The Long Beach Marathon will return for its 42nd iteration this weekend – with another record-breaking number of runners set to participate.
A sold-out field of more than 28,000 runners will descend on Long Beach for the 2026 2XU Long Beach Marathon, transforming the city’s waterfront into a three-day celebration of running and community, organizers said.
Race weekend kicks off on Friday, Oct. 9, with a two-day health and wellness expo at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. The expo, free and open to the public, will feature interactive exhibits and live entertainment; it’s also where runners will pick up their race packets. Saturday will feature the Aquarium of the Pacific 5K, followed by Sunday’s main events — the marathon and half-marathon.
Set to be the largest race to date, organizers say, the event will be a celebration of movement, culture and community, with spectators lining the streets as usual.
This year’s theme is “Long Beach Runs Deep.”
Runners cross the finish line of the 41st Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paige Moore, of Palos Verdes, wins the 41st Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Runners cross the finish line of the 41st Long Beach Half Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
JaQuavious Harris, second from left, leads the field from the start to win the 41st Long Beach Half Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Runners make their way through the Marina during the 41st Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
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Runners cross the finish line of the 41st Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The first Long Beach Marathon was held in 1982, and was the brainchild of local YMCA members who wanted to bring a marathon to their own city amid the running boom of the late 1970s, according to a press release. The race is now in its 42nd year, and thousands of people make their way along the scenic course, showcasing some of Long Beach’s most recognizable landmarks, annually.
Runners will make their way past the Queen Mary, along the Pacific Ocean, and through Belmont Shore, Marine Stadium and Cal State Long Beach before finishing downtown on Shoreline Drive.
The race has become one of the city’s largest annual community events as well, organizers said, drawing thousands of spectators, volunteers, neighborhood groups and local businesses to help make it special.
The Long Beach Marathon also continues to be a significant fundraising platform for dozens of charities and nonprofits. Motiv Sports, which organizes the race, partners with the American Cancer Society to raise money from each of the race events, and this year, the goal is to raise $150,000, according to its website.
Long Beach residents who are not participating in the race should also prepare for major street and intersection closures for the Long Beach Marathon on Sunday and other related events.
Street closures include:
Eastbound Shoreline Drive: Shoreline Village Drive to Ocean Boulevard (closure begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10).
Westbound Shoreline Drive: Ocean Boulevard to Shoreline Village Drive (closure begins at midnight the night of Sunday).
Most of the following street closures and intersections will begin at 5 a.m. Sunday:
Shoreline Drive, from Shoreline Village to the 710 Freeway.
Pine Avenue, from Shoreline Drive to Seaside Way.
Queensway Bridge, from Shoreline Drive to the 710 Freeway.
Ocean Boulevard, from Livingston Drive to 54th Street.
Livingston Drive, from Termino Avenue to Broadway.
Nieto Avenue, from Appian Way to Broadway.
Appian Way, from Nieto Avenue to East Third Street.
East Third Street, from Appian Way to Paoli Way.
Marine Stadium, from Nieto Avenue to Bayshore Avenue.
East Colorado Street, from Orlena Avenue to Appian Way.
Orlena Avenue, from East Colorado Street to Fourth Street.
Fourth Street, from Monrovia Avenue to Orlena Avenue.
Monrovia Avenue, from Sixth Street to Fourth Street.
Sixth Street, from Park Avenue to Monrovia Avenue.
Park Avenue, from Anaheim Street to Appian Way.
Anaheim Street, from Pacific Coast Highway to Park Avenue.
Northbound Clark Avenue, from Atherton Street to Anaheim Street.
Westbound Atherton Street, from Clark Avenue to Bellflower Boulevard.
Southbound Palo Verde Avenue, from Atherton Street to Anaheim Street.
Atherton Street, from Bellflower Boulevard to Palo Verde Avenue.
Ocean Boulevard, from Livingston Drive to Alamitos Avenue.
All roads are expected to be fully reopened by 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Streets along the race course will be marked with “no parking” signs, and vehicles in violation of the posted signs will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense to the tow yard, 3111 E. Willow St.
A map and details about entering and exiting the impacted neighborhoods of Belmont Shore, the Peninsula, Naples, Belmont Heights, Bluff Park, Bluff Heights, Alamitos Beach, Park Estates and Los Altos can be found on the Long Beach Marathon’s website.
Free parking Saturday night through Sunday will be available for Belmont Shore, Peninsula and Naples residents in the beach lots along Ocean Boulevard. Exiting may be possible at select areas on Sunday during the marathon by police escort. Boat owners who park at Marina Green on Saturday will still have access to that lot via Shoreline Village Drive. On Sunday, boat owners can park at the Long Beach Convention Center via Pine Avenue.
Specific details for participants and supporters, including day-of parking, runner drop off and race start location, are available on the Long Beach Marathon website.