- Weather
- 52°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,000 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 200 ft gain · 0 ft net
Event listed as: Full Marathon
PR9Weather9Experience7
Early February · West Coast · Out-and-Back
Surf City Marathon
Huntington Beach, CA · Sunday, February 7, 2027
Runs along the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, which fought a real, decade-long trademark battle with Santa Cruz over the "Surf City USA" nickname before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office settled it in Huntington Beach's favor in 2006. Flat, coastal, and built for speed rather than hills.
Coastal Pacific Coast Highway ocean run
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
- Scenic
Opens the race organizer's website
Typical start
53°
Cooler than 27% of U.S. marathons
Modeled historical conditions
Elevation gain
150ft
Flatter than 64% of races
Estimated total climb
Field size
2K
Larger than 71% of races
Estimated field
PR potential
9.4/10
Top 11%
Almanac model
Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.
Course profile
150 ft gain
Flat course, out-and-back.
0510152026.2
Race-day weather
Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.
6 AM
45°
Start
53°
Midday
61°
ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk
Typical start sits at 53°F, good conditions.
Typical dew point 31°F, 6% chance of precipitation, wind around 7 mph. All modeled.
The bottom line
A quietly fast race that does not ask for much beyond honest pacing.
Surf City Marathon is a strong choice for a PR attempt, and Huntington Beach offers very little meaningful elevation. The tradeoff is that nothing about it is extreme in either direction.
Why runners choose this race
A out-and-back course around Huntington Beach, CA, with very little meaningful elevation change.
The case for it
- PR attempts
- Boston qualification
- First-time marathoners
- Runners who care about scenery
The tradeoffs
- No notable warnings in the data.
Course and logistics
- Course type
- Out-and-Back
- Surface
- Road
- Profile
- Flat
- Total gain
- 150 ft(estimated)
- Field size
- ~2,000 runners(estimated)
- Crowd support
- Pockets of spectators
- Entry
- Data coming soon
- Start / finish
- Start and finish in the same area
Race details
- Typical timing
- Early February
- Next confirmed date
- Sunday, February 7, 2027
- Region
- West Coast
- Editorial tier
- Featured
- Data last reviewed
- 2026-08-26
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
- Scenic
- Out-and-back
- Flat course
- Destination race
Similar races
Races with a comparable profile.
- Weather
- 52°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~800 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 100 ft gain · 0 ft net
Event listed as: Marathon
PR9Weather9Experience6
- Weather
- 50°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~500 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 120 ft gain · 0 ft net
Event listed as: Marathon
PR9Weather9Experience6