The Surf City Marathon is a mostly flat course with elevations varying from sea level to nearly 100 feet. The course travels by the famous Huntington Beach pier and continues through scenic Huntington Central Park with long stretches along the Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Beach Bike Trail.
Miles 1–2: Huntington Beach Pier & Main Street Start on Pacific Coast Highway between the ocean and the Hilton Waterfront Beach Hotel. Running north, the Huntington Beach Pier and Main Street are less than a mile away.
Miles 2–9: Huntington Central Park Just past the second-mile marker, at the first retro surf band station, turn inland on Seapoint and head for Huntington Central Park. On this stretch, you will encounter the course’s only incline, between miles 3 and 4. You'll then head down Seapoint back toward the ocean. Enjoy the ocean view all the way down to PCH.
Miles 9–15: Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Just past mile nine, take a right on PCH and absorb the energy from the ocean! Breathe in the fresh sea air as you continue north on the highway. The Bolsa Chica Reserve wetlands roll out to the right.
Miles 16–25: Beachfront Running Path Starting on mile sixteen, the course leaves Pacific Coast Highway and continues on a beachfront running path paved right over the sand. Run all the way back to the pier, where a crowd of spectators will be cheering from above.
The Last Mile: A Spectacular Finish After turning at the pier, work your way up through the lifeguard station back to Pacific Coast Highway. As you come on to the highway, you will be less than a mile from the finish line. It’s a straight shot from there, and the finish line banner is just ahead. Spectators line the highway to cheer you to the finish line.
The Surf City Marathon was the 56th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 61st largest in 2022.
This year 8.4% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 7.6% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Surf City Marathon the 254th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 182nd highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 99.15 ranks it as the 169th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 12th fastest course in California.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Surf City Marathon a PR Score of 99.15. This PR Score ranks it as the 121st fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 10th fastest in California.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Surf City Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 87 feet (26m) Min Elevation: 2 feet (0m)
This year the communication to runners was superior!!! All the information was sent several times! Can I ask one question? Do 1st Place runners in 5K age groups get a special medal? If so how do I access it? I placed 1st in F 65-69
An honest marathon! Course is almost entirely flat, great crowd support, and moderate temperatures. In my opinion, the hills at miles 3.5 and 8 are not too bad because you're still full of energy—the slight hill at mile 24 (you barely see it on the elevation chart) is the real soul-crusher.
I wish there was more water stations in the last half of the marathon (there are something like 10 water stations in the first half and 6 in the last half), because that's when the sun is out and beating down on you.
Note: I placed within the top 10 so that may affect my experience with / opinion of the race and course.
Race Tips
I would recommend carrying your own gels since there are only two gel stations.
If you plan on running sub-3:00, then expect it to be a mostly solo effort since this isn't a fast-enough race where there are enough runners to form packs at the quicker paces.
I stayed at the Hilton right next to the start/finish line which was incredibly convenient. They even agreed to give me a late checkout because I told them I was lying in bed and too tired to move after the marathon!
JPF's review of 2019 Surf City Marathon.
3 /
5 Stars
Review
OVERVIEW: A good, fun atmosphere along the ocean and finishing with a view of HB's famous pier. However, if you're looking to BQ, I'd advise to think twice. The course is nice/flat but it can run slow due to winds, unpredictable weather (rain or humidity) and limited/zero crowd support.
There's a reason this is hosted in HB's "shoulder season": you never know the conditions. It could be 60s and mild, 80+ and sunny/humid, or a driving rain/wind storm. If spectators are your thing, this race is sparse at best (once you turn south on the PCH, get used to running alone!). Despite their efforts to streamline half and marathon runners, the final 1/2 mile is still a mess.
EXPO: clear flow and well organized to efficiently receive bib (also, a well-designed shirt + bag). Vendors were good-ish. On a warm day, this could be a quality gathering among runners (outdoor seating, carousel-like atmosphere with food/beer trucks, etc). Unfortunately, 2019 was a cold, rainy and windy day.
AID/SUPPORT: This is the greatest area of disappointment. I was hurt badly (stress fracture) at mile 23. Limped for support back to finish and didn't find a single aid worker along the way (struggled to find one once across the finish). The first aid tent is 1/4 mile + past the finish line and they have no organized way to get injured runners out of the area (minus ambulance, if you're in serious trouble).
Race Tips
WIND: consider that you're running along the ocean and could/likely will face significant wind. The 2019 route faced a 15+ MPH wind from the south/west, notably for the final 5+ miles along the beach
MILE MARKERS: the distance should be reviewed. Most runners on Strava (including me) ran 26.4 miles and many discussed that their times reflected this increase.
TOPOGRAPHY: Course truly is flat minus two hills at about miles 3-4 and again around 8-9. These are minor hills, notably if you're training on any conditions with inclines. There are very light rollers along the PCH and beach path, but no more than 15-20 feet.
ROAD COURSE: the PCH is a very hard highway and there's NO shade on this course. Consider this if you're running it slower and could be impacted by the sun at 11a or later (it's a 6:30a start, which is right around sunrise)
Kimpton Hotel - which is about 1/4 mile from the start - offers a great venue to gather with other runners, a wine hour at 5p, activity tables (Foosball, outdoor chess, etc) and a living-room style lobby. Restaurant and bar are also fantastic
Fly into SNA (John Wayne Airport) instead of LAX. It's about a $20 Uber ride and if you're staying near the beach/start, that's the end of your transportation.
CVS is right along PCH near the hotels (6th Ave) and the start line.
HJS's review of 2019 Surf City Marathon.
4 /
5 Stars
Review
This was my first marathon and I didn't know the course. Had I known it, I would probably thought twice. We started running in the rain, which was OK and then gusts of winds up to 15 MPH - OK....the weather was bad big deal. Then there was minimal crowd involvement. Like hardly anyone. Then the water and aide stands were early on ok but later in the race (miles 18 to 26) shut down or bottles were simply left of water on a table. I liked the Jet Blue Long Beach marathon a lot better. Also it is a lot of monotony. Up and down PCH - by the time I had run the same stretch of road for the 4th time I was done.
Race Tips
The monotony of the back 13 is worth saving your energy.
Overall a great race. Huntington Beach is a nice place to visit. Expo and race start were in the same place, right on the beach. After the race, they gave out ice that they strapped onto your leg, which I thought was great. Appreciated the pace groups. Loved the cheering kids throughout some of the miles in the first half! They were super cute and energetic. Did not like how monotonous the second half of the course was.
Race Tips
Save more energy than usual for the second half of the race- at least for me, I think the monotony of the up-and-backs on PCH made it much more difficult. I think it was a little cooler than average this year (~high 50s) and cloudy, but it was still too warm for me. With temperatures closer to average and sun, I'd be worried. Overall the course is very flat with a few small hills, with all inclines ending before the second half of the race from what I can remember. Race began at 6:30, but I would prefer an earlier start time because of the risk that it might be a warm day.
There are hotels within walking distance to the start line and expo. I didn't feel like I needed to arrive that early, but there were lines for the restrooms.
