Sunshine greets runners at 30th annual Surf City Marathon
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Surf City Marathon promoter Dan Cruz likes to say that the marathon offers four enticing ‘P’s: Pacific Coast Highway, palm trees, pier and people.
The marathon again delivered on all of them Sunday morning, as the 30th annual race took place under sunny skies.
With both the marathon and half-marathon distances sold out, participation in the Surf City Marathon back to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, organizers said. There were 47 states and 18 countries among the 21,000 registered entrants for the marathon, half marathon and 5K races.
Nick Goldstein of Newbury Park, running his first marathon, emerged as the men’s champion. He crossed the finish line first on the fast course, in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 1 second.
“At the end, I was struggling,” the 22-year-old Goldstein stated in a news release. “My longest training run was 22 miles. I started to feel it. I got some water and made it happen. I barely held off this guy.”
“This guy” was Huntington Beach local Joshua Lerch. The 43-year-old finished second overall in 2:30.16.
“I felt like I was running in my backyard,” Lerch said in the release. “I can roll out of bed and show up. The course is nice and flat. I just love it out here. It’s magical. You see the moon in the morning and the rainbow sky on the other side. The waves were huge out there today. It was amazing.”
Monica Ruiz of Chula Vista, 35, was the women’s marathon champion. Ruiz crossed the finish line in 2:59.07, a personal-best by six minutes.
“I know it sounds cliché, but trust your training,” Ruiz stated in the release, offering tips for success. “Don’t push too fast early on. When you feel like you’re hitting the wall, push through it. And think of the people who believed in you and supported you.
“This scenery is beautiful,” she added. “You’re running alongside the river, the parks, the ocean. You’re looking around and just feel so fortunate to be running here.”
Esteban Prado won the men’s half marathon in 1:06:23, just two seconds ahead of Anthony Solis. Piper Atnip was the women’s half marathon winner, in 1:14.33.
Dorothy Strand of Orange, 86, the only person to compete in a Surf City Marathon race all 30 years, was among the more than 4,000 runners of the 5K. Mariana Cuevas (13:41) and Alan Yoho (15:28) were the women’s and men’s 5K winners, respectively.
Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon was out there early to greet the competitors. Later, he cheered on his wife, Josephine, who ran the 5K.
“The weather was incredible,” McKeon stated. “We’re so proud of our city. What this is about is getting outside, running and enjoying Huntington Beach.”
