Long Beach is about to get a lot more crowded with runners this weekend, as the 42nd annual 2XU Long Beach Marathon rolls into town with a sold-out field of more than 28,000 participants, according to organizers. The race, themed “Long Beach Runs Deep” this year, is expected to be the largest in its history, bringing a full slate of events, street closures and civic fanfare from Friday through Sunday.
The weekend kicks off Friday with the opening of the Health and Wellness Expo at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, where runners will pick up their race packets, according to the Press-Telegram. The free, two-day expo includes interactive exhibits and live entertainment open to the public, and runs inside Hall C of the convention center, per the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.
The race weekend builds through Saturday with the Aquarium of the Pacific 5K, before the main events take over Sunday morning. The full marathon starts at 5:30 a.m., followed by the half marathon at 7 a.m., per the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center's event schedule. Last year's race saw Paige Moore win the 41st Long Beach Marathon and Jaquavious Harris take the half marathon title, per the Press-Telegram's reporting on the 2025 event.
A Course Steeped in Local Landmarks
The route winds past the Queen Mary, runs along the Pacific Ocean, and threads through Belmont Shore, Marine Stadium and Cal State Long Beach before finishing downtown on Shoreline Drive, according to the Press-Telegram. The course has been USATF-certified and serves as an official Boston Marathon qualifier, with a net-flat layout totaling roughly 470 feet of elevation gain across the full 26.2 miles, according to RunDida. Still, runners shouldn't expect a completely flat finish — the course includes a 66-foot climb near Signal Hill around Mile 18 that tends to test legs already fatigued from the earlier miles, per Runners Connect.
The CSULB stretch of the course has its own backstory. In 2008, race organizers worked with university leadership to reroute the marathon directly through the campus for three miles rather than skirting its perimeter, a partnership arranged between then-CSULB President F. King Alexander and race executive Bob Seagren, according to the Long Beach Post.
From YMCA Fun Run to Sold-Out Civic Fixture
The marathon's roots trace back to 1982, when local YMCA members conceived the race during the late-1970s running boom, according to the Press-Telegram. What began as a roughly 1,600-runner grassroots effort under early race director Joe Carlson has ballooned into the 28,000-runner event now taking over the city, according to Endurance Sportswire. Carlson led the race for nine years, from 1984 through 1992, per the same outlet's reporting.
Organizer Motiv Sports has also built the marathon into a draw for repeat runners well beyond Long Beach. The race serves as one leg of Motiv Sports' Beach Cities Challenge, which awards a trilogy medal to anyone who finishes full or half marathons at Long Beach, Surf City and the OC Marathon in consecutive order without separate registration. Participants can also chase a Golden State Challenge medal by completing any four of nine designated California races in a calendar year, including virtual completions, according to the Golden State Challenge.
Sustainability and Economic Impact Behind the Scenes
Long Beach-based Hight Logistics was named the race's Official Sustainable Transportation Partner through 2028 under a three-year deal announced in September, featuring zero-emission electric truck activations at the finish line, according to Endurance Sportswire. The company's port drayage fleet has already logged more than 2 million zero-emission EV miles across Southern California, the outlet reports. Long Beach Airport has also maintained a multi-year sponsorship of the marathon, promoting direct flights to out-of-state runners while touting the airport complex's $8.6 billion regional economic impact and roughly 46,000 supported jobs, per Endurance Sportswire's separate coverage.
The marathon is one of several major annual events, alongside the IndyCar Grand Prix, that together draw more than 230,000 visitors and generate an estimated $64 million in annual economic impact for Long Beach, according to Halbert Hargrove. Motiv Sports also partners with the American Cancer Society on the race, with plans to raise $150,000 for the organization this year, according to the Press-Telegram, citing the race's website. The marathon raises money for dozens of charities and nonprofits overall.
Road Closures Runners and Residents Should Know
Street closures begin early. Eastbound Shoreline Drive closes from Shoreline Village Drive to Ocean Boulevard at 7 a.m. Saturday, and westbound Shoreline Drive closes from Ocean Boulevard to Shoreline Village Drive at midnight Sunday, per the Press-Telegram. Most other listed streets and intersections along the course close at 5 a.m. Sunday, with all roads expected to reopen by 2 p.m. that afternoon.
Streets along the race course will have no-parking signs posted, and vehicles that violate them will be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense to a lot at 3111 E. Willow St., according to the Press-Telegram. Free parking will be available overnight Saturday through Sunday for Belmont Shore, Peninsula and Naples residents in beach lots along Ocean Boulevard. Boat owners can still reach Marina Green on Saturday via Shoreline Village Drive, and on Sunday they can park at the Long Beach Convention Center via Pine Avenue.
