Long Beach Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy

A flat, fast fall course along the Long Beach waterfront and bike paths.

Where:: Long Beach, California
When:: October
Course:: Flat · coastal · loop
Best run as:: Even pace

Course & elevation

Long Beach is flat and fast, touring the harbor, beachfront, and bike paths with only minor grade changes. The flat profile makes it PR-friendly; ocean breeze is the main variable.

Start≈ 76 ft gain · net +3 ft · approximateFinish

Key moments

Mile 1–8Flat downtown and waterfront miles — resist the early pace.
Mile 9–22Beachfront and bike-path miles; hold goal pace.
Mile 26Flat finish near the convention center.

Pacing strategy

A flat, even-effort course. Watch for coastal wind on the exposed beachfront and draft when you can.

Plan your mile splits

Enter your goal time to get a mile-by-mile pacing band for Long Beach Marathon. The even pace option is pre-selected to suit this course.

Goal finish time

min

sec

Pacing strategy

Mile	Pace	Elapsed
1	9:09/mi	9:09
2	9:09/mi	18:18
3	9:09/mi	27:28
4	9:09/mi	36:37
5	9:09/mi	45:46
6	9:09/mi	54:55
7	9:09/mi	1:04:05
8	9:09/mi	1:13:14
9	9:09/mi	1:22:23
10	9:09/mi	1:31:32
11	9:09/mi	1:40:41
12	9:09/mi	1:49:51
13	9:09/mi	1:59:00
14	9:09/mi	2:08:09
15	9:09/mi	2:17:18
16	9:09/mi	2:26:28
17	9:09/mi	2:35:37
18	9:09/mi	2:44:46
19	9:09/mi	2:53:55
20	9:09/mi	3:03:05
21	9:09/mi	3:12:14
22	9:09/mi	3:21:23
23	9:09/mi	3:30:32
24	9:09/mi	3:39:41
25	9:09/mi	3:48:51
26	9:09/mi	3:58:00
26.22	9:09/mi	4:00:00

Fueling & hydration

Aid stations roughly every 2 miles with water and sports drink. The flat rhythm makes a fixed gel schedule simple.

Weather

Early-October Southern California can be warm — an early start helps, but a hot year raises fluid needs.

Train for Long Beach Marathon

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