Big Sur Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Big Sur International Marathon is a point-to-point road marathon on California's Highway 1 from Big Sur to Carmel, held on the last Sunday of April. The first race took place in 1986, when 1,800 runners made the maiden trek from Big Sur to Carmel, and Bill Burleigh is credited as its founder. The organisers describe it as moderately difficult with rolling hills and call it the largest rural marathon in the world; the course winds through redwoods and alongside ranches, with views of the Pacific Ocean. The marathon starts at 6:45am, and the halfway point is the Bixby Bridge, where a tuxedo-wearing concert pianist plays a Yamaha piano for runners. Other climbs on the course include Hurricane Point. The published elevation figures are a start at 356 ft, a finish at 10 ft, 2,182 ft of climbing and 2,528 ft of descent, about 665 m and 770 m. The time limit is six hours, because the road reopens to traffic at 1:00pm, and there is no support on the course for anyone slower than a 13:45 per mile pace. The field is limited to about 4,500 entrants, chosen by random drawing. The course is certified by USATF, AIMS and World Athletics and is an official Boston Marathon qualifier. The course records are 2:16:39 for men (Brad Hawthorne, 1987) and 2:41:34 for women (Svetlana Vasilyeva, 1996).