Race: Big Sur Marathon

Runner: Seth Lapic

Race Date: 04/30/2023

Location: Big Sur, California

Results: 3:32:16

Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/8985849019

3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?

The views, the surrounding area, the challenge

Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you

Having to board busses at 3:30am then wait around a few hours after getting to the start with nowhere to warm up due to the crowding. Catching up to the 21 miler and 11 miler runners who were walking, possibly in a line, and having to navigate around them.

Weird factor – What’s the weirdest thing about this race?

Strict time cutoff.

Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?

For a first marathon, it was certainly challenging. The hills were challenging but I was proud I powered through.

Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner

You have to catch the busses early. There isn’t any room to warm up once you get to the start. I brought a hoodie to toss away at the start line but I wish I would have brought sweat pants as well as we were sitting on the ground in the cold for a few hours. Bathroom lines got very long, even 1+ hour prior to start time.

Lessons you learned that will help you next time around

Wind had gusts up to 40mph. I lost a race bib magnet (I usually run with 3) with the wind gusts and had to hold onto my bib for fear of losing another one. Found someone with extra pins a few miles later. I’ll likely run with 4 magnets in the future and in high winds I’ll stick with race pins.

Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race

Knowing where the hills are located. There’s a few other race distances including 11 miler and 21 miler so you may catch up to those runners and have to navigate around them.

Aesthetics – Is it a pretty course?

One of the most beautiful you’ll ever find.

Difficulty – Is it a tough course?

The official website says the elevation gain is over 2,100 feet. The wind made that even harder.

Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?

Well run. They’ve been running it for over 35 years.

Competition – Is there a strong field?

Results lists over 5,000 for the marathon.

Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.

Have to enter a lottery. We booked a house for our group within hours of the lottery results coming out but some of the homes we were looking at got rented out from under us during those few hours.

Aid Stations – Standard fare or anything special to know about the aid stations in terms of what’s available or when?

Seemed sufficient

Weather and typical race conditions

• Clear skies but was very foggy with no views of the ocean the day prior. Wind was outrageous.
• Temperature was high 40s to low/mid 50s.

Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next runner?

• I carried an 11oz bottle in my running belt with electrolytes and didn’t make it halfway through it.
• There were 12 aid stations which had water and Nuun. Many runners had full hydration vests which seemed like overkill as it wasn’t warm and there were plenty of aid stations.

Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?

No where for spectators until the end.

How’s the Swag?

Hand made medal.

The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?

Seeing as it’s my first marathon, it gets all the stars.

Race: Big Sur International Marathon

Runner: John Gregson

Race Date: 04/24/2022

Location: Big Sur, California

Results: 4:21:26

Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/7036011324

3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?

1. Epic course
2. Race organization
3. Piano player at the Bixby Bridge

Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you

1. Early start time
2. Road camber
3. Runner/walker congestion in latter portions of race

Weird factor – What’s the weirdest thing about this race?

Not necessarily weird, but because the race requires the closing of Highway 1, the organizers are very strict on timing. Everyone is supposed to be in the starting village by 5 AM or so to ensure a 6:30 AM start. Given that it takes about an hour to get to the start line from the Monterey finish line, that means “waking up” around 3 AM.

Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?

I stayed on top of my fluids and calories better than in any previous marathon. My pacing felt pretty good up until the 21-22 mile range when the latter stage hills finally caught up with me. Other than NYC, where I couldn’t hear myself think because it was so loud, this was the first marathon I’ve run without music. Again, it was suggested that running sans music would make for a better immersive experience. I think I agree with that.

Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner

• I’ll echo what I heard – go for the experience and save the PR for another course. It was suggested that runners should plan for 20 minutes over their PR goal, which is what I loosely targeted. It was also suggested to try and hug the left shoulder as much as possible to minimize the effects of the camber. There wasn’t any food being offered (that I saw) in the starting village, so bring your own since you’ll be waiting a while.
• Something else that was interesting was the congestion in the last few miles of the race, when things are typically thinning out in a marathon. Because there were runners/walkers merging from multiple distances (21M, 11M, 12K), things got a little crowded towards the end. Unfortunately, most of the slower runners and walkers were also using the prime non-cambered portion of the road, so there was some extra bobbing and weaving to get through these little packs.

Lessons you learned that will help you next time around

I need to be a little more strategic on when I take on calories. I was kind of going with a range of every 30 minutes or 3 miles, but I ended up with an extra gel I probably should have taken during the race. I also reinforced the strategy of taking it easy on the ascents and making up time on the descents. Seemed to work for me up until the end.

Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race

Just when you think you’re done with hills… you’re not. The little hills at the end hit you right as you think you’re in the home stretch. Also, see the aforementioned comments about the headwinds and camber.

Aesthetics – Is it a pretty course?

Amazing! Incredible views for all but a few sections of the course. Hard to imagine anything prettier.

Difficulty – Is it a tough course?

I thought it was a pretty tough. 2,182′ in elevation, including the infamous Hurricane Point, and 2,528′ in elevation loss. Plus headwinds and road camber. My legs definitely thought it was tough.

Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?

Yes, extremely well-run. Everything felt seamless, from bus logistics to gear check to aid stations.

Competition – Is there a strong field?

Yes, but I gather that a lot of racers take the approach I did with this one – just go for the experience and don’t get too hung up on time. There were 300-400 Boston-to-Big Sur runners.

Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.

I decided to run this race a little late in the game, after the lottery results had been announced. I got in through a Marathon Tours and Travel package, which was a great decision.

They had us staying in Monterey, in the hotel that’s attached to convention center where the expo is held. Super convenient. I opted to go on a bus tour of the course the day before the race, which was great.

Aid Stations – Standard fare or anything special to know about the aid stations in terms of what’s available or when?

Only 11 aid stations, but they were very well staffed by volunteers and not as congested as I feared they might be. They all followed the same format: water cups, Gatorade Endurance cups, and pitchers for filling up personal hydration. The last few aid stations also had oranges and bananas. A couple stations had GUs.

Weather and typical race conditions

My first time running the race and the weather was perfect. Clear sunny skies, with temps in the mid-to-upper 50’s. It was pretty chilly pre-race and for the first mile or so, but I warmed up quickly. There were headwinds, but I gather that these can vary significantly year-to-year, day-to-day, hour-to-hour, so just be prepared to run with a pack if that’s helpful.

Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next runner?

Warm clothes for the pre-race wait, sunglasses, and sunscreen for sure. I’d also recommend carrying your own hydration, at least enough for between the aid stations. There were only 11 on the course, so I had to supplement.

Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?

No, not really. The course is point-to-point along a highway and there aren’t really any places for spectators to watch. At best, they might be able to see you at the finish line.

How’s the Swag?

Good. Long sleeve tech shirt and a clay finisher’s medal. The expo also had a ton of great stuff for sale. More variety than I saw at NYC.

The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?

5 out of 5. Yes, I’d highly recommend this race. As others advised me, don’t run it for a PR, rather for the experience.

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