Nearly 21,000 runners filled Pacific Coast Highway as new champions emerged, an 86-year-old completed her 30th start, and Huntington Beach marked its long-standing first-Sunday-in-February tradition
Huntington Beach, CA – February 1, 2026 – The 30th Surf City Marathon presented by Biofreeze offered it all on Sunday. It was a crisp morning, not a cloud in the sky, and perfect conditions for running. Participants looked west and were treated to crashing surf. The race delivered on its four P’s: PCH, palm trees, pier and people.
The marathon featured two first-time winners at the distance. The half-marathon crowned a women’s winner from Wisconsin, where the wind chill temperature was minus 43 when she left on Wednesday.
Forty-seven states and 18 countries were represented among the 21,000 registered entrants.
There was also nostalgia as 86-year-old Dorothy Strand continued her streak as the race’s only legacy runner, having completed all 30 editions – this time in the 5K. Most of her previous finishes were in the marathon and half marathon.
Said one spectator of Strand, “She’s such an inspiration for everyone here. She’s the only one left, the only one on the planet.”
Nick Goldstein ran track and cross country at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. Newbury Park is home now. He’s studying to become a physical therapist and, for his first marathon, was looking for “an honest course.”
Surf City’s flat and fast layout served him well, as Goldstein won in 2:30:01.
“At the end, I was struggling,” said Goldstein. “My longest training run was 22 miles. I started to feel it. I got some water and made it happen. I barely held off this guy.”
Goldstein was referring to Joshua Lerch, a Huntington Beach local who took second in 2:30:16.
“I felt like I was running in my backyard,” said Lerch. “I can roll out of bed and show up. The course is nice and flat. I just love it out here. It’s magical. You see the moon in the morning and the rainbow sky on the other side. The waves were huge out there today. It was amazing.”
Esteban Prado won the men’s half-marathon in 1:06:23, just two seconds ahead of Anthony Solis.
Monica Ruiz, who lives 90 minutes south in Chula Vista, won the women’s marathon in 2:59:07 – a six-minute personal record.
Ruiz, a 35-year-old attorney, did not run competitively in college, and ran her first marathon in 2021. She had set a sub-three-hour goal but thought she had “zero chance of winning.”
“I know it sounds cliché, but trust your training,” said Ruiz. “Don’t push too fast early on. When you feel like you’re hitting the wall, push through it. And think of the people who believed in you and supported you.”
Added Ruiz, “This scenery is beautiful. You’re running alongside the river, the parks, the ocean. You’re looking around and just feel so fortunate to be running here.”
Then there was 29-year-old Piper Atnip. She grew up in Southern California, her family now lives in Fullerton, but she resides in Wisconsin, where she teaches Spanish. The temperature when she departed the Dairy State on Wednesday: wind chill temperature was minus 43.
Atnip qualified for the 2028 women’s marathon U.S. Olympic Trials by clocking a 2:36 marathon in November at Indianapolis. Her winning time Sunday of 1:14:33 was a two-minute personal record.
“I wanted to touch base, see where my training was at,” said Atnip. “It was just a beautiful day, and I imagined my dad at the finish line.”
Race day also featured a 5K.
The milestone anniversary weekend included a beachfront festival and two days of running, highlighted by the Beach Mile on Saturday.
Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon’s wife, Josephine, joined the fun by running the 5K.
“The weather was incredible,” said the mayor. “We’re so proud of our city. What this event is all about is bringing people together, getting outside, promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, but most of all it’s about enjoying Huntington Beach.”
For complete results, photos and more, visit www.RunSurfCity.com.