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Submitted by kjensen16
October 14, 2014
Review
I ran the Long Beach half last year and loved the course so I thought I would run my 1st full marathon this year here.
Expo: The expo is great! Very well organized. They are ready to take on any problem that you might have as well. They were very quick getting our bibs and shirts to us. The shirts were not the best shirts that Long Beach has had. Really really really did not like that they were white, but the sea shell design on the side was nice. They were also shaped a bit odd. The official merchandise store had quite a large selection of stuff. Loved the hats this year. The expo itself was huge. It really does make OC’s expo look funny. It is very spacious and has pretty much all the vendors that you could possibly want.
Pre Race: The marathon does not have half as many people as the half marathon so everything is pretty easy for the pre race. It was quick to drop off our stuff at the UPS vans and there were plenty of port o johns with no lines at all. The runners village was pretty great too. It gave our group a great spot to set up camp. It was a great place for our group to meet up before and after the race.
Course: The marathon starts off at 6am with the Voice of America’s Marathons, Rudy Novotny! The course goes through parts of downtown Long Beach then goes up and over the bridge to the other side of the bay. Then you come back and run on the bike path on the beach. The marathon was not as packed as the half was last year on this part, but the bike path does get very crowded. I would not suggest running on the sand either. From the beach you head north through the neighborhoods as you make your way up to CSULB. There are some pretty interesting houses to look at. The crowd support was awesome! People were setting up aid stations right out of their own house. There were also people all over the place handing out bananas, oranges and candy. These were not people that were associated with the race themselves, just some amazing people cheering on the runners. The aid stations were great too. I believe there were 24 stations all together with one being about every mile or so. You leave the neighborhood streets for a bit when you get onto Atherton. From there you go through Cal Stat Long Beach. Lots of students out cheering you on! Then you start your way back. Running down Ocean was one of my favorite parts of this race (even though I drive it every day to work). It is a beautiful way to finish up a great race. Nice big houses on your right and the ocean on your left. The finish line is great with Rudy calling all the runners in.
Post race: We were given the best medal I’ve ever gotten. Since this was the 30th anniversary it was a special seashell medal. I really love it. We were given a water and a bag full of snacks. We did not finish this race very quickly at all so there were no foil blankets by the time we got there, which I was bummed about. Not a big thing. The beer garden was alright. Just make sure you get over there before 1pm when it closes.
Spectators: I had my family and friends that wanted to be out on the course for me. The best place that I found for spectators that want to view their runners more than once and not have to move around is right by the start/ finish line. They can send off their runner at the start line, walk across the grass and see their runner at about mile 6.5 (half and full). Then if they walk up shoreline drive a little bit they can see their runner cross the finish line. Other great spectator spots that would be reasonably easy to get to is up by Cal State Long Beach and over on 7th street by Blair field at recreation park.
Overall a great race! I’ll run at least the half next year for sure!
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Submitted by Scott Devine
October 13, 2014
Review
In 1984, Long Beach hosted its first marathon. In the three decades since, the race has become a popular annual event in southern California featuring almost 20,000 participants enjoying one of the many races they offer, including: the full marathon, half marathon, bike tour and 5K. This past Sunday the race celebrated its 30th anniversary and Long Beach was once again packed with energetic runners and cyclists ready to pound (and ride) the pavement of this seaside city. I ran the half marathon (my fourth time running the route) and will focus my review on that distance.
REGISTRATION/PACKET PICK-UP
Registration costs for the Long Beach Half Marathon are in keeping with standard half marathons. The key as always is to sign up sooner rather than later to avoid the higher fees. I registered for the race back about 6 months ago and paid around $80 for the half marathon. You can find occasional discounts online or at race expos.
Packet pick-up for the race is on the Friday and Saturday before the marathon, located at the Long Beach Convention Center. Expo parking is $10, but street parking is available if you don’t mind parking a few blocks away. I ended up about a half mile from the convention center and meter parked for the cost of a few quarters. The pick-up process is pretty quick, but be sure to bring a copy of your signed release form (they e-mail you it ahead of time) as you need to have it in order to get your bib. And just to be safe, bring a blank one along with you as you’ll invariably find someone looking for a blank form (they don’t print ’em out for you). Fortunately, you can pick up the bib for a friend or family member, but again be sure to have their signed release form and a picture of their ID.
The expo itself is good sized and featured plenty of vendors showing off their latest wares and advertising upcoming races. I myself picked up a few new items to try out and a few bits of swag (can you ever have enough bottle openers and water bottles).
TRANSPORTATION/PARKING
Those people traveling to Long Beach for the race should be aware of potential traffic problems. With about 20,000 people trying to reach LB in a short span of time, traffic back-up is inevitable. And since a huge number of people funnel onto the 710 freeway, it can become quite the quagmire as race time approaches. The race advises you to arrive 90 minutes prior to your race start time and that is some advice worth following. Better to get to the race early and relax near the start line, than to get a few extra minutes of sleep only to end up sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic wondering if you’ll make it to the start in time (I almost missed the start of the race in 2011 and it was no fun whatsoever).
As for parking, there are a good number of spots at the convention center, the Pike Shopping Center and various lots around town. You can pre-purchase parking passes and expect to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 whether you purchase ahead of time or at the lot itself. This year I managed to find a parking bargain ($5) at a public lot about a half mile from the start line. And again, it’s worth getting there early to save yourself some stress and making sure you don’t come across lots at capacity.
T-SHIRT/MEDALS/SWAG
The Long Beach Marathon consistently utilizes a nautical theme when it comes to their shirts and medals (as well as signage). Past years have focused on the Queen Mary, palm trees on the beach and the Rainbow Harbor lighthouse. For the 30th edition of the Long Beach race, the scallop shell gets its moment in the spotlight. The familiar casing for that oh so yummy bivalve mollusk is front and center on just about everything race-related this year.
The finisher’s medal for the race features a silver scallop shell highlighted by sparkly blue text reading “30th anniversary” and a blue ring listing the distance of the particular race. All of the various medals (marathon, half marathon, bike tour, 5k) are basically the same design, just varying in size. The ribbon is white, blue and silver and lists the race distance run. They’re nice and elegant medals and will look good on your medal rack (or wherever you hang your bling). And for those of you who like challenge medals, the Long Beach Marathon is one of the three races comprising the Beach Cities Challenge. Finish this race along with Surf City and Orange County and you can earn the impressive 2014 challenge medal (a new “clasp shell” design will be offered stating at Surf City in 2015).
As much as I liked the finisher’s medal, I did not like the tech shirt at all. Last year’s shirt design introduced a more “minimalist” look where the majority of the shirt is a solid color (blue in the case of 2013) with the design/logo wrapping around one side of the bottom of the shirt. It kinda worked with last year’s shirt. This year… not at all.
The 3oth anniversary shirt started off committing what many consider to be the cardinal sin of race shirts: it’s white… really white. And given the small logo and muted scallop shell wrapping around the side (so muted at first glance you wonder if it’s inside out) this shirt looks like a big white mistake. Here’s hoping they get enough negative feedback to revamp their shirts (and add some color) for the 31st anniversary shirt.
The swag bag featured some fliers and a few freebies (there’s also a virtual swag bag online), but one bit of swag worth noting is that each racer gets a free entry to the Aquarium of the Pacific during the month of October. It’s a great aquarium, by the way, and worth another trip to Long Beach.
COURSE
The Long Beach Half Marathon basically features a looping course that begins and ends near the water by the convention center. If you like waterfront views, then this a course for you.
Starting near the Pike Shopping Center, the course meanders down the main drag before heading up and over the Queensway Bridge that then winds around near the water and takes you in and around Rainbow Harbor, including a nice view of the Queen Mary. Continuing on through Pierpoint Landing and Shoreline Village you make your way onto the running path on the beach (which stretches from about mile 6.5- 10). The beach path is a scenic (and sometimes windy) path, but it also is a bit narrow and can cause a little bit of congestion.
Around mile 10 you climb the bluffs and head back along Ocean Blvd. making your way to the finish back near the convention center. The full marathoners share the half marathon course, until splitting off around the 10.5 mile mark and then rejoining it around the 24 mile mark. The course itself is mostly flat with only a few inclines, most notably the Queensway Bridge.
While I haven’t run the full marathon, the half marathon course is rather scenic, giving you the flavor of Long Beach and a nice view of the Pacific.
COURSE SERVICES
The Long Beach Marathon has been around for thirty years now and has had plenty of time to iron out any kinks. The course services for the race are basic but solid, featuring plenty of well-manned water/Powerade stops. Cliff was also present, giving out gels around the 10-mile mark. The course also featured plenty of porta-potties at the start, aid stations and support staff to handle any problems that may arise. Mile markers were present at each mile, although the only digital clocks were at the start/finish.
Long Beach did offer runner tracking, however my friends/family only received text updates for the 5k and 10K splits (might want to look into that). Race results were posted shortly after the race and one additional nice touch is RunPix graphics that give you detailed info about how you fared in the race.
FINISH LINE SERVICES/POST PARTY
One aspect of the Long Beach race that kind of irks me is the finish line/post party. The services themselves are fine… water, snacks (handed out in bags, thank you very much) and a free beer (for those of us runners over 21). What gets me is that the post party feels very claustrophobic, as if the crowds are too large in relation to the space they set aside for the party.
After being funneled through the finish area, which is a little too tight to begin with, you’re dropped into a sea of family members and other runners to fend for yourself. While there are food trucks, vendors and other services, they don’t seem to be organized with any real logic, nor is there sufficient signage to point out where things are. I typically enjoy hanging out for a little bit at post race parties, but every time at Long Beach I find myself feeling like a salmon swimming upstream. So I typically grab my snacks, drink my complimentary brew (yay carbs) and then make a beeline for the exit.
Given the overall good organization for the rest of the race, it’s an aspect I wish the race officials would give a long hard look at improving.
RECOMMENDATION
As I said earlier, I’ve run the Long Beach Half Marathon four times now.
I like this race; I really do like it. But I don’t love it. It’s a solid and fairly well organized affair, but it does have a few shortcomings and lacks the extra touches that could elevate it to the next level. The race is reasonably priced, local and part of the Beach City Challenge (a series I like). I’ll continue to run it each year when it fits my schedule, but I wouldn’t be overly heartbroken if I missed it from time to time.
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Submitted by iKristin
January 10, 2014
Review
Packet Pick up: Holy schhnikes! This is HUGE! It blew the OC ½ Marathon’s packet pick up out of the water. I’ve never seen something so huge. Very organized. Zero complaints.
Race Day: Parking can be very tough. I recommend having someone drop you off. Or add an extra mile walk to that ½ marathon you’ll be doing.
Race: Almost the entire race has a view of the ocean. It doesn’t get any better than this. And it’s flat. The entire race is flat. Winner winner chicken dinner.
Post Race: Ran out of medals for not only the ½ marathon people, but also the runners who earned their legacy medal. I have to say the race organizer did a great job with following up though. Obviously he couldn’t undo their mistake, but he did right by constant communication, letting us know when the medals would be sent to us, and also offering us a nice discount on next year’s race. You can’t ask for more than that. Job well done Long Beach! Food was good. They had goody bags for everyone who finished, and even those tin foil blankets. Perfect.
Overall: Surf City ½ Marathon will likely be the last of my ½ marathon days, but I’ve heard it’s hilly. So I’ll go out on a limb and say, if I were to every do a ½ marathon again, Long Beach would be my choice. Some of the characters you meet on that race were worth every penny. Shout out to the lady running next to me with her prayer beads, a plastic bag full of stuff, shouting “si se puede!” Tears were running down my face I was laughing so hard.
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Submitted by genevieve
December 31, 2013
Review
The course isn’t particularly spectacular, but this is one of my favorite races in the region because of Long Beach supporters. It seemed like the entire city came out to support the race and provide runners with water and fruit along the way. I really appreciated seeing their smiling faces and hearing their cheers. The parking and start was a bit of a mess, though. They started the marathon and the half marathon at the same time which resulted in a huge bottleneck.
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Submitted by lbclove
November 5, 2013
Review
I loved running Long Beach! It could be biased because I live here and train on the course weekly but it really is a great race.
The expo: The expo was large with a tons of vendors and was easy to get around in. Whats nice about the Long beach expo is that it is in the convention center so they have places to eat inside and plenty of restrooms, Even some really cool art work as you enter. Packet pick up was quick and they had a shirt exchange which I really appreciated.
Race Day: Long Beach has the largest amount of portable restrooms I have ever seen at any race.
While I was standing in my wave the director of the O.C marathon was announced and I thought to myself ” I hope he sees all these restrooms and learns a lesson” We all know what 2013 O.C .Marathon was like 🙁
I do wish the waves were marked a little more clearly as the the half marathon has the largest amount of runners and it gets pretty jammed packed. They were supposed to release 4 waves but it was more than that and a little confusing as to how it was done but whatever they did it seemed to work.
The course is beautiful and in my opinion the best of the 3 in Beach Cities Challenge. It is mostly flat and ran along the water expect for the last 3 miles. They had plenty of water stations and portable restrooms. The aide station seemed well staffed. I brought my own water but my cousin said that mile 9 water ran out of water. I took her down the beach path a little ways to AREC water fountain that no one seemed to notice so it worked out fine. Cliff shots were available on mile 10. They had multiple flavors and each one was clearly marked so you knew what to grab.
The finishers chute is well organized with lots of goodies and a mylar blanket. Long Beach always has a lot of food trucks and large beer garden so its nice to just hang out for awhile afterward. It is also right on shoreline village with lots of restaurants to go to. The virtual goody bag include free entry to Aquarium of the Pacific which is nice.
The tech shirt was much nicer this year and the medal was huge. I earned my Beach Cities Challenge medal at this race and couldn’t believe how big that medal is. I will be back next year to run Long Beach again!
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Submitted by cindycarlson
October 16, 2013
Review
This is my second time running the Long Beach Full Marathon (first time was in 2009, which I believe had a slightly different course) and in between I ran all the half marathons. I originally signed up for the half, but when I heard about the earlier start time, I went ahead and switched it over. In my opinion, the race was 100% better. There was no bottle necking on the beach path, as it typically is with the half marathon. The weather was great, and everything went as planned, for me. I wanted to finish under 4:30, and I came in 4:24!
The split comes around mile 11, and we merge back with the halfers around 24, I think. It was pretty crowded by then because it was pretty much all walkers from the half marathon, and unfortunately, they were all over the course. I’ve run other ones where there are people trying to direct them to stay on their “side”, but not the case here. I know this will bother some runners, so I want to mention it here. I did have to weave a bit in and out to get around them. But personally, for me, it makes me feel like I’m going so much faster than I really am, that I can deal with it.
The post-race goodies were great, as most others has mentioned. I didn’t gear check this year, so I can’t speak to that experience. The crowd/spectators were kind of everywhere, and I had some friends that weren’t able to even find me as a result. I’m hoping maybe next year they can work on being more vigilant about stuff like that.
This was my 3rd time completing the Beach Cities challenge, and was so happy to get my Beach Cities medal and towel afterwards! Of the three full marathons, I think this one has the best course and race support/spectators. Thankfully the weather cooperated and was cool, for the most part. But it isn’t always that way.
Can’t wait to finish the challenge again!
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Submitted by wifeygonzo
October 16, 2013
Review
I enjoyed this half marathon. Nice mostly flat course. The corrals started late which was a little disappointing (I was in corral 2 which should have started at 7:35, but we didn’t start until 7:45-7:50). The weather was perfect. Lots of bathrooms/porta pots, lost of fun spectators. Great volunteers & support the entire route. I also enjoyed the live music along the route as well. I got my second best time at this race. The finish line was very crowded, volunteers were telling spectators to give the runners space as we were tired & trying to get out of the finish line corral, however the spectators did not oblige. I enjoyed the bag of post race snacks, the coconut water & Greek yogurt. I also really like the shirt & medal.
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Submitted by Bell
October 14, 2013
Review
This was the second time I have done this run. It was my first ever half marathon last year so it will always be a special one for me. Having said that I have ran in 16 other half marathons as well as a 10k and a couple of 5ks during this last year so I have learned alot about runs and what I like and what I don’t.
The expo for this run is one my favorites. It is big and has a lot to offer and I like to be able to spend some time here. Since you have to pay $10.00 for parking it is also a nice place to hang out for awhile and have lunch and spend some time. It’s an easy walk to quite a few places.
The course is again…one of my favorites. I love the beach path and the run thru the boardwalk and running the bridge with a view of the Queen Mary. For me this course only runs second in competition with Malibu…it is only better than Malibu because it is flat. 🙂
Traffic getting to Long Beach is the biggest challenge about this race, and even though we stay local for a lot of our runs, we don’t for this one. I planned on being an hour early (6:30am) and we didnt get to the parking garage we had prepaid for until 7 am. It did create some stress as I had a newbie runner doing the race and we needed to bag check. Even with that added stress, bag check was a breeze and with the wave starts we ended up being just fine. But you do have to REALLY REALLY REALLY plan for the traffic and delays…they are pretty bad.
I must give a special kudos mention to the AMAZING organization of the UPS bag check. They were so organized that they checked my number on my way to them and had my bad waiting for me…all the trucks did that. Best bag check ever!!! In all 16 of my last years runs. EVER!!! Major props to the UPS peeps!!
Post race was conjested as is normal for the bigger runs, so no real surprise. I am a huge fan of Coconut water after a long so that is a major plus for me that it was available. The goodie bag was also one of the best one of the year.
The beer garden and the music was great…no real long lines by the time I got there, easy to navigate, good music.
Again….for a year of 16 different runs…this is in my top 3!! Great run, great course, great crowd participation…I will do Long Beach every year!!!
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Submitted by Davefromphilly
October 14, 2013
Review
This is my review for the Long Beach International Half Marathon on October 13, 2013. Here is a little side story to registering for this race, when I originally signed up for this run, I did not care to look at my calendar because I thought of two things, it was the last of 3 races for the 2013 Beach Cities Challenge (so I would get the huge medal) and It’s Long Beach, a mostly flat run through the streets and beach path, with a few overpasses here and there. But…it took me about a month after registering to realize that I had already signed up for a 70.3 triathlon in following weekend! Even though I considered this half more of a training run for next week’s 70.3 triathlon, I still enjoyed the course and would definitely love to run it again in the future.
Pre-Race: The pre-race festivities and packet pick up were at the Long Beach Convention Center. It was pretty easy to enter, pick up my packet, and explore the vendors. I picked up all of my racing gels, and gu’s for Sunday, as well as the week after. I was even lucky enough to win a Newton racing hat from one of the vendors.
Course: Long Beach is a mostly flat course, with a few inclines over “overpasses”, and a bridge over the harbor. The last overpass/hill is around mile 5-6, and then it is mostly flat throughout the remainder of the course. Once you cross back over the harbor, you along the beach path to the Bayshore/Naples area, and make the final turn back around Mile 10 towards the Aquarium and the Convention Center. There is a slight uphill coming off of the beach path, and that kind of caught me by surprise. But I was able to handle it, and make my way to the finish line, and cross the finish line with a respectable time (1:52).
Post-Race: There always seems to be a problem at the Long Beach Half of runners bottle necking after crossing the line, and it was no different this year. It seemed that there was no one directing the traffic once the runners got past finish line, picked up their medal, and their post race foodbag (which was exceptional by the way). All the runners want to do after a long race is stretch their legs out, and get some “breathing room”, and not stand in a long line of people with their legs tightening up. Aside from that, the post race festivities were good. There was good live music, and a good beer garden (even though the finishers were allowed only one beer).
Overall, I give this event an A. It was a great event this year, and I hope to be back in 2014!
Follow all of my racing exploits on Twitter: @DavefromPhilly
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Submitted by Scott Devine
October 14, 2013
Review
If you’re looking for a fun fall race with great scenery (and a flat course) then sign-up for the Long Beach Marathon/Half-Marathon. This year was my third time running Long Beach and it is one I was looking forward to tackling again after missing the race in 2012. The race includes a full marathon/half-marathon/bike tour and other assorted smaller races making for a very fun and festive day. I don’t know the total number of participants, although the number I heard was somewhere around 13,000.
REGISTRATION/PACKET PICK-UP- The cost of race is in keeping with most standard half-marathons. They offer deals throughout the year, but of course the sooner you register the better the price. The expo is located in the Long Beach Convention Center and offers your standard helping of vendors giving out swag and races offering discounts. This year in addition to my normal swag I walked away with a complimentary loaf of bread… go figure. You can get in and out quickly if you need to just get your shirt/bib (which is nice) and the expo is fairly well organized. Parking for the expo is $10 at the convention center but if you’re willing to walk a little you might find some metered parking a few blocks away.
TRANSPORTATION/PARKING- This can be one of the major headaches for the race given Long Beach’s location. For those of us who drive, getting to Long Beach on race day can be a bit stressful. Plan to arrive around Long Beach about 90min- 2 hours before your start time due to the traffic back-up where the 710 ends. It can take as much as an hour to navigate the last few miles to a parking structure. That said, parking itself isn’t too hard to find as you can choose from the convention center or one of the many lots around town. But if you’re the kind of person who gets wound up on race morning, you might just want to spring for a hotel the night before and have a relaxing morning.
T-SHIRT/MEDALS- The T-shirt for Long Beach this year was an interesting “minimalist” blue design with the logo located at the bottom of the shirt. At first I thought it a little dull, but it’s quickly grown on me. The finisher medals continue with their theme of showing off landmarks around Long Beach. It’s a standard grey/silver medal with the marathon medal slightly larger than the half-marathon medal. An added “Beach City Challenge” medal is awarded if you complete Surf City/OC/Long Beach races all in a row. It’s a large brightly colored medal and a nice addition to your collection. FYI, I’ll get mine when I finish Surf City in Feb.
COURSE- This is the best part of Long Beach for me. I’ve only done the half-marathon, so I can only comment on the first 13.1 miles. The looping course takes you around the city of Long Beach, with most of it in sight of the water. Seeing the Queen Mary as you run is always a nice touch and I watched fireboats sitting offshore firing their water cannons to salute the runners. It’s a flat course as a whole with only a few smaller bridges and one slight incline to maneuver. For several miles you do travel along the beach running path and some other tighter turns. This does cause for some bottlenecking and added distance (if you don’t run tangents). I’m pretty aware of cutting corners, so I ended up only adding .08 miles to the 13.1 tally. My advice on the beach paths is to run tangents where possible, but don’t waste energy weaving in and around people… slow your pace a little and save some energy for the final two miles. Marathon and half-marathon runners do the same course in the beginning (FYI, the marathon runners start 90 minutes ahead of the half-marathoners) and then split off after mile 11, only to rejoin for the final mile or so (the marathon runners do finish at a different spot, but it’s just about .10 mile further than the half-marathoners. Oh, and the weather was perfect this year with the temperature in the low 60s at the start.
COURSE SERVICES- The course is managed pretty well, with water stops placed every mile. As with most races, the water stops are undermanned and the volunteers overwhelmed, so I recommend bringing a bottle or water belt of your own to make certain you’re properly hydrated. Powerade was the drink of choice on the course and it was provided every other mile. Around mile 10 they also offered cliff shot gels for runners. Runner tracking seemed a little off this year as I only was given 5K and 10K split times along with my finish (the other splits didn’t register and I know of other people who had the same problem). They do have RunPix set up some final graphics to track your run, which is a nice touch.
One pre-race complaint…the porta potties seemed be out of toilet paper almost immediately, causing for some pre-race anxiety. My advice as always is for runners to bring along a roll of toilet paper or some handy wipes. I brought mine and when I didn’t need it, handed it off to a group of ladies who thanked me profusely.
FINISH LINE SERVICES/POST PARTY- My other longstanding complain with Long Beach is the crowd control/funneling of runners after the race. For some reason they can’t seem to get this right as it takes forever for runners to navigate their way to the post race celebration. It’s a frustratingly slow walk in a throng of people when all you really want to do is stretch your legs, find your friends and check out the booths while listening to music. Once you do get through the gates, however, the party is a nice way to wind down after a satisfying run.
All in all Long Beach is a fun race, with a great view and nice vibe. I look forward to running it again in 2014, especially since it’ll be the 30th anniversary of the race. Good times.
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Submitted by Gatorsgochomp
October 13, 2013
Review
I’ve run Long Beach twice now and I like it more each time. The packet pick up at the Convention Center is fairly easy if you don’t bother parking at the Convention Center itself. I waited until the last minute on Saturday and was able to easily pick up the packet and avoid crowds. Packet itself was ok–t shirt fit much better this year than in years past when the shirt was too short or tight. Otherwise not much in the packet. I was part of a charity team and got a bunch of free Cliff stuff in addition to the Cliff stuff which was mailed to us a month or so before the race. The course itself is great–the first mile and mile 3-4 are fairly boring, but the rest is super scenic and filled with plenty of spectators. I think of the Beach Cities races, Long Beach has the best course and the best spectators.
I didn’t partake in much post-race festivities. I got my Beach Cities medal and got out because I hate crowds.
Overall, A- for Long Beach. Would do it again, especially given that next year will be 30th year. Won’t do Beach Cities Challenge again due to my dislike of Surf City course and the terrible OC post-race experience last year.
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Submitted by boyster
April 3, 2013
Review
My 1st marathon! It was stressful from a personal standpoint. Expo was overwhelming in the convention center, but was fine. I liked the Clif Bar posters. Gorgeous weather = awesome running bra tan lines! Course was quite crowded during beginning. Long time to reach start line from my corral/wave. Pleanty of stations throughout. I really enjoyed the views along the way (Queen Mary & water tanker squirting). My fav thing were the mile markers (pictures from kids). Did not enjoy running through the neighborhoods some much. Only real complaint was that the Police stopped us at one point for traffic – so NOT cool at mile 20 somthing. Hard to get going again after that. Finish line was narrow & walk back to parking was brutal for my tired body. Nice heavy medal.
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Submitted by ckshubin
February 4, 2013
Review
Long Beach International was the 2nd race of my Beach Cities Challenge.
Pre-Race – Packet pick up fairly easy. At the Long Beach Convention Center. Paid parking if you parked in the Convention Center but since its an easy walk from pretty much everything around there you can find plenty of metered (cheaper) and free street parking and walk in. Packet pick up wasn’t fully staffed when I arrived about 20 minutes after opening. They had one volunteer handling 3 sets of bibs numbers. One line funneling into those 3 sections. After awhile more volunteers showed up but instead of telling those of who had waited for 15 minutes already to now line up behind the proper bib# grouping shown on the hanging signs and that it was no longer one line for all the NEW arrivals were allowed to do so and got their bibs picked up first while those of us who had already been waiting – were still waiting. Not nice.
Expo was nice with typical vendors you see at running Expo’s. They had a 3D film of the course running which was nice to watch. KT Tape booth was my favorite for a free tape up for race day. Lots of freebies/handouts at this expo.
T-shirts. Long Beach International has some of the ugliest race day shirts I’ve ever seen. They ran big….REALLY big this year. Somehow I had a medium and they will not change out the size that’s listed on the bib. However, the shirts ran so big the lady looked at me and had pity on me, looked at the medium and said “no way” and ran and got me a small shirt instead. I really needed an xsmall or even an xxsmall – that’s how big they ran this year. Ugliest design. Confused as to why they had a “what color shirt would you like” thing on their Facebook page and didn’t even seem to listen to what people said. If your going to do your own thing with the shirt why bother getting opinions?
Race Day – I can’t talk about parking or traffic since I stayed down there and walked to the start line. Plenty of porta potties – I mean tons of them so very little wait time. Here’s where I became “unhappy”.
October in Southern California is hot. Period. Every year. This year even more so. Long Beach needs to start at LEAST an hour earlier. They need to not allow walkers an early start as us runners catch up to them pretty quick. Corrals are self seeded. These maybe need to go to checked corrals. The current course just can’t handle the sheer numbers of runners anymore. For most of the first 10 miles your running 15,000+ runners and walkers through a boardwalk area that is 8′ wide. Add the early start walkers into the mix and it just gets really crowded the whole first 10 miles. I’m not a super fast runner but usually finish in the upper third of both age and gender and usually above half in the overall. My stats say I passed 413 people. Yet only 50 passed me. I self seeded in the correct corral based on finish time. All the weaving around walkers, slower runners that seeded themselves higher than their abilities and the narrow race course added almost 2 extra miles onto my half marathon.
Course support by residents was pretty good. Course water/gatorade stations were well staffed and well placed. There were a couple of water/gatorade stations that couldn’t keep up. Not the fault of the volunteers but those areas might need to have more pre-poured/stacked cups before the race starts so that doesn’t happen. The volunteers kept apologizing and felt bad and were doing the best they could. Wasn’t their fault.
After mile 10 the half/full runners split and the half runs down Ocean Blvd. Finally there’s enough room that your not jostling with hundreds of runners in a small area and can actually spread out a little bit. Finally.
I crossed the finish line at 9:30am and it was 80 degrees. The last mile felt longer than the first 12 because of the heat.
Finishers Chute – One of the WORST zig-zagging finishers chutes I’ve ever experienced. I just ran what amounted to 15 miles and needed to walk/stretch. But I was zig-zagged and crammed into an area that was so crowded that we ended up standing there for several minutes unable to move. With the heat it almost became unbearable. I realize peoples’ families are wanting to find their racers but spectators’ needs must take a back seat to the runners. The finishers chute really needs to be larger, straight and 2 tables of finishers stuff with 4 lines needs to be implemented.
Finishers goodies – The food bag handed out at the end is one of the better ones that I’ve received.
Medal – of the 3 beach city marathons the Long Beach medal is one of the nicest ones. Medal design is one thing they got right!
Of the 3 beach city marathons this is one I wish to not run again. Late start combined with the heat that time of year with the skinny course for the first 10 miles and some of the ugliest race shirts I’ve ever seen I will not run this one again. I might do the bike option but as far as running – until they tighten up the corrals, push walkers to the very back, change the course or enlarge it and start much, much earlier I will not run it. My least favorite of the 3.
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Submitted by martyracer
November 18, 2012
Review
I enjoyed my marathon run in Long Beach in October, 2012, as I returned from last year’s half marathon run.
Registering was easy, and I opted for the UPS delivery of my bib, but encountered some problems since my signed affidavit was needed to ensure timely delivery. That was a little stressful between phone calls to the office and running to the post office to mail the signed form.
Race day was easy – traffic at 6:00 am was fast, parking convenient at the Convention Center, port-a-potties everywhere, bikers on their way, runners getting ready to start, and the gun went off.
The route was well laid out and there were plenty of support along the way: water, food, gel, and photographers.
At the end I got my medal and opted to skip out on all the festivities and took myself out of all the hoopla.
Would I return in 2013? Probably Yes.
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Submitted by WhyWhyWhy
October 9, 2012
Review
I’m rating the course itself e a “D” (October 7, 2012) for one reason, congestion. If you’re looking for a PR, this is probably not the course for you. The problem is the first portion of the course is narrow. Think one lane road that gets worse when you run directly along the beach. Imagine 20,000 runners funneled into a cement strip a few miles long that is about 8 feet wide and you get the picture. To make matters worse, the organizers allow participants to start early, although they don’t receive chip timing. Who are the ones who don’t care about chip times? They are the walkers!! So what you have, is the main body of runners converging on the many hundreds or thousands or participants walking. Along the cement strand the most beautiful part of the run (the beach) there is simply no where you can go. You either bob and weave, continuously slowing down, speeding up, and yelling “on your left”, or you run in the sand (which is really not an option). I was not able to completely break out from the crowd until about mile 11.5, which is where the marathoners and half marathoners split. After that point, it was a different run.
The organizers of this race need to dramatically reconfigure how to stage the start. Under no circumstances should anyone other than elite runners and chair racers be allowed to go early. If they want to allow for running along the beach, they need to be strict on the corrals and not only assign people according to recent previous run times, but also police the corrals to ensure slower runners don’t move forward. This is always a concern in every race, but arguably the impact here due to the narrower course over the first 11.5 miles.
Parking is a little tough in Long Beach, especially if you don’t know the area. Signs pointing to parking were only “okay” but lacked specificity. So if you pre-paid to park, you either had to know the area, or have luck on your side.
The expo was average. Nothing special. My group though pricing was unusually high this time for many items. For example, GU that I would pay $1 – $1.29 at REI was $1.50 at the expo. Usually these are more competitively priced. We skipped buying anything. Sad, because we came prepared to spend a couple hundred.
Post-race I thought was excellent. The distance from the finish line to the exit area was short and given the number of runners, there was almost no congestion of runners and spectators. Compared with the LA Marathon, the finish area at Long Beach was light years improved.
Overall, I gave this a “B” rating, but struggled to do so. It’s definitely a race to run for fun, but don’t expect a PR here if you are a consistent runner. Gels and fluids were good throughout the course, though they obviously had fewer volunteers than they needed. As a result, the volunteers were struggling to keep up with fluid demands. For example, you might get to a table and have no cups full of water, but the volunteers were working as fast as they could (and it was GREATLY appreciated).
Bottom line, if you only run one or two races a year and want a PR, try one of the other more local races like L.A. or Orange County. I know I won’t run this one again until they change the way the course is managed, but if changes are made, I wouldn’t hesitate to run.
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Submitted by WhyWhyWhy
October 9, 2012
Review
I’m rating the course itself e a “D” (October 7, 2012) for one reason, congestion. If you’re looking for a PR, this is probably not the course for you. The problem is the first portion of the course is narrow. Think one lane road that gets worse when you run directly along the beach. Imagine 20,000 runners funneled into a cement strip a few miles long that is about 8 feet wide and you get the picture. To make matters worse, the organizers allow participants to start early, although they don’t receive chip timing. Who are the ones who don’t care about chip times? They are the walkers!! So what you have, is the main body of runners converging on the many hundreds or thousands or participants walking. Along the cement strand the most beautiful part of the run (the beach) there is simply no where you can go. You either bob and weave, continuously slowing down, speeding up, and yelling “on your left”, or you run in the sand (which is really not an option). I was not able to completely break out from the crowd until about mile 11.5, which is where the marathoners and half marathoners split. After that point, it was a different run.
The organizers of this race need to dramatically reconfigure how to stage the start. Under no circumstances should anyone other than elite runners and chair racers be allowed to go early. If they want to allow for running along the beach, they need to be strict on the corrals and not only assign people according to recent previous run times, but also police the corrals to ensure slower runners don’t move forward. This is always a concern in every race, but arguably the impact here due to the narrower course over the first 11.5 miles.
Parking is a little tough in Long Beach, especially if you don’t know the area. Signs pointing to parking were only “okay” but lacked specificity. So if you pre-paid to park, you either had to know the area, or have luck on your side.
The expo was average. Nothing special. My group though pricing was unusually high this time for many items. For example, GU that I would pay $1 – $1.29 at REI was $1.50 at the expo. Usually these are more competitively priced. We skipped buying anything. Sad, because we came prepared to spend a couple hundred.
Post-race I thought was excellent. The distance from the finish line to the exit area was short and given the number of runners, there was almost no congestion of runners and spectators. Compared with the LA Marathon, the finish area at Long Beach was light years improved.
Overall, I gave this a “B” rating, but struggled to do so. It’s definitely a race to run for fun, but don’t expect a PR here if you are a consistent runner. Gels and fluids were good throughout the course, though they obviously had fewer volunteers than they needed. As a result, the volunteers were struggling to keep up with fluid demands. For example, you might get to a table and have no cups full of water, but the volunteers were working as fast as they could (and it was GREATLY appreciated).
Bottom line, if you only run one or two races a year and want a PR, try one of the other more local races like L.A. or Orange County. I know I won’t run this one again until they change the way the course is managed, but if changes are made, I wouldn’t hesitate to run.
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Submitted by zetroc969
October 8, 2012
Review
pre race expo was ok i have seen better nothing stood out, the course was ok but i thinking it should had a earlier start time.but the first 4 mile there was not must to the course to look at,once we got to shoreline drive was better, but was not any but a few spectator on the course till mile 9.Post race was less then i expected first the bag that they handed out to all the runner,did not have anything to talk about.I have to find the place the was handing of the beach cities challange medal,and when i did it was in a back area to where if i did not go to the info tent i would not had fond it.This is my 7 1/2 marathon i have done this year but this fits the beach cities course……
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Submitted by Lara
October 8, 2012
Review
Love this race! Why? The organizers (Run Racing), the volunteers (awesome support along the course), the spectators (love that so many residents come out to cheer us on), and the beautiful course! I wish that we didn’t have to pay to park just to pick up our bibs, and then pay again for the race. I was also a bit disappointed in the limited clothing and gear vendors this year. As others have stated, the area immediately following the finish line is crowded but this seems to be the case at most races. Only recommendation is to move the photo area out of the finish line… past the gates. The shirt… don’t love it (was expecting a bright colored one after their online poll) but it fits true to size which is nice! Not sure I’ll do this one again because it’s a difficult month for me but recommend it highly for anyone else considering the Long Beach Marathon!
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Submitted by Erin Moore
October 8, 2012
Review
I was really impressed with this race. I thought traffic getting to the race would be a nightmare so I left my house in Huntington Beach at 5:00am to make sure I had enough time to get there. By the time I got there and parked it was only 5:30am. GET PREPAID PARKING! By paying for parking online in advance you are guaranteed a spot when you get there and you only half to walk a short distance to the start line (which was a good warm up.)
I had heard that this was a pretty flat course; and it was for the most part, but there were a couple of small, long hills. They weren’t anything difficult, but it would have been nice to know about beforehand because I was expecting a completely flat course. There was one part of the course that smelled really fishy near the harbor. Some parts of the course (mostly by the beach) got kind of crowded. Besides these minor issues, I was happy with the course, it was very scenic.
At the finish line, they were very fast to give me a water bottle, blanket, and a goodie bag. All the volunteers were very helpful and nice and really seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Upon leaving I thought there would be a lot of traffic, but there really wasn’t. We just left the parking structure and got right on the road.
I would definitely run this race again 😀
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Submitted by Davefromphilly
October 8, 2012
Review
This review is for the Long Beach Half Marathon, which was completed on October 7, 2012.
Pre-race – The expo was held at the Convention Center, and it was a great environment. It had plenty of booths with plenty of the “race swag” being handed out. The race shirt was very creative, with palm trees designed at the bottom. I have a ton of these shirts, and I will definitely put it in the rotation. Also, the medal is really nice. Although I did not run the marathon, I thought it was great that the marathoners got a bigger medal to distinguish them from the half marathoners. It seems that at most of the marathons/half marathons, the runners get the same medal except that maybe the medal is a different color or something like that. Also, be prepared to pay $10 for parking, if you want to park at Convention Center. This was my first time there, and I did not have a choice because I was not very familiar with the Long Beach area. There is street parking available, and I will look for that the next time that I run there.
Course – Overall, the course was a great layout. You run through the harbor first, and along the beach path and then finally on the street. With the exception of an overpass here and there, the course was very flat, which can help you to get a PR. Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to get to my PR this year. Hopefully that will happen another time! The only issue that I have with the course is that beach path can get crowded. This is from roughly Miles 5 through 9. I was able to keep a good pace down the path and avoid runners, but I could see other runners criss-crossing in between each other to get a better position. It is something to be aware of, even though it did not affect. I really enjoyed the course, and the course support was great, as there were plenty of water/powerade/gatorade stands throughout.
Post Race – The post race festivities were great. I had to relax and stretch a little bit before going to explore them, but I enjoyed them. The goodie bag was one of the bigger goodie bags that I have received. It had water, a banana, granola bars, and pretzels. There were people also giving out extra water and granola bars if people needed them. There were the usual vendors, which was expected, and but they were off to the side if people wanted to explore them.
Overall – I give this race solid A. I ran this course in order to complete the Beach Cities Challenge, and I will definitely run this course again.
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Submitted by Amanda Daley
October 8, 2012
Review
With my first marathon complete I had time to reflect on everything that just happened. I loved how active on FB/emails Long beach marathon was. They kept you in the loop and up to date on anything you could have ever had any questions on. That makes it so easy on us.
The expo was very large and had lots of great freebies and vendors. I always just grab my bib/shirt and go. Parking was easy and available everywhere for $10.
They have the most awesome HUGE medals for the marathoners. Im very proud to hang up that bad boy! The shirts are a little obnoxious with boats and palm trees all over it but I rarely wear my race shirts anyhow since i have so many.
The only problem I had with this race at all was corrals, they were self served so Im not sure still why walkers think its okay to go to the front of corral 1 and walk 4 across. This bothers me so much. I have no problem with walkers just ask they be considerate of us trying to chase a pacer. With the half and the full started together I think it causes a bit of a cluster. Full should start at 6 half at 7. I got stuck behind a slower group on the beach path and lost site of my pacer and had to even run in some sand to try and get around people.
The best part about the race was the spectators and volunteers! I have never seen so many wonderful volunteers loving what they are doing. All of them were so nice and caring. Marching bands and cheer squads out at cal state long beach got you pumped up. I am glad I picked this race for my first 26.2!
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Submitted by The Bear
October 8, 2012
Review
Never had a problem with this race. Well organized, good volunteers, flat course. It seems to be well attended by the half marathoners (many of whom are walking.) The expo is awesome. The crowds are bigger each year.
The only problems you have to be aware of: get there early, get there early, get there early. The freeway backs up and you could miss the race. Buy the pre-paid parking. Nothing worse than searching for parking race day.
There are no pre-assigned waves. So, everyone (even walkers) crowd up to the front. Hopefully some year they will change this. If you get to the boardwalk at mile 5 to 9 in the middle of the crowd you will wish you didn’t. It is pretty narrow and you cold get behind a slow crowd at be stuck. Hopefully someday, they will pre-assign corrals and start the full marathoners separate from the half marathoners.
Overall it is a good course. Nice friendly group of runners. Good times! One of my favorites.
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Submitted by stridingmom
April 18, 2012
Review
My favorite SoCal half. Great expo and easily found parking that I didn’t have to pay for to get my packet. On race day there was a bit of traffic heading into downtown Long Beach, but nothing out of the ordinary for a major race. I found quick, cheap parking ($5) in a parking garage not too terribly far from the starting line. I hit the Port a Potty’s a few times while I waited. Race started and the course is just great. There’s one quiet place around miles 9-11 but other than that it’s really a nice course. Flat, fast and great crowds. Post-race you grab your medal, good snacks and even a lunch. The half marathon finishes around the same time as the 5k so all of the participants mingle which is fun.
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Submitted by phrankyc
April 10, 2012
Review
The Long Beach Marathon does not get it’s due. It has a very good expo, a great course, and the post race shouldn’t even be called a post race, but instead should be called the “after party”. This race is a must!
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Submitted by Jnguyen
April 2, 2012
Review
My first 1/2 Marathon. Good pre-race expo. Probably one of the best I’ve seen from all my races. The course is very fast and had a great time at this one. It will definitely be one I do every year.
We stayed at a local hotel so we could just walk to the start. I highly recommend that as its so much better than dealing with traffic and parking in Long Beach.
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Submitted by brookins88
February 26, 2012
Review
I don’t really like to to “big” crowded races. I decided to face my fears head on and signed up for the Beach Cities Challenge half-marathon races (Long Beach, Surf City and the OC), three notoriously BIG races with lots of participants. Long Beach half was first up and was my first big race since the LA Marathon two years prior, and I’d heard lots of rumors that it was a poorly managed, crowded mess of a race…to say I was nervous was an understatement.
The packet pick up/expo was fairly straight forward. I came bearing money and wanted to spend, but was a little disappointed by the quantity/quality of vendors. Getting to and from the expo area and parking was kind of a pain in the butt, but only minimally, so all told I’d say B for pre-race.
Race day I showed up STUPID early, because every runner I knew said that it filled up and crowded up early. Works for me, got there 2 hours before the event and spent quality time in the car updating facebook and eating my pre-race nutrition, then finding a bathroom at a relaxed pace. To the start-line!
The corrals were all over the place, there was lots of pushing and general foolishness, but I always move to the side and just go my pace and hope for the best. Once the “fasties” got ahead of me, the rest was a BREEZE. Gorgeous course, beautiful views all the way through. There was one loooong stretch down the beach bike path that seemed to go on forEVER, very hot and lots of people complaining about overheating…that was probably the most difficult part. The entire course is nearly 100% flat, and the sun and heat were the only real challenges. Perfect for any beginner, and if you’re slow like me you don’t have to worry too much about weaving and crowds.
I bypassed the post-race for the most part; there were no snacks and the coconut water being offered had sugar added so I just took myself right to my car for my post-race nutrition. The medal was lovely, the tech T was also quite nice (though very see-through, so I haven’t worn it much). All in all, my pre-race jitters were totally unfounded. The race was great, weather was perfect. I’ll totally participate again!
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Submitted by nikkib
February 25, 2012
Review
The expo was really nice and big. I enjoyed walking around. I didn’t like having to pay to pick up my packet. It seems like they could have reserved an area of downtown for that.
I got there about 5:30 and didn’t have any of the traffic issues. I knew it would get crazy closer to the start time. The start line and bathroom situation were both chaos. There were not enough bathroom for the number of people starting the race. There was also only one visible entrance to the start line from the bathrooms. I missed my wave by about 20 minutes because of the bathroom line, and I got in line 30 minutes before my wave was supposed to start. I ended up in wave 6 instead of wave 5. I would say they either need to limit the number of participants or have different start times to get rid of the chaotic situation.
The course was crowded, but fine. I didn’t like the portion on the bike path because it is so narrow. Moving around slower groups is really tough on the path.
Because of the start and the crowding, I didn’t go as fast as I could have. But it was still a fun course. The people cheering ou on are GREAT. That was the best part if it.
At the end, I didn’t realize they were taking pictures, and nobody told me to get one, and I almost missed my medal. There were too many people coming through, and the volunteers looked a little overwhelmed. I then couldn’t find my family for about 20 minutes, and they were really close to me.
I don’t typically stay for the post-race, but it looked like people were having fun.
I don’t know if I would do this one again because of the crowds.
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Submitted by Jim Wenzell
February 8, 2012
Review
Overall, pretty good. I had to park about a half mile from the finish line, so I was hurting on the walk to the car after 26.2 miles! It is a good course. I loved that they had video of everyone crossing the finish line. Nice touch! That said, this past year’s race had the ugliest shirts I’ve seen. I don’t even wear mine anymore after hearing so many cracks from friends. I would do it again.
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Submitted by MissJewels212
February 8, 2012
Review
I’ve run the half marathon twice and I must say it tops the chart on my list of favorite races! My time wasn’t all that great. If you’re a beach person then you’ll love the last few miles (of the half) out on the bike path. There’s a little bit of a hill climb the first few miles but nothing too strenuous. Not very scenic miles 1-4 but once you get passed them, you’ll enjoy sights of the Queen Mary, the historic Pike, and a few other fun places the city has to offer. The expo is fantastic! It’s held in the convention center so it’s fairly big and you won’t feel too much overcrowding unless you go late Saturday afternoon. I’ve taken the train in which drops you off very close to the start and also purchased a parking pass. The train was a bit sketchy to be honest. I would recommend getting dropped off (710 freeway can be crazy so take the streets) or do the parking pass thing. Very easy and well thought out. Great race, very organized-will be back next year! From a Long Beach State alum…GO BEACH!
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Submitted by Caroline
February 7, 2012
Review
I did like this race. I ran the half marathon. It is a crowded one. the start was the worst part for me, totally unorganized, a huge mess. They should follow Surf City and have a different start time for marathoners. The course is nice, mostly flat. the part of the course that is on the beach is very busy..it is narrow and it is hard to pass people there, I ended up in the sand more than once. The finish line: it was hard to find my family after the race, the only time out of 31 races that this happened. The medal is nice, the shirt not so much. the kids race is GREAT.
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Submitted by JCrowther
February 7, 2012
Review
(2011) I was so looking forward to this one and I was a little disappointed
* Expo was good and had some great vendors and causes!
* pre-race traffic was NIGHTMARE! we left wth PLENTY of time and took the “recommended” route and almost MISSED the START because traffic was such a mess! Maybe take a lesson from Surf City and start the marathon earlier so we can actually get to the start line!!
* I loved the first half of the course, but the 2nd half was not very scenic and with the heat (I know you can’t help that) running on the streets was even harder! The part on the University was nice but would have preferred to do that part first and finish on the pretty parts along the beach!!!
* Finish Line – my 10 year old ran the last 1/2 mile with my husband and was stopped and sent into the MASS crowd by a volunteer. She was frightened and confused and all because this volunteer thought she might try to get a medal…really?!?! she’s TEN!!!!!
* slow finish for me but WELL within the course limit but water stations were packing up and moving out as I came through mile 22-24…WTH?!?!
debating whether or not I want to do this one again….
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Submitted by The Bear
January 8, 2012
Review
I have done this race a couple of time and signed up again this year. The pre-race expo is pretty big. I usually spend an hour looking at all the stuff. There are many of the other events represented at the expo. Kind of cool to see what other races are out there. I usually stock up on my Gu because it always on sale. I HIGHLY suggest getting to the race really early and buying a pre-paid parking pass. Arriving late and you could find yourself on the freeway when you should be at the starting line. I usually get there around 5:30 am or so. The race is very, very flat so great for PRing or even BQing. I missed the mark by 5 minutes last year (dang it!). The crowds are great and so are the water stations. This is a well supported race. The run in the beginning is really nice around the harbor, then is gets somewhat boring after about mile 12. The post race seems to have plenty of vendors, but I am not much for hanging out. Overall it is an ok course. It is always on my schedule. The medals are pretty cool and so are the shirts. I would recommend this race if you like big races. Beware though, the run along the beach path gets very busy. Just relax. It is only about 4 miles. I try to get out in front so I do not have to deal with the crowds. Happy running!
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Submitted by uscgMK1
January 8, 2012
Review
I enjoyed this marathon, PR’d by two minutes. EXPO was ok, but no SWAG to speak of really. The shirt was pretty nice and I am happy with the medal. Overall the course is pretty good, the one problem I had with it was the bike path portion on the beach from around miles 4-9 or so. I was really crowded on that path and pretty slow and was having to weave through people and occasionallly had to get off the path onto the sand to get past slower groups. I feel like I expended a lot of energy having to do this. Other than that, I liked the course. Best part was running through the Long Beach State campus, the students there were REALLY loud and there support was really uplifting when I started to feel bad out there around mile 18.
The post race festival wasn’t much to speak of but there are plenty of restraunts in the area to go to. I celebrated my finish at the Yard House and the place was packed with runners. Overall I liked this race, I would consider running here again. B-
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