SOCAL River Marathon
Huntington Beach, CA
Mar 1, 2025
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The SOCAL River Marathon has four distances: Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K. This is a fun course in Southern California. This course runs on the Santa Ana River Trail from Yorba Linda to Huntington Beach State Park. This route truly spans Southern California from the dryer desert land … MORE
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The "river" is a drain canal.
Overall, this race was well organized and had all of the essentials, but lacked any extra touches to make it a standout running event. Pros: - The starting area for … MORE
Overall, this race was well organized and had all of the essentials, but lacked any extra touches to make it a standout running event.
Pros:
– The starting area for the half marathon is a spacious parking lot with water and port-a-potties.
– Aid stations along the course are well placed, approximately every 2 miles, with port-a-potties.
– Enthusiastic cyclists on their regular weekend ride cheer you on as they pass by.
– The race t-shirt and medal are nice quality.
– There is a solid selection of post-race snacks – fresh fruit, a variety of candy, ice cream sandwiches, water.
Cons:
– The “river” is a drainage canal! This is not an aesthetically scenic course until the last mile when you can smell and see the ocean.
– The entire half marathon surface is a paved bike path with a slight slope towards the edges. If you run on the right side as we all do, be prepared for your body to feel this subtle unevenness. You could run in the middle of the path, but that isn’t proper running etiquette.
– Lack of course entertainment. No fun motivational signage, no music, just a few spectators and dogs who kept reappearing as they followed their friend/family member along the course.
– Angry cyclists on the bike path yelling at all of the runners to get out of their way. (it became comical trying to guess if the next approaching cyclists were verbalizing cheers or anger, lol!)
– The finish chute was too short, creating a cluster in the finish area.
– The free race photos are not great and are only taken at the finish area.
Run Like the River
If you're a local, you're probably familiar with the Santa Ana River Trail. If you live out of the area, it's an asphalt paved recreational trail that follows the Santa … MORE
If you’re a local, you’re probably familiar with the Santa Ana River Trail. If you live out of the area, it’s an asphalt paved recreational trail that follows the Santa Ana River from the inland border of Orange County all the way to the ocean. That may bring visions of lots of greenery along a serene waterway. No such luck. Almost the whole river is a giant concrete-lined flood control channel. Most of the trail runs behind nice residential areas, past sports venues, small neighborhood parks, and a golf course. A few short segments are next to industrial parks with lots of graffiti and tall fences topped with razor wire.
Buses got us to the start area with plenty of time to warm up. Aid stations were approximately every two miles with dedicated volunteers who braved some challenging weather. Pre-race emails were timely and informative. Drop bags were supplied and were right next to the finish line for easy pick up. Swag was a mix of a basic poly/cotton shirt with simple graphics and a finisher’s medal of impressive size and design. The medal even had a section imitating beach sand – appropriate since you finish in a parking lot at the beach.
Since the trail crosses under every major street and highway, you have little downhill and uphill intervals to deal with. Hill training isn’t necessary, but it would help.