Humboldt Bay Marathon - Race Reviews

I have run the Half three different years and will do it again next year. The race organizers are amazing and the community really does a great job welcoming runners. The marathon is even a BQ! If you love small town races organized like a big race, this is the one to do! I absolutely enjoyed the scenery and running the bridges in the half! There are only a few races that I have repeated more than once and this is one of them. I have run 40+ marathons and countless half marathons and next year I will run the full course. I have run Avenue of the Giants but this is my favorite run. The last two years I have spent extra time on the Northern Coast which made for a great vacation. The swag, unique medal, scenery, organization and community support make this a great destination race!

The Humboldt Bay Marathon and Half may not be as reputable or picturesque as The Avenue of the Giants or Big Sur marathons, but the cool summer weather, fresh unpolluted air, easy access, small field, and the BQ-friendly course makes this event a must-do on California's northwest coast. The marathon has been around for only five years and for anyone looking for a summertime marathon or half, this is it. I recommend this event to any runner wishing to visit a different part of California. I've run this race four of its five years of existence. Unfortunately, the course route changed since its inaugural year, which tends to be somewhat less scenic in my estimation. Far from the hustle and bustle of the big cities of central and southern California, the state's north coast offers a diverse assortment of birds, wildlife, hiking, fishing, Victorian architecture and many other outdoor activities in the coastal redwoods - and don't forget the famous Samoa Cookhouse for hearty meals of comfort food after your run. The USATF sanctioned marathon begins in the city of Eureka and completes a counter-clockwise loop around Humboldt Bay through the agricultural lands of Arcata Bottoms and across the signature part of the course, the Samoa Bridge, returning to Eureka's maritime-themed boardwalk for a memorable finish. The bridge segments can be tough, but with proper pace management, the crossing can become less torturous. The half marathon portion of the course begins at Klopp Lake at the city of Arcata's marsh and wildlife refuge two hours after the marathon start and completes a half loop of the bay, across the bridge and to the finish on the boardwalk. Runners are shuttled from the marathon start area in Eureka to the wildlife refuge located on the north side of Humboldt Bay. Finisher's medals are adorned with a unique design. Participant swag bags include a tech shirt with unique designs by a local artisan, only found in Humboldt County, hemp seed protein bars and a packet of hemp seeds to drizzle on food. Hey, it's Humboldt County.

Humboldt Bay Marathon gets better every year & nice summer marathon without the summer heat. A small quaint race with a big majestic course that gives runners a peaceful run along the bay for much of the race. The course takes runners on a tour of the area beginning and ending at the waterfront. The middle portion gives a taste of country life & a billy goat jumped through a fence and was my running entertainment for a moment. The running trail leads runners through a wildlife marsh and along eucalyptus lined 101 before heading into farm life for a while & old fashioned sprinklers spraying the fields, piglets squealing in the barns and wildflowers in the fields. What better way to experience the nooks and crannies of a small Northern California community is there than to run through it on foot. The race gets better every year, the race directors truly care about this event. It is Boston certified each year and the race medals are hand painted creations done by a local artist depicting a different wildlife scene each year along with the shirt. The last miles run over a series of bridges before returning into downtown Eureka's waterfront. The volunteers at the aid stations are welcoming and enthusiastic. I look forward to my peaceful self-reflective run at this race each year.

The 2018 race was just great! The organizers and volunteers did an excellent job with course marking and support for this small (~80 runners) marathon. Not many spectators, but those we saw cheered loudly. The course is rural and lovely -- bay and farm views. More cows than runners, for sure! Perfect weather for running, and a unique medal design. Highly recommend this race for a great small marathon experience.

This is a fairly fast, mostly flat course that allows for a runner to make the most of their day. I was running at a PR speed hitting the 13 mile marker 12 minutes quicker than any previous event and well on my way to Boston. As I passed this distance, I could not see a runner in front or behind me. The cones had thinned considerably from the first part of the course. I asked a volunteer who was standing in the middle of the road which way to go, he pointed me down a side street. As I got to the bottom on a very busy 4 lane street I realized no one else was around. I panicked and then turned back the way I had come. I asked why he sent me that way, he shrugged, smirked and said 'I thought you were leaving the race.' At that point I was a mile off course and the wind was out of my sails. I felt that this was a deliberate misguidance as I dropped several positions from the 3rd place I had been in. Very disappointed by the volunteer, this took a potentially great day to a poor experience.

If you are considering a marathon for a late BQ, this is a perfect race to achieve it. There is a near 100% chance of perfect marathon weather as the temperature ranges from low 50's to mid 60's in August. I really liked the 7:00am start, giving an extra hour of sleep and time to digest breakfast. The course itself is not perfectly flat, but there are not many hills and they are very gradual. My range of my splits was only 30 seconds per mile fastest to slowest. I was able to run sub 2:50 and did not feel that hills or wind slowed me down much and the 50 degree temperature in August provided an opportunity to go relatively fast. Even though it is a small race, with just over 100 racers in the full marathon, there are plenty of volunteers. I ran the last 15 miles completely solo and never had to worry about being off course as it is well marked and there is someone posted at every turn. There were plenty of aid stations along the course, probably every two miles. The course is scenic enough to keep yourself entertained, even if you end up running much of it solo. As you finish the race, they do a very nice job of announcing every finisher and where they are from. The award ceremony was small, but the award itself is a keeper (hand made). There are plenty of small hotels near the finish line, which made the logistics pretty easy. The race director is a very nice and approachable guy and I hope to see this race grow in size in the coming years.

Great first time marathon. It was fun pacing the 3:55 group and meeting nearly 1/3rd of the runners along the course due to the small size of the marathon. It was great to see some first time marathoners on the course. The course is definitely not flat and fast and the one out and back section in the fields should be eliminated. Make sure you have some leg strength left for the last 5K as you need to go across a few bridges. The volunteers were great and the spectators that were out there were helpful. The watermelon on the course was fantastic. They do need to add bathrooms at least at every other aid station. Some of the marathoners that were starting to struggle early in the race were having a tough time with the half-marathoners flying by them and then passing them closer to the finish as well. Great medal, shirt, and age group awards. Definitely do a visit to the Lost Coast Brewery if you like microbreweries. Disappointing though that they had problems with the beer at the finish, but when I went to the microbrew they took our beer tickets. Nice move on their part.

I did the half and everyone was great. I was on the slow side and wherever there was a water stop the people were still there and cheering me on. Lots of water and snacks were available also. I think my only complaint would be that there were no 'porta'potties' at the beginning of the marathon. I went to see a friend off and there was nothing available and people were peeing behind bushes.

My first marathon, was great. A few minor organizational hiccups but overall very smooth and well-run.

Great course, nice people, and easy logistics ie. parking, start line, finish...only suggestion would be to have bathrooms along the marathon course. Was told only bathroom stop was at mile 13 at a grocery store.

I can't wait until next year to run this one again!! Everything about this race was perfect. Even though the wait at the registration / packet pick-up table the day before was a bit long, it gave me a great chance to talk with others about the course and meet some wonderful folks. I hope Wildberries sponsors the race again - it was great to meet in the parking lot and not have to figure out where to find food in an unfamiliar place. Also, goodie bag was great. Thank you!!

For an inaugural marathon, the race directors did a fabulous job that you would think they were doing this race for years. I felt very safe on the course with enough volunteers and signs along the course. The medals were nice and I took home a hand made age group award. The design was nice. I love these small races as they are easy to navigate around and the community support is strong. Eureka and the Redwood Empire are wonderful places to visit before or after the marathon. I hope to run it again in the future.

I completed the half marathon with a friend who was doing her first half and we both loved it. The half marathon course is mostly flat and was a great way for an out-of-shape runner (me) to ease back into events and a great introduction to half marathons for a newbie (my friend). The volunteers were all supportive and friendly, traffic control along the course was great and there were plenty of aid stations along the way. My two recommendations for future events are to publish the course map on the webpage and to have a PA system set up at the half marathon start line. All in all, a great event!

This was my first half marathon and longest run to date. I was a bit nervous as to what to expect, but course was clearly marked and secured, so I felt safe. Loved all the positive energy from volunteers, as well as the number of aid/water stations available. I would do it again because the support was amazing.

I very much enjoyed my time at the Humboldt Bay race. I would love to make this an annual event depending on the date. The 2016 date may be tough for me, however I will hopefully be able to make it. The weather couldn't have been better and the course (although rough on a couple of streets) was beautiful. Great people and a great time. Makes me miss Humboldt even more.

I ran the half marathon this year. What I love about this race is that perfect weather is almost a given, which is very rare for an August race. Parking was easy. The shuttle took us from Eureka to the half start in Arcata and we ran back to our cars. I enjoyed having a point-to-point race. Even though it's a small race, the half and marathon courses join at about the 14 mile marathon/2 mile half point and it never felt lonely. The view from the bridges near the end of the race was incredible. The community was supportive and people were cheering in the most unexpected places on the course. Great blend of rural and city running. I'll be back next year.

My wife and I ran the half marathon and we really enjoyed ourselves! This being the first half marathon we have run makes it impossible to rank this race with any others, but I will say we both anticipate running again next year. Great job all the way around, from the organizers, staff, sponsors, volunteers, city governments, law enforcement, etc. It seems like the first year is always the most challenging and I have a feeling this event will continue to build on the success of this inaugural year.

This is a great little race; they did so many things right. For an inaugural marathon they were Boston certified, great medals and hometown made overall awards and age awards. Well marked course with cones and traffic control. They had water stops every 2 miles with water power aid and bananas pretzels and even watermelon and sugar cookies. Excellent job and would definitely run this one again!!