Long Beach Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
A flat, fast fall course along the Long Beach waterfront and bike paths.
Last updated
- Where:
- Long Beach, California
- When:
- Sunday, October 11, 2026
- Course:
- Flat · coastal · loop
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
Long Beach is flat and fast, touring the harbor, beachfront, and bike paths with only minor grade changes. The flat profile makes it PR-friendly; ocean breeze is the main variable.
- Start → Finish
- 25 → 28 ft
- Net
- +3 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 470 ft
The certified route
An out-and-back loop course starting at Shoreline Dr, heading north over the Queensway Bridge to the Golden Shore turnaround, then east along Shoreline Dr and the beach bike path past Belmont Shore, through the eastern neighborhoods and the CSU Long Beach campus, and back along Ocean Blvd to finish on Shoreline Dr.
- Start
- South side of Shoreline Dr in the westbound lanes, east of Shoreline Village Dr, 9 ft north of light pole #QC1445.
- Finish
- Shoreline Dr, south side, at the 4th palm tree in the center island counting east from Linden Ave.
Underfoot
Paved, 100 percent.
Through, in order
Long Beach
What you pass
- The Queensway Bridge and the Golden Shore turnaround
- Miles 7 to 10: the beach bike path past Belmont Shore
- Mile 13: the Marine Stadium parking area turnaround (halfway)
- Miles 17 to 19: the CSU Long Beach campus
Worth knowing
- Three turnarounds: Golden Shore, the Marine Stadium parking area, and 6th St at Federation Dr.
- Lane restrictions are written into the certification, with runners using half the road in each direction on most eastern sections.
Transcribed from the USATF certificate for Long Beach Marathon (CA23014DT), measured 8 July 2023. Where the certificate is silent, so are we.
Key moments
- Mile 1–8Flat downtown and waterfront miles. Resist the early pace.
- Mile 9–22Beachfront and bike-path miles; hold goal pace.
- Mile 26Flat finish near the convention center.
Pacing strategy
A flat, even-effort course. Watch for coastal wind on the exposed beachfront and draft when you can.
Pacing by goal time
Checkpoint splits for four common goals at Long Beach Marathon. These are effort-even rather than pace-even: the paces shift with the course profile, so climbs are slower and descents faster by the amount the grade actually costs. For any other goal time, use the planner below.
| Checkpoint | Sub-3:00 | Sub-3:30 | Sub-4:00 | Sub-4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 3.1 | 20:376:49/mi | 24:037:57/mi | 27:309:06/mi | 30:5610:14/mi |
| Mile 6.2 | 41:176:56/mi | 48:108:05/mi | 55:039:14/mi | 1:01:5610:23/mi |
| Mile 9.3 | 1:01:516:54/mi | 1:12:108:03/mi | 1:22:289:12/mi | 1:32:4710:21/mi |
| Mile 12.4 | 1:22:246:49/mi | 1:36:087:57/mi | 1:49:529:05/mi | 2:03:3610:13/mi |
| Mile 15.5 | 1:43:016:50/mi | 2:00:117:58/mi | 2:17:219:06/mi | 2:34:3110:14/mi |
| Mile 18.6 | 2:03:406:55/mi | 2:24:168:04/mi | 2:44:539:14/mi | 3:05:2910:23/mi |
| Mile 21.7 | 2:24:126:53/mi | 2:48:158:01/mi | 3:12:179:10/mi | 3:36:1910:19/mi |
| Mile 24.9 | 2:44:456:49/mi | 3:12:127:58/mi | 3:39:409:06/mi | 4:07:0710:14/mi |
| Finish | 2:58:306:53/mi | 3:28:158:01/mi | 3:58:009:10/mi | 4:27:4510:19/mi |
Splits assume even effort and are adjusted for this course's climbs and descents, which cost more than they give back. A model, not a promise: wind and heat move real splits around. See how the pacing model works.
Plan your mile splits
Turn your goal time into a mile-by-mile plan for Long Beach Marathon, built from this course's elevation. The even pace approach comes pre-selected, and grade-adjusted pacing evens out your effort across the climbs and descents.
Plan Long Beach Marathon splitsFueling & hydration
Aid stations roughly every 2 miles with water and sports drink. The flat rhythm makes a fixed gel schedule simple.
Weather
Early-October Southern California can be warm. An early start helps, but a hot year raises fluid needs.
What race morning has actually been like
The last 5 editions of Long Beach Marathon, measured at the start line rather than averaged across the month. Starts have run 52–63°F, averaging 58°F.
| Year | Date | Start | Dew pt | Wind | By late morning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Oct 10 | 52°F | 54°F | 4 mph | 68°F |
| 2022 | Oct 9 | 63°F | 64°F | 1 mph | 72°F |
| 2023 | Oct 15 | 54°F | 53°F | 5 mph | 79°F |
| 2024 | Oct 6 | 60°F | 60°F | 3 mph | 72°F |
| 2025 | Oct 5 | 61°F | 60°F | 3 mph | 70°F |
The gap between the gun and late morning matters here. In 2023 it went from 54°F at the start to 79°F by late morning. A four-hour finisher ran a materially different race from a three-hour one.
Dew point has reached 64°F (2022). Above about 60°F, sweat stops evaporating efficiently and most runners lose pace no matter what the thermometer says. It is the number to watch here, not the air temperature.
Dates derived from the race's published pattern (variable October date; editions below are the actual 2021-2025 dates), observations at Long Beach, CA. Source: Open-Meteo historical reanalysis (ERA5), 7-11am local at the start line. Reanalysis is modelled from station observations, so treat it as a close record rather than an official one. See how race-morning weather is built.
Is Long Beach Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Yes. The course actually finishes 3 ft higher than it starts, so no downhill adjustment applies, and nobody can accuse the time of being gravity-assisted.
This drop is our estimate rather than a figure from the course's certificate. If it sits near a threshold, confirm with the organizer.
Compare every course, how the downhill bands work, or work out your own target.
Dial in your pacing & fueling
New to how training builds toward a race like this? Start with Anatomy of a Running Plan, find your zones with the pace calculator, and plan race-day nutrition with the fueling calculator.
Related marathon guides
- Surf City MarathonHuntington Beach, California · Feb 7, 2027Another flat course
- Avenue of the Giants MarathonHumboldt Redwoods, California · May 2, 2027Another flat course
- Skagit Flats MarathonBurlington, Washington · SeptemberAnother flat course
- Buffalo MarathonBuffalo, New York · May 30, 2027Another flat course
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