How hilly is the Surf City Marathon?
The Surf City Marathon is described as flat. The course listing puts the climb at 113 m. The course notes also call it marketed as "flat, fast & scenic" / "where surf meets run".
Surf City Marathon
This race edition
- Race date
- Date not confirmed for this distance
- Race timezone
- Timezone not confirmed
- Edition status
- Status not confirmed
Entry options
2027 edition
Entry options are not yet confirmed for this edition. Check the organiser before making plans.
Decision summary
Surf City Marathon at a glance
- Cut-off average pace
- 9:15/km
- Typical conditions
- 83/100
- Evidence depth
- 34 verified facts
6:30:00 total limit divided by distance. Check gun/chip timing and intermediate limits; allow time for stops.
Historical race-date favourability, not a forecast
Source facts available
Route details
Known course facts at a glance
Surf City Marathon has known course details for its marathon race. The summary below keeps the focus on what is confirmed for the course.
- Official distance
- 42.2 km
- Terrain
- Trail, Road, Beach
- Scenery
- Coastal, Parkland, City, Desert, Waterfront
Quick answers
What runners ask first
Where does the Surf City Marathon route go?
The Surf City Marathon route starts at Intersection of Pacific Coast Highway & Huntington Street, Huntington Beach (start 6:30 AM). Underfoot, expect paved roads (Pacific Coast Highway) and the beachfront paved running path along the Pacific Ocean. It passes Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach Central Park, Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve and Pacific Ocean beachfront path. Marketed as "flat, fast & scenic" / "where surf meets run".
Race character
Scenery
- Coastal
- Parkland
- City
- Desert
- Waterfront
Atmosphere
- Scenic Tour
- Festival
- Destination
Terrain
- Trail
- Road
- Beach
- Elevation character
- Flat
- Technicality
- Non Technical
- Source-stated ascent
- 113 m
- Net elevation
- 3 m
Entry, logistics and records
Entry requirements
- Entry status
- Open entry: The held registration model is open entry and this edition is not marked sold out.
- Cut-off
- 6.5-hour course time limit (~14:53 min/mile pace) with intermediate cutoffs on course.
- Qualification status
- Boston Qualifying (BQ) certified course; in 2026 about 5.7% of marathon finishers achieved Boston qualifying times.
Race day logistics
- Expo / packet pickup
- Race Expo & Packet Pick-Up at Huntington Beach Parking Lots, 21291 Pacific Coast Highway, on Feb 5 (12:00 PM-6:00 PM) and Feb 6 (10:00 AM-4:00 PM); all marathon, half and 5K runners must collect bibs at the expo.
Access and course status
- Start
- Intersection of Pacific Coast Highway & Huntington Street, Huntington Beach (start 6:30 AM)
Course facts
- Course type
- Out And Back
- Surface
- Paved roads (Pacific Coast Highway) and the beachfront paved running path along the Pacific Ocean.
- Landmarks
- Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach Central Park, Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve, Pacific Ocean beachfront path
- Notable features
- Weekend includes a Beach Mile run on the soft sand near Pacific Coast Highway & Huntington Street (Sat Feb 6, 11:00 AM) in addition to the marathon, half marathon and 5K
- Marketed as "flat, fast & scenic" / "where surf meets run"
- runs north on PCH toward the pier, inland toward Central Park, north past Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve, then back south along the oceanfront path past the pier to the PCH finish
What are typical race-day conditions?
- 14°CTypical temperature
- 17 kphTypical wind
- 3 mmTypical rainfall
- 83Favourability /100