Eddie Hahn Conquers Surfer’s Point Marathon with a 4:03 Finish Amidst New Course Challenges

Eddie Hahn(MM184) – Surfer’s Point Marathon, Ventura, California US. 9/8/24. This was the 3rd “version” of the Surfer’s Point Marathon and 5th total version of a repurposed course (2 named the “Shoreline” Marathon, as directed by Bill Escobar of Elite sports (whose claim to fame, among other accomplishments, is 8 Ironman Triathlons, with plans for 2 more for a decade of Irons).
I decided to register a week ago to avoid “rolling a doughnut” or “goose egg” again as I had in August (meaning ZERO August marathon finishes)
This venue is new-Bill moved the start from “Emma Woods” State Park to Solimar Beach. I surmised it was a challenge getting runners in and out of the campground.
For us this meant a shorter “out and back” necessitating 3 out and back loops instead of 2 as was previously designed, (going out and back three times on the same route is just more of a mental grind since my last 5 marathons here were double out and backs rather than triple)
I had concerns with the recent heat wave in the LA area with valley temps unseasonably high and nearby Santa Barbara reaching temps in the 100s a day or two ago,
Projected highs were for 83 for Sunday,
I checked in at 550 after a 2-hour drive for the 7 am marathon. Not opting for the 6 am early start would turn out to be a mistake.
My goal was to complete each section in 40 minutes (or each out and back in 1:20. That would have produced a 4-hour finish.
I monitored my splits between miles 1 and 10 which were between 8:38 and 9:25 (porta john stop). *(9:09s needed for a 4-hour marathon)
After 10 miles I got complacent and just ran an even rhythm and quit checking splits. (This is the “beauty” of not being a pacer, no onus on me to run dead even splits)
I felt pretty strong through about 18 miles, and I started getting very warm. The last hour of the race was somewhat toasty. I stopped and poured one water on me and drank one every hydration stop –which is somewhat time consuming here because Bill kept covid aid station protocols after covid, so I used the foot pedal for one cup, drank it, refilled and dumped another on my head).
Between 22 and the finish (home stretch)- I tried not to stop or I drank “on the fly”-I felt a little stronger than I had from 18-22, but unfortunately lost too much time in the 3rd quarter of the race and finished in 4:03. Oh well. I needed a long training run, for the new Original Las Vegas Marathon next month and to supplement the pathetic short summer 5 mile runs I have been doing.

Photo and Post Credit Eddie Hahn