Long Beach Marathon & Half Marathon

Sunday, October 6, 2024 • Long Beach, CA • Course Map

Featuring long stretches of beachfront runs along the Pacific coastline, the Long Beach Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K & 20-mile Bike Tour takes runners along a fast, flat course with some of the most scenic seaside running areas in California.

Both the full and half marathons start on East Shoreline Drive near the Downtown Shoreline Marina and Rainbow Lagoon Park, and from there the race heads over the Queensbay Bridge to the tourist ship the Queen Mary, and past sights like the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Lighthouse at Rainbow Harbor and Pierpoint Landing.

Mostly fast and flat, the half course features a slight incline over the Queensbay Bridge (between miles 2 and 3), and the rest of the course is flat.

The full and half marathon participants run side by side until the half-marathoners split off from those running the full marathon, between the 10th and 11th miles, when the half marathoners then turn onto Ocean Boulevard for the return back to the starting & finish lines at the Shoreline Marina.

As you might expect with a beachside road race, the course elevation comes as advertised — there’s never more than a 45-ft-high elevation at any point in the course, of which nearly all is visible from the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The race has a scheduled starting time of 6:00 AM for the full marathon and 7:30 AM for the half marathon, and runners have 6 hours to complete the half marathon course — which means it’s open to walkers as well as runners.

The race also includes a 5K that’s open to both runners and walkers and a one-mile fun run for kids — titled the Aquarium of the Pacific Fun Run — in addition to a separate wheelchair marathon and bicycle tour of the marathon course.

The Long Beach marathon scenic views

Awards & Accolades

The Long Beach Half Marathon was the twentieth most popular half marathon in the United States in 2023.

Race Weather & Climate

Located along the Pacific coastline of Southern California, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach typically sees mild to moderately warm (and usually very dry) weather in October, which has brought record temperatures here as low as 39°F (in 1972) and as high as 111°F (in 1961).

On race day (Oct. 6), the average low is 60ºF and the average high is 78ºF.

Long Beach Marathon Past Results

Long Beach Marathon Course Map

See the race route map for the Long Beach Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

  • 6:00 AM – full marathon
  • 7:30 AM – half marathon

Fees

  • $105 for the half marathon
  • $129 for the full marathon
  • prices subject to increase as race day approaches

Long Beach Marathon Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of the Long Beach Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K or Bike Tour, register online at Active.com here.

Official Race Website

www.runlongbeach.com

See more races in: October, California

When is the Long Beach Marathon?

The Long Beach Marathon is October 6, 2024.

How much does it cost to run the Long Beach Marathon?

It costs $105 for the half marathon and $129 to run the full marathon.

How many people run the Long Beach Marathon?

Around 2,700 runners.

4 comments… add one
  • Dan Fanning October 9, 2016, 9:40 am

    Good Luck Jen and Mike Fanning !

    Reply
  • Jonah Burns October 8, 2015, 2:20 pm

    I have run the first 2 beach series and I unfortunaley check registration for this long beach one to complete the series late. Is here anyway I can still register? I’d like to finish the series this year. Please please consider and let me know and thank you.

    Reply
  • Edward F. Garcia October 6, 2015, 8:23 pm

    Wanted to make sure that my Daughter Julienne Dick, and her friend
    Natalie Willcox have the Beach Cities Mesal, BCM on their bib.
    ( Both have done the Surf City & OC 1/2 marathons, and are doing the LB 1/2 Marathon)
    Please confirm.
    Thank You,
    Edward F. Garcia

    Reply
    • Edward F. Garcia October 12, 2015, 11:48 am

      Help! Have tried all the links under LB 1/2 marathon, to look up my time yesterday, Edward F. Garcia 68, Irvine/ and my daughters time, also Half Marathon, Julienne Dick 26 Huntington Beach…..no luck. Oct 11, 2015
      Please provide me with the page that lists the age groups, Times, etc…Want to know how we did relative to our age groups.
      Thank You,
      Edward F. Garcia

      Reply

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