

The Pacific Ocean views, the 20,000 other runners, and average highs in the upper 60s all serve as pleasant distractions from your burning lungs and thighs.

The Surf City Marathon’s Southern California locale is tempting, as is its relatively hill-free course. Registration for the February 2015 race opens in March If you’re up for letting the experts do the planning for you, check out our favorite seaside races.

And while charting your own route can be fun, there’s something to be said for an organized event: the aid stations, the swag, the camaraderie that develops when putting in 26.2 miles with a bunch of strangers. For you runners out there, that translates to roughly 472 domestic marathons. The United States has 12,383 miles of coastline.
