OC Marathon hits the pavement this weekend
More than 22,000 runners are expected to lace up their sneakers and race through Newport Beach and Costa Mesa this weekend for the 12th annual U.S. Bank OC Marathon.
A series of related races will kick off at 8 a.m. Saturday at the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa with Kids Run the OC, featuring more than 8,000 students from 112 area schools.
On Sunday, more-seasoned racers will toe the starting line in Newport Beach in front of the Marriott Hotel & Spa beginning at 5:30 a.m. for the 26.2-mile marathon and at 6:15 a.m. for the OC Half Marathon.
Runners in the full marathon will wind through Corona del Mar, past Upper Newport Bay and into Costa Mesa, where they will race past South Coast Plaza and through Santa Ana before ending up at the finish line at the OC Fair & Events Center.
Runners who prefer a shorter distance can participate in the Wahoo’s OC 5K Run/Walk at 7 a.m. Sunday. The start for the 3.1-mile race is just west of the marathon and half-marathon finish line inside the OC Fair & Events Center. The course will circle the fairgrounds and cross Fairview Drive to Merrimac Way before looping around the Orange Coast College campus and heading back to the fairgrounds.
Drivers may encounter some road closures because of Sunday’s races. A full list, with alternate routes, is on the OC Marathon website, www.ocmarathon.com.
