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Surf City Marathon Course Overview

This spectacular ocean front course is an exclusive Southern California favorite! Run by the famous Huntington Beach pier and continue through scenic Huntington Central Park. Observe native surfers in their natural habitat as you hit the beachfront running path at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

More than 2,000 volunteers and several surf bands will be along the way cheering you on and making sure you have plenty of nourishment and energy! Where else will you get cheers from a surfer?

Course Highlights

– Wheelchair Start Time 6:28 a.m.
– Marathon Start Time 6:30 a.m.
– Participant Limit — approximately 2,500
– The course limit is 6 hours, a pace of about 13:43 per mile. Course closes at 1:30 p.m.
– Clif Pace Groups available. Pace times can be found on our Faq page.
– Aid Stations include Water and Nuun electrolyte. Please see our Faq page for Clif shot zone locations and Aid Station details.
– Official finish times, finisher medals, and post-race refreshments cannot be guaranteed to any participants finishing over 6 hours.
– USA Track & Field certified
– Official Boston Marathon qualifier
– Highest point less than 100′ above sea level
– Steepest course grade is approximately 6%
– Sunrise: 6:47 a.m.
– Average temp at the start: 48 degrees

Description: Marathon by the Mile

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. Look to the left to enjoy the famous Huntington Beach Pier. The next time you see it, you will be on the beachfront running path at mile 25!

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. But take heart; there are hundreds of kids at the park, waiting to cheer you on! They love marathon runners and get up early every year to come to the park, hand out water and yell words of encouragement! These will be your biggest fans!Feeding off energy from the kids in the park, 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. This 300-acre ecological wonder is a sanctuary for wildlife and migratory birds. Bolsa Chica, along with the rest of Huntington Beach, CA, has some of the nation’s best birding! Nearly half of the birds found in the U.S. have been seen in Huntington Beach. Sightings of great blue herons, snowy egrets and brown pelicans are common; lucky bird watchers can even spot a rare white pelican at the right time of the year.

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! These are the same beaches where the legends of surf movies and music were made. Observe local surfers in their natural habitat with the waves crashing just yards away. 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!

Things to Know
About eight miles of the marathon course runs on the multi-purpose beachfront running path that winds through the legendary surfing beaches of Southern California. This public path is not part of the closed course and you may encounter walkers, bicyclists, and others who are not participating in the race. It is only 8 feet wide in some places, which is why we limit the marathon event to 2,000 participants.

Special Note to Wheelchair Athletes: We request wheelchair participants select our Half Marathon course. Wheelchair participants will be the first to start on Sunday at 6:28 AM. If you are an adaptive athlete and would like further information please email us atrunsurfcity@motivsports.com.We will be happy to assist you.

The Rocky Raccoon 100 mile course record holders are Nicole Kalogeropoulos who ran a 14:22:18 in 2015 and Ian Sharman who ran 12:44:33 in 2011.

Due to trail damage from Hurricane Harvey the course is modified and will run on a 25 mile loop. Race organizers will be donating a percentage of race registration fees to the park for continued re-construction efforts.

According to race director Chris McWatters, “This year is extra special as I’ve got to witness, first-hand, the Tejas Trails tagline come to life (more than just trail running…). The reason being, Hurricane Harvey pretty much destroyed the trail system at this park only months ago. Leaving it with only 3+ miles of trail usable at that time.

There have been so many people from all over the country coming out to the park and donating their time and money to re-establishing the trail system. The park, the local community, ultra runners, hikers, mountain bikers, and people who have never even seen our beloved Rocky Raccoon have given their blood and sweat to get Huntsville State Park ready for Rocky Raccoon and Rocky 50.

The park still has a lot of work coming for the remainder of the trails and bridges to get 100% back, but the place is looking great and we have figured out the longest route yet at 25 miles per lap! We are extra motivated this year to making this race as great as ever! I truly can’t wait to see everyone enjoying all the hard work and preparation! I love this Tejas Trails family and am honored to be in the middle of it!”

On the men’s side, winner of the 2017 Rocky Raccoon Ronnie Delzer, is looking to keep the top step of the podium. Western States 100 mile legend Gordy Ainsleigh (Meadow Valley, CA) will toe the starting line and should be a strong contender to win the men’s 70-74 age group. USATF Mountain, Ultra & Trail Running Council member Roy Pirrung will be competing for top honors in the men’s 65-69 age group. The youngest competitor in the national championship competition will be Jacob Alexander (San Antonio, TX) who is 28 years old. In total there will be 70 USATF members competing for overall and age group national championships.

The 2018 Rocky Raccoon 100 has also been selected as a qualifying race for the 2019 Western States 100.Runners who complete Rocky Raccoon in 30 hours will qualify to enter a lottery where the field for Western States will be selected.

One of America's Top 10 Bucket List Waterfront Races," says Runners World Magazine.

The Publix Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathonbegins in downtown Melbourne and traverses along scenic US1 and the Indian River offering great water views and two bridge crossings for half-marathoners with four for the full marathon runners. The event has water stops each mile of the course and will feature at least 20 musical acts along the route with a post-race concert providing beer, pizza and more to runners. The 1/2 Marathon Relay offers two runners the chance to work together on a 6.55 mile tag-team run with each receiving a finishers medal.

The races kick off on Saturday with the Florida Today 5k & 8k and Kids Run, withat least six musical acts on the race course and post race party with live music.

Going into its 10th year, the Publix Florida Marathon Weekend is East Central Florida’s premiere distance event and one of the most environmentally sustainable races in the southeast.

The annual Cardiff Kook Run 10K & 5K is a celebration of the greatest town on the map – on the greatest day of the year, Super Bowl Sunday. The scenic loop starts and finishes under the famous “Encinitas” sign, passes by the Cardiff Kook statue on Coast HWY 101, rises above some of the most popular surf breaks in San Diego and then make its way down to Cardiff State Beach. Then you get to experience it all again on your way back.