Surf City Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
A flat, fast Pacific Coast Highway course along the Huntington Beach shoreline.
- Where:
- Huntington Beach, California
- When:
- February
- Course:
- Flat · coastal · out-and-back
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
Surf City is flat and fast, run largely as an out-and-back along the Pacific Coast Highway and beachfront. The lack of hills makes it PR-friendly; the main variable is wind direction along the exposed coast.
- Start → Finish
- 20 → 22 ft
- Net
- +2 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 45 ft
Key moments
- Mile 1–6Flat coastal start — settle in and read the wind direction.
- Mile 7–20Out-and-back PCH miles; a tailwind one way means a headwind back.
- Mile 26Flat finish near the Huntington Beach pier.
Pacing strategy
Even pacing on the flat course, but pace by effort into any headwind rather than forcing splits. Tuck behind others on the exposed stretches.
Plan your mile splits
Enter your goal time to get a mile-by-mile pacing band for Surf City Marathon. The even pace option is pre-selected to suit this course.
| Mile | Pace | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:09/mi | 9:09 |
| 2 | 9:09/mi | 18:18 |
| 3 | 9:09/mi | 27:28 |
| 4 | 9:09/mi | 36:37 |
| 5 | 9:09/mi | 45:46 |
| 6 | 9:09/mi | 54:55 |
| 7 | 9:09/mi | 1:04:05 |
| 8 | 9:09/mi | 1:13:14 |
| 9 | 9:09/mi | 1:22:23 |
| 10 | 9:09/mi | 1:31:32 |
| 11 | 9:09/mi | 1:40:41 |
| 12 | 9:09/mi | 1:49:51 |
| 13 | 9:09/mi | 1:59:00 |
| 14 | 9:09/mi | 2:08:09 |
| 15 | 9:09/mi | 2:17:18 |
| 16 | 9:09/mi | 2:26:28 |
| 17 | 9:09/mi | 2:35:37 |
| 18 | 9:09/mi | 2:44:46 |
| 19 | 9:09/mi | 2:53:55 |
| 20 | 9:09/mi | 3:03:05 |
| 21 | 9:09/mi | 3:12:14 |
| 22 | 9:09/mi | 3:21:23 |
| 23 | 9:09/mi | 3:30:32 |
| 24 | 9:09/mi | 3:39:41 |
| 25 | 9:09/mi | 3:48:51 |
| 26 | 9:09/mi | 3:58:00 |
| 26.22 | 9:09/mi | 4:00:00 |
Fueling & hydration
Aid stations roughly every 2 miles with water and sports drink. The flat rhythm makes a fixed gel schedule easy to keep.
Weather
Early-February Southern California coast is mild — cool mornings warming through the race, occasionally breezy.
Train for Surf City Marathon
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