastic year weather-wise: the rain held off and the winds were freakishly low. Even without the headwinds, the course is still challenging. I was prepared for the hills and even for the 2-mile, 600-foot climb of Hurricane Point; I was not aiming to PR (and was in fact 16 minutes slower than my PR). I actually found the hardest part of the course to be the cambered roads. I had heard about the slant in the last 10K, but it's really there for the bulk of the course. Worth it, though, to climb Hurricane Point and descend to the Bixby Bridge at the halfway point (or to smell the redwoods in the first 10K, etc.). The expo was well-staffed and number pick-up was quick. I watched the Runner's World presentation on past Big Sur experiences and really enjoyed it; the information wasn't that novel, but hearing the personal stories was inspirational. The starting village area was crowded but fine. The porto lines were manageable and gear 'check' was quick (you basically throw your bag in the back of a truck). The only slightly disorganized piece was the 'wave' start, since they called various waves to the starting line but, to my knowledge, runners had not been assigned waves. That said, the race is small enough that it doesn't matter that much and you can line up wherever you feel is appropriate. Having expected no spectators, I was pleasantly surprised: because of the relay buses, there are groups at various points in the course, plus plenty of people who walk down from nearby farms, firehouses, etc. If you need NYC or Chicago marathon crowds, you won't get them at Big Sur, but you will get support from some spectators, volunteers and other runners. The volunteers at the aid stations (and overall) are outstandingfun and pleasant. I love the bottle refill program. There's also plenty of on-course entertainment that runs the whole gamut of styles. A word on running w/o electronics (which I extensively debated, given the race's discouragement of the same): I ran with a GPS watch and was glad I did, if only to slow myself at the downhill start and properly spread out my fuel intake. Many others did the same. I ran w/o music for almost 16 miles (and I always race with music), but then put on my iPod shuffle, although I paused it when passing the entertainment. I was glad I had music with me, but was also fine without it. Plenty of people  especially those running alone  ran with music. People will tell you to bring a camera. I don't like to run with one, so didn't. Plenty of others did. I was happy with the official photos (and without the extra bulk). Overall, just a fantastic experience, a nice weekend getaway and an opportunity to focus on something else while racing other than the final number (on that course, no matter what number you pull, you'll probably feel it was a good time).

This marathon blew me away. The organization was absolutely first rate, the hydration and fuel stations were well staffed and uncrowded, and the views are nothing short of amazing. The size of the field was perfect, the roads were never crowded, and even though I ran my slowest time in 15 years, I feel good about it. I will say that the hills are really tough, and they take a toll, and the slant of the road is often quite severe, but the views keep your mind distracted from the pain, and even though limited course access restricts fan support, the bands and Michael Martinez on the piano keep you going. To make this experience even better, my lovely wife accompanied me for the whole race, and we enjoyed a great little mini vacation in Monterey

This is the most beautiful marathon I've run so far (out of 78). The point-to-point course is on Route 1, mostly along the Pacific Ocean, with awesome views. It is also a tough, hilly course, especially from mile 9-10 to the finish. Nice expo, and nice pre-race dinner (extra cost). Have to get up very early to take bus to start. It's a great race, but I dinged the organization because of the 21-mile race, which starts at the same time as the marathon, starting at mile 5 of marathon. This means the marathoners crash into the slower 21-milers before midway, and have to negotiate around them for the rest of the race. Many runners did not respect the 1 (or sometimes 2) wide, or stay to the left, signs while running slowly or walking. Water stops were fine, and manned by great volunteers. Highly recommend taking a camera or smart phone to take pics along the way. Post-race food and beer were great. Medal is simple, but very nice. This was a bucket list race for me and I'm very glad I chose to run it.

Big Sur International Marathon 28 April 2013 The 28th Annual Big Sur International Marathon had been sold out in 26 hours, which shows the popularity of this challenging, yet scenic, marathon. I flew into San Francisco on Friday, 26 April, took the Monterey Airbus, and checked into Portola Hotel and Spa in Monterey. A very nice hotel, located adjacent to the Marina and Fishermans Wharf. The packet pick-up/health and fitness expo was in Monterey Conference Center. Each runner received a nice long-sleeved technical shirt. There were a large number of vendors. On Sunday, at 4:15 AM, buses began transporting the runners to the start line. The temperature ranged from upper 50s to low 70s. It was overcast at times. We had to deal with some head winds. There were ample water/sports drink stations, sports gels and fruits in a few locations, strawberries at mile 23, and several bands and individual musicians throughout the course. The point-to-point course was on Highway 1, which was closed to traffic, from Pfeiffer State Park in Big Sur (elevation 300 feet) to Rio Road in Carmel (elevation 25 feet). As expected, the marathon route was hilly. The hardest section was from mile 10 (40 feet) to the Hurricane Point at mile 12 (560 feet). The 2nd half of the marathon included several rolling hills. The recovery food items and drinks at the finish area were sufficient. We were shuttled back to our hotels in Monterey. There were 3121 (1576 males, 1545 females) finishers. The winning times were 2:27:46 (overall male), 2:50:02 (overall female), 2:34:52 (masters males), and 3:09:01 (masters female). This was my 98th marathon & I truly enjoyed it.

If you are to run one race in your lifetime, make it be Big Sur. I promise you, it will not disappoint. It is breathtaking- both literally and figuratively. It ain't easy. But it is the race of a lifetime. Do it. You can find my full 2013 Big Sur Marathon Race Recap on my blog here. Happy Running People! And get in those hill repeats. :-) http://marathonandsprint.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/2013-big-sur-international-marathon-the-recap/

This is a challenge course. If you try to set your personal best, this course may not be the one. However, if you try to enjoy the fresh breeze and scenic view along the way of your entire marathon run, this is the one. Think about it, the beautiful highway one is for only runners during that few hours while you are part of the excitement. If you are local, this is a good yearly event. If you are an out towner, this can be a perfect event to fit in a vacation plan. This is a well organized event. The organizers have done their best to let everyone enjoy the event. The population are not large in the area. Don't expect to have a large crowd. The entertainment along the road are good quality and cheerful.

If I died and went to marathoners heaven it could be no better than Big Sur 2013, perfect weather, minimal winds (for this course so I'm told), breathtaking scenery. This was my first time on the Pacific Coast Highway and I cannot imagine a better way to experience all this beauty. If you want to focus on negatives one could whine about the hills (the one at mi 25 kicked my butt), the multiple races at the same time (spend lots of time passing people wogging the 21 miler), the stretches of slanted road surface (just give it up ... there is no flat spot). I'm going with the idea that the hills, the wind, and the mix a runners just adds to a fantastic experience and slows you down just a bit more so that you can more thoroughly soak in the heavenly experience that is Big Sur.

The Big Sur marathon is a treasure among marathons. The scenery is breath-takingly beautiful from start to finish, with fun music support all along the course. You will hardly notice the hills because the views provide such a wonderful distractions. A must run!

My worst time ever...and I'm glad I did it. Great scenery, a course to test you with the two mile uphill between 10-12 miles, off camber roads that trashed everything south of my waist, and chilly headwinds. I never hurt so bad in my life. It's like being in a four hour plane crash. I'm glad I did it. Only downside...idiot runners who would stop suddenly to take photos...of water, waves, hills, cows, etc. I had to duck underneath outstretch arms several times for marathoners who wanted action shots on their iPhones. Try doing that on Saturday next time. Overall, a great experience. Well done Big Sur.

The race itself was really difficult. The uphills were bad, but the wind was worse. Still, I managed to PR.

There was a woman playing a harp with her daughter around mile 22. My name was on my Bib and as I was struggling along they called out my name saying 'Way to go John'-for me this was priceless. The strawberries were delicious. I like the 'Finisher poster' in the background where pictures can be taken by family/friends WITHOUT being charged.

Call me crazy but I was a bit disappointed with Big Sur '12. I knew, and was ready for, the big hills. I appreciated the scenery, maybe not the fog so much. But, the headwinds were unexpected, especially after the starting line announcer bragged, 'There are NO winds coming your way.' (The evening news reported gusts of 40 mph.) And, yes, after coming off LA '12 and NYC '11, I was shocked by the lack of crowd support. Silly me!

Wow what an awesome course. It is truely as beautiful as the pictures you see and every bit as hard as people tell you. Everything was very well organized from start to finish. Expo was decent for a small marathon. Yes, you do have to be on a bus by 4am to get to the start, but who sleeps good the night before a marathon anyways. Once to the start, the holding area you have to wait in can get very crowded with people just sitting everywhere. Even so, never took me more than 5-10min to go to the bathroom. Plenty of coffee small snacks to keep you happy for 90 minutes. They had 3 corrals. 2-3:45 / 3:45 - 5 / 5+ (I think). The start for me (Under 3:45 corral) was the cleanest start I have ever had. Course was awesome even though I had fog for 6-7 miles or so. Wind on the other hand...a 20mph headwind sucks no matter what which way you cut it! volunteers were great. Aide stations well manned. Nice medal, great shirt. The course is hillier on the second half than the profile suggest. Non stop up and down. My quads never hurt so bad in my life. If you train hard, this course is nothing to get bent out of shape about. Yes it is hard, but so are all marathons! I even had a 2 min PR (4th marathon)! I didn't stick around too long post race. Got a massage, grabbed my food bag, got a beer and headed back to the B&B. The hills will take a severe beating on your quads and the slope (especially in the Carmel Highlands) adds one more layer of pain. My only gripe, the walkers (there are like 5 races going on) always took the left side of the road which had the least amount of slope. The faster runners were forced right into the center of the road with the highest slope (and many times, the worst tangent). Still lots of room to get around them. Overall, top notch race.

It is everything it claims to be: epic beauty, epic hills. The camaraderie amongst runners is refreshing. Never seen so many stop to take photos. Soak it in, run it for the experience, and you may surprise yourself with your time. Good hill training left me with plenty in the tank after Hurricane Point and I ran negative splits, though nearly 20 minutes slower than my PR. The wind was a major factor and I regretted throwing away my arm warmers before we were out of the forest. Save a layer just in case! Watch out for 'D minor hill at D major time' at mile 25. It's the hardest one in the race! Spectators aren't plentiful but they get 5 stars for enthusiasm, especially the ones who bring out the fresh strawberries in Carmel Highlands.

This race proves Mother Nature is big and man is very small. As a runner, I found what goes down, does come up...and up...and up. Look to the left, you fall off the edge of the western world. Look to the right, you are a speck on the base of a mountain. Look straight ahead, the fog welcomes you into an abyss with the steady wind slapping you silly. All for the amazing price of your local marathon. Nice! Hints: I ran 22 miles or so along the edge of the road on a dirt trail. It's there for the taking. Take it. I stayed in Carmel. My wife loved it as much as I loved the marathon. Lunch at Pebble Beach golf club was less than $40. Yeah, really! The ultimate bucket list race.

This one lives up to the previews: the views and the level of difficulty is everything you read about. To say you are a Big Sur Marathon Finisher: Priceless!

There is nothing I can add to all the praises of this race. They are all true. Very few things turn out as good as advertised, but this one of them. It is not overrated, but greatly underrated. As a tip I stayed at the Monterey Hotel in downtown. It is a charming Victorian Hotel 2 blocks from the EXPO and I was very pleased.

Awe-Inspiring Course. You will never have a more pleasurable time feeling so miserable. It is like having a group long run with 3200 of your closest friends. Sure there are the faster runners but by and large even those runners slowed down to just take in this very special course. This was an out and back because the wash out of US 1. I am returning 2012 to do the point-to-point. To get the full effects.... Missed Hurricane Point and Bixby Bridge. looking forward to running.

I have wanted to do this marathon for quite some time and 2011 was the year that everything was in place for my wife and I to make the trip. The main reason I've wanted to do this race is b/c of it's famously scenic route and it's tough nature (ie- hilly!!). At first, we were very disappointed when we learned of the landslide that caused organizers to change the course to an out and back. But I can say, that the they did a great job alleviating any concerns by race day. They assured participants that the new course would be just as tough and scenic and man was it! The vast majority of it hugged the coast with dramatic views of the Pacific and the mountain hillside. On the way back to the finish, the course took runners into Pt. Lobos State park which was nice. The course change made the 2011 race unique from all other years. There aren't a lot of spectators on the course, but I didn't need that b/c my eyes were glued to the ocean. Just mesmerizing. Several points I even heard sea lions barking. The weather was perfect for racing- cool and dry. There were plenty of very helpful volunteers and well stocked aid stations along the route. The piano man, harpist, quintet and drummers provided great entertainment. The organizers of Big Sur are top notch. They frequently communicated updates about the landslide and course changes doing an outstanding job with the circumstances that mother nature gave them. The expo was one of the better ones I've been too (Ive been to the New York, Chicago, and Boston expos). Even if you don't want to run a marathon, there is something for everyone on race weekend with a 5k, 9miler, 10.6 and 21 miler all run in conjunction with the 'big' race. My wife ran the 9miler and had a blast. Post race was set up nicely with decent food and a beer tent- great rewards after a tough marathon. Overall- Big Sur is a race that I think every marathoner should put on their must do list. We are definitely coming back.