Surf City USA Marathon Anticipates Early Sell Out

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – The 2013 Surf City USA Marathon is rapidly approaching its earliest ever sell out.  The largest combined oceanfront marathon and half marathon event in California, the award-winning race attracts more than 20,000 participants and 45,000 spectators from all 50 states, 1000 U.S. cities and 18 foreign countries.  The race serves as a qualifier for both the Olympic Trials and the prestigious Boston Marathon. Staged on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3, 2013, detailed information is available at www.runsurfcity.com.

Myriad reasons account for the growing appeal, ranging from the development of running clubs to the spectacular ocean-front course, but the allure of Surf City and its mild winter weather is clearly a strong draw for domestic and international runners.  The states of Arizona, Illinois, Colorado, Washington and Nevada all boast 100 or more runners while Illinois, Oregon, Texas, Utah, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Massachusetts boast 50-plus participants. Canada tops international registrations followed by the UK, Australia, Mexico, Italy and Japan.  

Nearly 3000 members of the Kona Brewing Longboard Legacy Club helped fuel the early demand for race entries last year.  These runners have participated for at least three consecutive years, receiving special recognition for every year the streak is kept alive.  Among these is a special emblem for Surf City's award-winning "Finisher's Medal", which was recognized as among the nation's top medals by Marathon and Beyond for the fourth consecutive year-a magazine first.

Also helping drive interest is the Beach Cities Challenge, a unique alliance that features the Surf City USA Marathon, OC Marathon and Long Beach International City Bank Marathon.   Runners that participate at each of the three events in the series consecutively are rewarded for their commitment with an exclusive medal.  Since the series was launched at Surf City in 2011, more than 5000 people have completed their challenge by running all three of the events in a row.  The series was recently continued at least thru Surf City 2014.

Another major draw is Huntington Beach itself, boasting seven miles of beaches and an iconic pier that is home to international surfing competitions.  Many runners spend time hiking in the spectacular Bolsa Chica wetlands while others embrace Surf City's namesake surfing culture via the Surfers' Hall of Fame and International Surf Museum along with world-class retailers like Huntington Surf & Sport and surf-stoked restaurants like the famed Dukes, named after legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku.

Led by the Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel, the city's hotel rooms are now filled to capacity with overflow going to Newport Beach and surrounding communities.  Furthermore, room stays have evolved from one to three-night packages as attendees are spending more time and money visiting Surf City's famed landmarks.  To that end, the event works closely with the community to foster an appealing environment for runners and merchants, offering valuable discounts and FREE shuttles on race day for runners; a program that started with no buses in 2005 and will use 70-plus in 2013.  

Historically, the Surf City USA Marathon features myriad heart-warming human interest stories including hundreds of runners who have fought and conquered disease, obesity and personal loss to those who participate on behalf of several notable charities and causes including autism, cystic fibrosis, cancer and many more.  Chief among these is Irvine-based Free Wheelchair Mission whose Run for Mobility has raised more than $2,000,000 during the past seven years to send more than 40,000 specially engineered wheelchairs to needy and developing nations.

About The Surf City USA Marathon
Staged in front of The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton hotel, the Surf City Marathon's exclusive oceanfront course runs on Pacific Coast Highway, past the famous Huntington Beach Pier and winds through the surfing beaches that define Southern California.  Weekend highlights include the two-day Active Lifestyle Beach Expo and Michelob Ultra Post Race Beer Garden.  Official Sponsors include Arrowhead, Michelob Ultra, Kona Brewing, the Waterfront Beach Resort, Dole, Vitalyte Sports Drink, Greenlayer Sports and Hoag Hospital. 

More information is available at www.runsurfcity.com