Defending Champions Win at Long Beach Marathon

LONG BEACH, CA — Ryley Fick and Jason Yang successfully defended their women's and men's titles at Sunday's 40th annual Long Beach Marathon with all races starting a half-hour earlier than originally planned because of a forecast of temperatures in the 90s.

Fick, the 2023 Big West Conference's Women's Track Athlete of the Year and holder of four individual school records at Cal State Long Beach, won in a personal best time of two hours, 54 minutes, 42 seconds, faster than she expected.

"I was honestly doubtful about my fitness compared to last year," said Fick, who won in 2:58:30 last year in her first marathon, five months after graduating from Cal State Long Beach. "But I knew I needed to come out here and give it a try."

The 24-year-old Fick said she started conservatively, then looked at her watch around Mile 10 and realized, "I'm going faster than I expected. So I thought, "OK, I'll keep it right there."

By Mile 13 or 14, Fick said she began experiencing stomach pain and aching feet.

"After last year, I knew the marathon was going to be painful," the Bakersfield native said. "Instead of being intimidated by that pain and being afraid of it, I told myself, `Just keep going, keep pushing harder because there's supposed to be pain during a marathon."'

Georgina Goode of La Cañada Flintridge was second among the women in 3:01:34 and Melissa Dayton of Carlsbad third in 3:02:39.

Yang was the men's winner in 2:27:27. The 33-year-old from Los Angeles won in 2:27.04 last year. John Carrell of Ontario was second Sunday in 2:31:29 and Antonio Carbajal Rico of Hemet third in 2:32:24.

Other finishers included Lorenzo Herrea and Kenny Williams, who have run all 40 editions of the race.

The race began at 5:30 a.m. A thick marine layer that kept runners from seeing the tops of the downtown buildings brought cooler than expected weather, with the temperature not hitting 70 until nearly 11 a.m., according to race publicist Dan Cruz.

The 26-mile, 385-yard marathon course started on Shoreline Drive. Runners then passed through The Pike at Rainbow Harbor retail and entertainment center, ran on an on-ramp to the Long Beach (710) Freeway, and crossed the Queensway Bridge to the bow of the Queen Mary.

The field looped around the Lighthouse at Rainbow Harbor, headed to Pierpoint Landing, then back through the start/finish area.

The sixth through 10th miles were run a few feet from the Pacific Ocean. The course then went through the Belmont Shore neighborhood, passed Marine Stadium and around Colorado Lagoon, passing the Long Beach Recreation Golf Course.

The 16th through 20th miles were a 5-kilometer loop through Cal State Long Beach. The field then ran on Ocean Boulevard to the finish line on Shoreline Drive.

Medhane Woldu was the men's half-marathon winner in 1:06:24 while fellow San Diego resident Clare O'Brien was the women's winner in 1:14:25.

The races have been sold out for the past three weeks, with 4,520 runners entering the marathon, 12,047 the half-marathon and 1,479 the bike tour, Cruz told City News Service. Registration was up 27% from last year, Cruz said.

Field sizes are limited to ensure participant safety and due to course logistics, particularly in sections with limited space, Cruz said. Modifications were made at the start line to accommodate the growing numbers, Cruz said.

Runners from 37 nations entered the races, Cruz said.

Runners raised nearly $500,000 for a variety of nonprofit organizations, including the American Cancer Society and Crohns & Colitis Foundation, Cruz said.

The Long Beach Marathon was first held in 1982. The race was disbanded in 1996 because of financial problems, then revived in 1999 under new management.

City News Service