Surfside Beach Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Surfside Beach Marathon and Half Marathon is held in the Village of Surfside Beach, Texas
each February.
The first run was in 2005 and it is the only Marathon and Half Marathon course in the United States
run entirely on a beach
.
The race is held on the Surfside public beach, along the Gulf of Mexico
, from Surfside to San Luis Pass
and back again. The beach is largely undeveloped and extremely hill covered with hard packed, smooth sand. Since it is one of the only marathons in the world run almost entirely on sand, runners have joined from all over the country and even as far away as Ethiopia, Japan, and Uruguay.
Running on sand can result in slower times, approximately 30 seconds per mile more than the your usual pace, but others say the sand is easier on the legs and great for long training runs. In 2007, Stephen Baumgartner was the first runner to break the 3 hour mark finishing in 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 44 seconds.
The race begins and ends at the Stahlman Park pavilion on the beach. After the race, a post-race party is held at the scenic park, overlooking the gulf, with plenty of Texas-style BBQ
available.
Surfside Beach is approximately 60 miles (96.6 km) South of Houston down Highway 288.
The marathon is sponsored by OverNite Software and ConocoPhillips
.
Matt (Young Blood) Coffman appears to be a heavy favorite in the half marathon field with several previous victories over the 21.0975 kilometres (13.1 mi) distance.
Mike (Desert Hawk) Lewis a converted boxer has the ability to pull off the upset in a knock out fashion (literally) if he can stay close to Coffman in the final miles.
Sean (Swag Nasty) Hennigan, not to be outdone by the half marathon prospects, has vowed to finish the full marathon before either of the two prospects listed above finish the half.
Surfside Beach, Texas
Surfside Beach is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States that is situated on the Gulf of Mexico just west of Galveston Island. The city is part of the Greater Houston area. The population was 763 at the 2000 census...
each February.
The first run was in 2005 and it is the only Marathon and Half Marathon course in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
run entirely on a beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
.
The race is held on the Surfside public beach, along the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, from Surfside to San Luis Pass
San Luis Pass
San Luis Pass is a strait of water at the south-western end of Galveston Island off the shores of the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the sheltered waters of West Bay to the open Gulf of Mexico.-Fishing:...
and back again. The beach is largely undeveloped and extremely hill covered with hard packed, smooth sand. Since it is one of the only marathons in the world run almost entirely on sand, runners have joined from all over the country and even as far away as Ethiopia, Japan, and Uruguay.
Running on sand can result in slower times, approximately 30 seconds per mile more than the your usual pace, but others say the sand is easier on the legs and great for long training runs. In 2007, Stephen Baumgartner was the first runner to break the 3 hour mark finishing in 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 44 seconds.
The race begins and ends at the Stahlman Park pavilion on the beach. After the race, a post-race party is held at the scenic park, overlooking the gulf, with plenty of Texas-style BBQ
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
available.
Features
Each year both the full and half races feature:- Miles of uninterrupted, peaceful beach
- Unique shirt to commemorate the event
- Event stone drink coasters
- Custom designed finisher medals
- Imaginative age group awards
- Texas-style BBQ after the event
- Friendly helpful volunteers
- All the sand you can carry home in your shoes!
Surfside Beach is approximately 60 miles (96.6 km) South of Houston down Highway 288.
The marathon is sponsored by OverNite Software and ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
.
Matt (Young Blood) Coffman appears to be a heavy favorite in the half marathon field with several previous victories over the 21.0975 kilometres (13.1 mi) distance.
Mike (Desert Hawk) Lewis a converted boxer has the ability to pull off the upset in a knock out fashion (literally) if he can stay close to Coffman in the final miles.
Sean (Swag Nasty) Hennigan, not to be outdone by the half marathon prospects, has vowed to finish the full marathon before either of the two prospects listed above finish the half.