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Marathon Details - Surfers Path Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > CA > Santa Cruz > Surfers Path Marathon

Surfers Path Marathon

Surfers Path Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

Santa Cruz, CA USA

~~May 22, 2022~~ - CANCELLED

http://www.runsurferspath.com

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Marathon Results

By Year:

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

Coastal courses featuring scenic views of the majestic surf and Monterey Bay.

Contact Information

Name:	Lifestyle Escapes
Address:	P.O. Box 1563 Capitola, CA 95010
Phone Number:	831.251.9283
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (7)

Course 4.9

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.6

Write a review

Number of comments: 7

D. B. from Antioch CA (9/23/2015) "NOT A BOSTON QUALIFIER" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 BEWARE: I ran this race in a time well under my Boston qualifying time only to find out that it IS NOT recognized by the Boston marathon. I wish the folks who wrote the web site would have told me!!!
D. I. from Indianapolis, IN (5/22/2015) "One of the Most Beautiful and Challenging Courses" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This has got to be one of the best courses there is. The vast majority of the race takes place along the coast where you can hear/see/feel the waves crashing to shore. That said, it's also a beast. This is not a race to try for a PR, as I painfully learned. Every step you take you're either climbing, falling, or on a trail. Just relax and enjoy the run. It's also a no frills race. So if you've experienced other, larger races, it's a bit jarring at how low key this race is. You're not walking away with swag or having large pre/post race events. I wouldn't say that's a bad thing, just different from most other races. Lastly it's a younger race, so the organizers have some growing to do. A lot of the race, especially the 2nd part, the course was difficult to keep track of. I'm still not sure I ran all of the parts we were supposed to. Given the small size, there was so much distance between me and the person in front of me that I was on my own. If you didn't see where they went in some cases, you were guessing if you should take the road or the sidewalk which was different enough to effect your times. Also, people going to and from the beach along the course had no idea a race was going on, so I was dodging walkers/bikers/dogs/children who were walking along the path. All in all it's a race that would recommend, just be prepared for a race of a different tune. And enjoy the run, don't try to race!!
C. B. from Middle TN (7/10/2014) "Fantastic First Marathon!!" (about: 2014) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my very first marathon and I thought it was just perfect! We stayed at the Hotel right on the beach and just feet from the start and finish. This is the way to go staying next door - no parking worries or early morning traveling and no porta potty lines at the beginning. The weather was perfect nice cool morning, I think it stayed under 65 the whole time. The number of participates was comfortable to me , as I am use to running alone. There were about 396 marathoners running with the half marathoners (over 1K). I loved how the course was so diverse. First loop was running beside beaches, then into a quaint beach town of Capitola then back to Santa Cruz passing the boardwalk amuzement center mile 13.1, then along winding sidewalks by cliffs were surfers played , then into a park area with packed trails (mountain bike type trails) out in the open of the bluff (not woods and no tree just all great views). We even passed horses and goats at a park farm. The spectators along the marathon were just wonderful - cheering every one on and holding fun signs. Plenty of aid stations - water, gatorade, one table had small bannana pieces, a few had GU. I brought my own water bottle and the volunteers helped refill it at some aid stations. I took lots of pictures along the course and smiled the whole time. the total elevation gain of about 900 was really over about 4 hills (can't really call them hills though) well spaced apart. Mostly flat course with great views. I took lots of pictures along the course and smiled the whole time. I highly recommend this marathon to anyone.
B. B. from Napa, CA (6/22/2014) "Breathtaking Views, Beautiful Course!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. The small size of the race was really comforting to me. I never felt like I was just a # in the crowd and it only took a quarter mile or so for everyone to space out and find there proper pace. They had plenty of aid stations (every 1-2 miles) and thankfully some of the mile 14-24 stations had bananas. I very much appreciated the beautiful views of the ocean along the course. There were times when we'd run through the city and lose sight of the coast, but those stretches were not too long and when the course came back to bordering the ocean again, the first sight of the sea was always breathtaking and gave me encouragement to run on. Marathoners ran with the half marathoners for the first half. At the half I realized everyone around me had disappeared and I was running solo pretty much the whole time after that luckily I was just close enough to barely see the back of a guy running far in front of me to keep me assured I was on the right course. The course transitioned to trails at mile 19-21, which slowed my pace down a little (I never trained on trails), but hearing and seeing the waves crashing on the cliffs at the last mile of the trail made the trail detour definitely worth it! The beach finish line summed up how thoughtful the organizers were in designing a beautiful, encouraging course that took you through all the coastal sights to see in Santa Cruz and Capitola! The best part was kicking of my shoes and giving my feet an 'ice' bath in the ocean (only a few feet from the finish line)! Also the coconut water they had at the finish line tasted like the best drink ever. My only negative is that they messed up the results at the end, listing a female in first that never ran, which threw me from 3rd place to 4th woman overall. They gave out mini surfboards to the 2nd and 3rd women (really 1st and 2nd), but I didn't get mine or figure out I was actually 3rd until the next day. When I contacted the race director he confirmed I was indeed 3rd women overall, but never got back to me about picking up the award. But the surfboard finishers medal is really beautiful and I did get a nice sea shell frame for my age group award! I will definitely run this next year if I have the time solely for the breathtaking views along the course. This is a great destination or vacation race!
F. R. from Miami, Fl (5/21/2014) "Wow!!! A must do Marathon" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run many marathons all over the world and this one will have a special place in my heart. It takes place in a gorgeous town where the first part of the course you travel to another town by the coast with breathtaking views of mountains, beaches and surfers. You the return to thr start and keep going until you enter a state park with a trail run through stables and some views that you would never imagine. You will see yourself running on a mountain with the view of waves and the mountain side. This race is not an easy one, lots of rolling hills and the trail run through miles 19 - 22 will take a toll on you. However the views of this course will keep you calm an pushing your body through. Highly recomended marathon.
h. h. from California (5/20/2014) "beautiful and very challenging from mile 19-21" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This would easily be my favorite CA marathon. It's scenic, small, well organized, friendly & easy to get to. The first half of the marathon is a fun road race to Capitola and back to the boardwalk where the marathon thins out greatly because the half marathoners finish at the boardwalk. You then head up the walking/run path above the ocean and can hear sea lions & see surfers. As you enter the state park after a very gradual uphill the race becomes very different. You run on loose dirt around a barn and then out to a bluff. I should have read more closely about the course but I believed the bluff portion would be more of a dirt road. But it was a full on trail run complete w/ mountain bikers, very uneven terrain (note I almost face planted) & a very strong head wind & lots of dust. It was 3 miles of a trail run from mile 19-21. If I wanted a trail run I'd have signed up for one. My running buddy and I who have run several marathons both trail and road agreed this loop literally threw us for a bad experience. I hope they change this portion of the race. If they do I will be back!
A. L. from Sacramento, CA (5/20/2014) "Wonderful destination marathon" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 70th marathon but my first one in Santa Cruz and this is now one of my favorites for many reasons. First, the course is beautiful. Most of it is along the ocean which helps to take your mind off the task of running 26.2 miles. I actually found myself wishing it were longer. The last quarter of the race in particular had some breath-taking views. Santa Cruz is a short drive from San Francisco, maybe 60 miles, and the drive between the two is worth the flight to San Francisco on its own. I didn't like the inevitable headwind from miles 14 to 18 as you run north along the coast, but I knew it would be a tailwind on the return to the finish. Absolutely perfect. I loved the low-key expo which was outside along the ocean in Capitola. Who wants to be inside a room looking at booths if you can be outside? There was a virtual goodie bag with loads of useful coupons. The medal, and particularly the ribbon holding the medal, is beautiful. I showed it to some coworkers today and they want to do the run just based on the medal. One thing that they did at this marathon which I thought was brilliant was that all the food at the end of the race was already in a bag. All you had to do was grab the bag. That is very thoughtful and obviously more work for the organizers but convenient for the participants. And, finally, after crossing the finish line, I was able to walk 50 yards, take off my shoes and socks and soak my feet and legs in the Pacific Ocean. I can't imagine a more refreshing end to a marathon. In short, I enjoyed every aspect of this marathon and plan to make it an annual mini-vacation. Congratulations to the organizers for a well-thought out and well-executed event. The choice of the outdoor expo and the finish on the beach are subtle choices that enhance the entire experience. This marathon has a concurrent half marathon, which I would also highly recommend. Because Santa Cruz has so much to offer, this can really be a destination marathon included in a trip to Northern California.



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D. B. from Antioch CA (9/23/2015) "NOT A BOSTON QUALIFIER" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 BEWARE: I ran this race in a time well under my Boston qualifying time only to find out that it IS NOT recognized by the Boston marathon. I wish the folks who wrote the web site would have told me!!!
D. I. from Indianapolis, IN (5/22/2015) "One of the Most Beautiful and Challenging Courses" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This has got to be one of the best courses there is. The vast majority of the race takes place along the coast where you can hear/see/feel the waves crashing to shore. That said, it's also a beast. This is not a race to try for a PR, as I painfully learned. Every step you take you're either climbing, falling, or on a trail. Just relax and enjoy the run. It's also a no frills race. So if you've experienced other, larger races, it's a bit jarring at how low key this race is. You're not walking away with swag or having large pre/post race events. I wouldn't say that's a bad thing, just different from most other races. Lastly it's a younger race, so the organizers have some growing to do. A lot of the race, especially the 2nd part, the course was difficult to keep track of. I'm still not sure I ran all of the parts we were supposed to. Given the small size, there was so much distance between me and the person in front of me that I was on my own. If you didn't see where they went in some cases, you were guessing if you should take the road or the sidewalk which was different enough to effect your times. Also, people going to and from the beach along the course had no idea a race was going on, so I was dodging walkers/bikers/dogs/children who were walking along the path. All in all it's a race that would recommend, just be prepared for a race of a different tune. And enjoy the run, don't try to race!!
C. B. from Middle TN (7/10/2014) "Fantastic First Marathon!!" (about: 2014) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my very first marathon and I thought it was just perfect! We stayed at the Hotel right on the beach and just feet from the start and finish. This is the way to go staying next door - no parking worries or early morning traveling and no porta potty lines at the beginning. The weather was perfect nice cool morning, I think it stayed under 65 the whole time. The number of participates was comfortable to me , as I am use to running alone. There were about 396 marathoners running with the half marathoners (over 1K). I loved how the course was so diverse. First loop was running beside beaches, then into a quaint beach town of Capitola then back to Santa Cruz passing the boardwalk amuzement center mile 13.1, then along winding sidewalks by cliffs were surfers played , then into a park area with packed trails (mountain bike type trails) out in the open of the bluff (not woods and no tree just all great views). We even passed horses and goats at a park farm. The spectators along the marathon were just wonderful - cheering every one on and holding fun signs. Plenty of aid stations - water, gatorade, one table had small bannana pieces, a few had GU. I brought my own water bottle and the volunteers helped refill it at some aid stations. I took lots of pictures along the course and smiled the whole time. the total elevation gain of about 900 was really over about 4 hills (can't really call them hills though) well spaced apart. Mostly flat course with great views. I took lots of pictures along the course and smiled the whole time. I highly recommend this marathon to anyone.
B. B. from Napa, CA (6/22/2014) "Breathtaking Views, Beautiful Course!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. The small size of the race was really comforting to me. I never felt like I was just a # in the crowd and it only took a quarter mile or so for everyone to space out and find there proper pace. They had plenty of aid stations (every 1-2 miles) and thankfully some of the mile 14-24 stations had bananas. I very much appreciated the beautiful views of the ocean along the course. There were times when we'd run through the city and lose sight of the coast, but those stretches were not too long and when the course came back to bordering the ocean again, the first sight of the sea was always breathtaking and gave me encouragement to run on. Marathoners ran with the half marathoners for the first half. At the half I realized everyone around me had disappeared and I was running solo pretty much the whole time after that luckily I was just close enough to barely see the back of a guy running far in front of me to keep me assured I was on the right course. The course transitioned to trails at mile 19-21, which slowed my pace down a little (I never trained on trails), but hearing and seeing the waves crashing on the cliffs at the last mile of the trail made the trail detour definitely worth it! The beach finish line summed up how thoughtful the organizers were in designing a beautiful, encouraging course that took you through all the coastal sights to see in Santa Cruz and Capitola! The best part was kicking of my shoes and giving my feet an 'ice' bath in the ocean (only a few feet from the finish line)! Also the coconut water they had at the finish line tasted like the best drink ever. My only negative is that they messed up the results at the end, listing a female in first that never ran, which threw me from 3rd place to 4th woman overall. They gave out mini surfboards to the 2nd and 3rd women (really 1st and 2nd), but I didn't get mine or figure out I was actually 3rd until the next day. When I contacted the race director he confirmed I was indeed 3rd women overall, but never got back to me about picking up the award. But the surfboard finishers medal is really beautiful and I did get a nice sea shell frame for my age group award! I will definitely run this next year if I have the time solely for the breathtaking views along the course. This is a great destination or vacation race!
F. R. from Miami, Fl (5/21/2014) "Wow!!! A must do Marathon" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run many marathons all over the world and this one will have a special place in my heart. It takes place in a gorgeous town where the first part of the course you travel to another town by the coast with breathtaking views of mountains, beaches and surfers. You the return to thr start and keep going until you enter a state park with a trail run through stables and some views that you would never imagine. You will see yourself running on a mountain with the view of waves and the mountain side. This race is not an easy one, lots of rolling hills and the trail run through miles 19 - 22 will take a toll on you. However the views of this course will keep you calm an pushing your body through. Highly recomended marathon.
h. h. from California (5/20/2014) "beautiful and very challenging from mile 19-21" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This would easily be my favorite CA marathon. It's scenic, small, well organized, friendly & easy to get to. The first half of the marathon is a fun road race to Capitola and back to the boardwalk where the marathon thins out greatly because the half marathoners finish at the boardwalk. You then head up the walking/run path above the ocean and can hear sea lions & see surfers. As you enter the state park after a very gradual uphill the race becomes very different. You run on loose dirt around a barn and then out to a bluff. I should have read more closely about the course but I believed the bluff portion would be more of a dirt road. But it was a full on trail run complete w/ mountain bikers, very uneven terrain (note I almost face planted) & a very strong head wind & lots of dust. It was 3 miles of a trail run from mile 19-21. If I wanted a trail run I'd have signed up for one. My running buddy and I who have run several marathons both trail and road agreed this loop literally threw us for a bad experience. I hope they change this portion of the race. If they do I will be back!
A. L. from Sacramento, CA (5/20/2014) "Wonderful destination marathon" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Surfers Path Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 70th marathon but my first one in Santa Cruz and this is now one of my favorites for many reasons. First, the course is beautiful. Most of it is along the ocean which helps to take your mind off the task of running 26.2 miles. I actually found myself wishing it were longer. The last quarter of the race in particular had some breath-taking views. Santa Cruz is a short drive from San Francisco, maybe 60 miles, and the drive between the two is worth the flight to San Francisco on its own. I didn't like the inevitable headwind from miles 14 to 18 as you run north along the coast, but I knew it would be a tailwind on the return to the finish. Absolutely perfect. I loved the low-key expo which was outside along the ocean in Capitola. Who wants to be inside a room looking at booths if you can be outside? There was a virtual goodie bag with loads of useful coupons. The medal, and particularly the ribbon holding the medal, is beautiful. I showed it to some coworkers today and they want to do the run just based on the medal. One thing that they did at this marathon which I thought was brilliant was that all the food at the end of the race was already in a bag. All you had to do was grab the bag. That is very thoughtful and obviously more work for the organizers but convenient for the participants. And, finally, after crossing the finish line, I was able to walk 50 yards, take off my shoes and socks and soak my feet and legs in the Pacific Ocean. I can't imagine a more refreshing end to a marathon. In short, I enjoyed every aspect of this marathon and plan to make it an annual mini-vacation. Congratulations to the organizers for a well-thought out and well-executed event. The choice of the outdoor expo and the finish on the beach are subtle choices that enhance the entire experience. This marathon has a concurrent half marathon, which I would also highly recommend. Because Santa Cruz has so much to offer, this can really be a destination marathon included in a trip to Northern California.

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Marathon Details - Surfers Path Marathon