Getting In · Iconic road race
Big Sur International Marathon
They close twenty-six miles of Highway 1 and let you run it. A grand piano plays at the bottom of Bixby Bridge as you crest the two-mile climb of Hurricane Point. It is the most beautiful road marathon in America and nobody who has run it argues.
- Distance
- 26.2 miPoint to point, north-bound
- Elevation
- ~2,200 ft of gain
- Field
- ~4,500Capped by the highway permit
- Drawing
- Opens mid-to-late August
- 2027 race
- April 25, 2027
- Best door
- The drawing, entered on day one
Big Sur is a permit-limited race in the most literal sense: California closes a stretch of Highway 1, and the field size is whatever the highway can hold. That's why the entry is genuinely hard, and why the race feels nothing like a big-city marathon despite the demand. You run northbound from Big Sur toward Carmel with the Pacific breaking below you on the left, headwind in your face, and almost no spectators.
The signature moment is Hurricane Point: a two-mile climb starting around mile ten, into onshore wind, that delivers you to Bixby Bridge and the sound of a piano being played on the cliff. Then the course rolls, unrelentingly, all the way to Carmel. Nobody PRs here. Everybody remembers it.
How to get in
- LotteryThe random drawing
The main entry for the marathon. The drawing window has recently opened in mid-to-late August and closed in early September, with winners announced about a week later, for the following April's race. There are also shorter distances on the same weekend, generally easier to enter.
- Time qualifierBoston 2 Big Sur
The B2B Challenge pairs Boston in April with Big Sur thirteen days later, and registration for it opens separately, usually in October. It is capped, it sells out, and it requires a confirmed Boston entry. See the full B2B guide.
- CharityCharity and partner entries
A modest program compared to the majors, but it exists, and demand for it is lower than for the drawing.
- Tour operatorTravel packages
Because lodging in Carmel and Monterey race weekend is limited and expensive, official packages that bundle entry and accommodation solve two problems at once.
The logistics are the hard part
Big Sur's start line is 26 miles from its finish, on a highway with no parking, in the dark.
- Buses are mandatory and early. Boarding starts around 3:30 a.m. from Carmel and Monterey. There is no other way to reach the start.
- The start area is cold, dark, and exposed. Bring layers you can discard and expect to wait a long time in coastal wind.
- Lodging books out a year ahead. Carmel and Monterey are small and the race is not. Book the moment you're accepted.
- There is no spectator access for most of the course. Tell your people to meet you in Carmel.
How to run it
Treat Big Sur as a trail ultra with pavement. Run the first ten miles well under goal effort through the redwoods, walk-jog Hurricane Point if you need to, and accept that the rolling final ten miles are where the course extracts payment. Add ten to twenty minutes to a flat-course expectation. Runners who go out chasing a time here have uniformly miserable second halves, and the whole point of the race is being present for the view.
Questions runners actually ask
When does Big Sur registration open?
The marathon uses a random drawing that has recently opened in mid-to-late August and closed in early September, with results about a week later, for the following April's race.
Can I guarantee entry?
The most reliable route is the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge, which requires a confirmed Boston Marathon entry and opens for registration in October. Charity and travel-package entries also exist.
How hard is the course?
Hard. Roughly 2,200 feet of climbing, headwind for much of it, and constant rolling terrain after Hurricane Point. Plan on ten to twenty minutes slower than a flat marathon.
Go to the source
Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.
If this is your kind of thing
Need the races in between? The hard part of a bucket list year is everything else on the calendar: the qualifier, the tune-up, the long run with a bib on.