We rate Big Sur for the best coastline in road racing, not the clock: it's a point-to-point up Highway 1 with roughly 665 meters of climbing, including the 170-meter grind to Hurricane Point near mile 10, and coastal headwinds that can stall you. April runs about 7 to 14 degrees. Entry is a free random drawing for around 5,000 spots, headphones are banned, and a pianist plays at Bixby Bridge near halfway.
Better info coming — we're still verifying 1 field on this race.
Why we'd pick it
- 665 m of climbing: rolling, not pancake-flat.
- The ballot is closed for this edition.
- A non-racing partner gets a real weekend here — 4/5.
- Race day usually sits 10.6–15.7°C, about 10% chance of rain.
The course
Point-to-point north up Highway 1 with the Pacific on your left the whole way, about 665 meters of total climbing against a slightly larger descent. The gut-check is the two-mile grind to Hurricane Point at roughly miles 10 to 12, a 5% pull to the course high point near 170 meters, often straight into a coastal headwind. The payoff comes at the halfway mark, where a tuxedoed pianist plays a baby grand at Bixby Bridge.
Difficulty and PR scores
Difficulty is the course and the conditions. The PR score is a separate read on a fast clock. Missing inputs are dropped and the other weights are rescaled. The method, with the weights.
- Difficulty
- 32 / 100
- PR / BQ friendliness
- 33 / 100
Weight used: 90%. Need 40% before we print a number.
Band: hard. Weight used: 90%. Need 45% before we print a number.
Weather median for 2011–2025, race date ±7 days, 225 days, at Start. Grid elevation 0 m.
BQ rate 4.5% on 2026 Big Sur International Marathon (145 qualifiers). Source.
| Input | 0–100 | What went in |
|---|---|---|
| G Gain | 52.5 | 15.76 m/km. 30 m/km maps to 100. |
| A Altitude | 0 | 0 m. 0 below 300 m, 100 at 2000 m. Source: open-meteo-grid. |
| H Heat | 30 | High 15.7°C, dew point 9.3°C. The hotter of the two bands is used. |
| W Wind | 40 | 4.41 m/s median. Bands: under 3 → 15, under 5 → 40, under 8 → 70, else 100. |
| S Surface | 15 | road. Road 15, mixed 45, gravel 70, trail 90. |
| F Flatness | 21.2 | 15.76 m/km. 100 minus gain/20×100. No net-drop bonus without a cited certificate. |
| T Cool temps | 70 | 100 minus heat (30). |
| B BQ evidence | 15 | 4.5% on 2026 Big Sur International Marathon. 0% maps to 0 and 30% maps to 100. https://www.findmymarathon.com/bostonmarathonqualifiers-2027.php |
Stays around the race
These are area searches near the published start, finish, and course pins. TripRace may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. We are not naming a hotel.
- Near the start — Start
- Along the course · Monterey — Monterey
- Near the finish — Finish / Carmel
