My marathons

2XU Long Beach Marathon

Long Beach
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary. Photograph by RMS_Queen_Mary_Long_Beach_January_2011.jpg: David Jones from Isle of Wight, United Kingdom derivative work: Altair78 ( talk ), CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser describes the marathon as a run from Downtown past the Queen Mary and Shoreline Village, along the beach path, through Belmont Shore to Marine Stadium, a 5K loop round the Cal State Long Beach campus, and back to Ocean Boulevard.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Queen Mary, beach path, campus loop, Ocean BoulevardDowntown, Queen Mary, beach path, Belmont Shore, campus loop, Ocean Boulevard.
  • Sea-level and certified for BostonFlat, sea level, USATF certified, an official Boston qualifier.
  • A 5:30 start and a 7.5-hour limit5:30am start in 2026; 7.5-hour limit, 17 minutes per mile.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryQueen Mary, beach path, campus loop, Ocean BoulevardDowntown, Queen Mary, beach path, Belmont Shore, campus loop, Ocean Boulevard.

The organiser’s marathon page lays the course out in order: Downtown Long Beach, the historic Queen Mary, Shoreline Village, the flat beach path beside the Pacific, Belmont Shore, Marine Stadium, then a 5K loop around the California State University, Long Beach campus. With 6.2 miles to go the course heads back towards Ocean Boulevard for the finish.

The start is at the intersection of Shoreline Drive and Shoreline Village Drive, and the finish at Shoreline Drive and Linden Avenue.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientSea-level and certified for BostonFlat, sea level, USATF certified, an official Boston qualifier.

The marathon page describes “a fast, flat, sea-level course” and lists “USATF certified & official Boston qualifier” among the runner perks. The homepage repeats it as “a USATF-certified, sea level flat, official Boston qualifier”.

Sourced

Whole courseConditionsA 5:30 start and a 7.5-hour limit5:30am start in 2026; 7.5-hour limit, 17 minutes per mile.

The 2026 marathon went off on Sunday 11 October at 5:30am, and gear check opened at 5:00am at Marina Green. The organiser’s course time limit is 7.5 hours, which it puts at “a pace of 17 minutes per mile”; a runner who falls behind may be asked to join the sweep vehicle and be moved ahead on course.

The approximate aid station locations are miles 2, 4.5, 6, 8, 10, 11.5, 13, 14.5, 16.5, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23.5 and 25.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Long Beach, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
7:30 h

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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