Marathon returns to Long Beach streets
10,000 expected to run, take part in bike ride in 37th edition on Saturday, Sunday
Thousands of people will descend on Long Beach this weekend for a series of running and bicycling events, as the city’s marathon returns for the first time since 2019.
The 37th Long Beach Marathon will be considerably smaller than the 2019 version, but the presence of the 10,000 people expected to participate in the popular events — and to do so in person — is still a reason to cheer after the 2020 iteration went virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This will be the first Long Beach Marathon in 727 days,” spokesman Dan Cruz said Thursday. “But that’s still not the longest break, since it didn’t run in the ’80s. We couldn’t be more excited to be back live.”
The main event is the 26.2-mile Long Beach Marathon, along with a half marathon, on Sunday; the route travels east down the beach bike path and around and through Belmont Shore. At the Shore, half marathon runners and walkers will return downtown via Ocean Boulevard while the full marathoners will head north to tour through the Cal State Long Beach campus before returning to Ocean Boulevard for the last few miles.
Much of the route is on city streets, requiring street closures primarily in east Long Beach. Marathon officials have warned that getting in and out of neighborhoods along the route will be difficult from 5 a.m. to at least 2 p.m. Sunday.
The weekend events, however, begin at noon today with the Health & Fitness Expo.
The expo — the only place participants can pick up their bibs and race package — is in a tent on the surface parking lot of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, in deference to COVID-19 regulations, Cruz said. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s event is the Aquarium of the Pacific 5K. The walk-run will start and end next to the iconic fountain in front of the aquarium. Bib pickup for the 5K only starts at 5:30 a.m. onsite, with a 7 a.m. start time.
That course will wind around the waterfront and back to the aquarium with a brief dip into the aquarium. Finishers receive a shirt, a medal and discounted admission to the aquarium.
But most of the action is Sunday.
The marathon, half-marathon and a 20-mile bike tour all start early Sunday morning on Shoreline Drive, near the intersection with Shoreline Village Drive.
Marathon Sunday begins at 6 a.m. with the starts of the full marathon and the 20-mile bike tour. Bicyclists will start at Shoreline Drive and Linden Avenue; the marathoners will start at the Shoreline Village Drive-Shoreline Drive intersection. The half-marathon will start at 7 a.m., also at Shoreline Village Drive.
“It’s going to look a little bit different this year,” Cruz said. “We’ll be navigating some of the infrastructure from the recent Grand Prix.
“We’ve adjusted the start to allow for some more room, too. We’ve moved the half-marathon start up a half hour, to 7 a.m. and it will be a rolling start. But no one’s time starts until they cross the line.”
Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test will be required to pick up race bibs and packages for all events. Masks are recommended at the health expo and before the start of all the races, but are not required on the course.
The marathon and bike tour have sold out, but people can register for the half-marathon or 5K at the health expo. The cost is $150 for the half-marathon and $65 for the 5K.
The bike tour is not timed.
Runners in both the marathon and half-marathon will be sorted into corrals, with the faster runners in the front and the more leisurely participants in the rear, Cruz said. Runners will receive a timing chip with their race packages.
Parking for 8,000 or so runners and bike riders — most trying to make a 6 a.m. start time — might be an issue, Cruz said. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in the convention center’s garages. The cost is $15 and access is from Pine Avenue. There also will be a runner drop-off point at 448 E. Ocean Blvd.
Streets along the route will be reopened as the last runners or walkers pass. The marathoners must complete the course within 7 1/2 hours. Once that deadline arrives, any marathoners still on the course will be asked to stop or be picked up. The half-marathon participants will have a six-hour time limit.
There also is a virtual marathon and half-marathon for those who may not yet feel comfortable in a crowd. Virtual participants must pay the same fees and must prove that they completed the distance before Tuesday to get the finishers’ medal.
“That’s about 10,000 people total in all the events,” Cruz said. “It’s down from recent events to be sure, but it’s a whole lot more than it was last year.”