Big Sur International Marathon


California, US	April 27, 2025	Registration closed (Charity slots open)

The Big Sur International Marathon, held in California, United States is a USATF, AIMS, and World Athletics certified marathon which is also an official Boston qualifier race. Established in 1986, the Big Sur International Marathon is held by the Big Sur Marathon Foundation. Since its inception, the marathon has disbursed over $2 million in grants to various charities.

The marathon takes place on Highway 1, which is the United States’ first nationally-designated Scenic Highway. One of the highlights of the marathon is the Iconic Bixby Creek Bridge located in the middle of the route.

In 2020 and 2021 Big Sur Marathon races were canceled due to the pandemic.

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Race Categories, Dates, Registration, Eligibility & Fees

	Marathon*	Marathon Relay**	21 Miler	11 Miler	12K	5K
Distance	42.2 km	42.2 km	33.8km	17.7km	12km	5km
Start Time	6:45 am	6:45am	6:30am	7:00am	7:35am	7:35am
Eligibility Criterion	16 years or older	16 years or older	16 years or older	Not specified	Not specified	Not specified
Fees – Monterey County residents	$235	$500	$165	$155	$120	Adults – $40
Fees	Domestic- $295 International – $329	$585	$195	$165	$139	Youth – $25 Adult – $55
Registration – Monterey County residents	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed
Registration – Domestic	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed
Registration – International	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed	Registration closed
Guaranteed slots	Registration closed
Expo Details	Venue: Monterey Conference Centre, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey Date & Time: Apr 25 (12pm-6pm) & Apr 26 (9:30am – 6pm)

*Marathon entry can be secured through the following methods:

Random drawing: Least expensive method of entry. The drawing usually happens in Aug-Sep.
Boston 2 Big Sur: Registration for the Boston 2 Big Sur (B2B) category opens following the Boston Marathon timed qualifier entry period. To know more about B2B Sur, please check here
Big Sur VIP slots: This is a first-come, first-served category limited to the first 400 entrants. Know about the Big Sur VIP slots.
Charity Bibs: Runners can elect to raise funds for one of our official charity partners. Those that raise the minimum amount are guaranteed a race entry. Know about the Charity slots.
Youth Fitness slot: This marathon-only entry category is first-come, first-served for the first 400 entrants. The fee is twice the regular marathon entry fee with the additional amount a tax-deductible donation to the Big Sur Marathon Foundation to support the youth fitness running programs including the new Palo Corona community cross-country trail. Learn about the Youth Fitness slots.
Marathon Tours & Travel: The official travel agency, Marathon Tours, has a limited number of marathon entries available with combined hotel packages. The cost for their tours varies depending on location and other options. Learn about the Marathon Tours slots. Check packages through Marathon Tours & Travel.

** Relay teams consist of four team members in the categories listed: Open Male, Open Female, Open Mixed, Masters Mixed, and Corporate. Mixed and Corporate teams require a minimum of one male or one female. For Masters Mixed teams, all members must be age 40 or over. Only complete teams of four are eligible for awards.

Leg 1: Total distance 8.1 miles (Marathon start to mile 8.1)
Leg 2: Total distance 7.1 miles (marathon mile 8.1 to mile 15.2)
Leg 3: Total distance 6.0 miles (marathon mile 15.2 to mile 21.2)
Leg 4: Total distance 5.0 miles (marathon mile 21.2 to mile 26.2)

Route/Course Map

Information about the course maps & other details for the The Big Sur International Marathon 2025 is detailed below. All Maps are subject to last minute change by organizers

	Marathon/ Relay/ B2B	21 Miler	11 Miler	12K Run ^	5K Run ^
Course Map	FM Course Map	21 mile Course Map	11 mile Course Map	12K Course Map	5K Course Map
Start Area Map	FM Start Area Map	21 mile Start Area Map	11 mile Start Area Map	—	—
Finish Area Map	Finish Area Map
Bus Pick Up locations*	Bus Pick up Locations

* The Big Sur International Marathon’s participants are provided free bus transportation to the start point. The participants are transported from one of several Monterey Peninsula locations to the start at Big Sur Station.

The service is for official runners only
Each participant must show a race bib number and bus ticket upon loading

^ 12K & 5K entrants are responsible for their own transportation to the race. Parking is available at The Crossroads Carmel shopping center at Highway 1 and Rio Road and other nearby streets and shopping center parking lots.

The race routes for Big Sur International Marathon are a mix of Point-to-Point and Out & Back race courses. While the marathon (Full Marathon & Relay), the 21 miler, and the 11 Miler are POINT TO POINT courses, the 12K & 5K races have an OUT AND BACK course with the below-mentioned Start and Finish points:

	Start Point	Finish Point
Marathon/Marathon Relay	Pfeiffer Multiuse Facility, Big Sur Station, Big Sur	Rio Road + Highway 1, Carmel
21 Miler	Andrew Molera State Park, Highway 1	Rio Road + Highway 1, Carmel
11 Miler	Grimes Ranch, Palo Colorado Road	Rio Road + Highway 1, Carmel
12K Run/ 5K Run	Rio Road + Highway 1, Carmel	Rio Road + Highway 1, Carmel

Prizes

Information about the prizes/ awards for The Big Sur International Marathon 2025 are detailed below.

Marathon awards: Top five male and female finishers and the top three masters (age 40+) based on GUN time.
- Divisional (age group) awards go five-deep in five-year incremental age divisions, (after 16-19 till 80+), based on CHIP time. Double-dipping IS permitted.
- Special division awards for Monterey County Residents and Active Military go three-deep to both male and female participants.
The B2B challenge’s Awards: These are given to the top three men and women (under age 40) and the top three Masters men and women( age 40 and over) for their combined Boston and Big Sur chip times.
Relay awards go to the top three teams in the following divisions. Only 4-person teams are eligible for awards.
- Open Male
- Open Female
- Open Mixed
- Masters Mixed
- Corporate Mixed
The 21-Miler, 11-Miler, 12K, and 5K are timed events, but there are no overall or divisional awards given. These are timed runs but are not scored

Points to Note for Prize/ Awards:

To be eligible for awards, you must record a time at all course split mats
All awards are equal for both male and female runners

2024 and Earlier Edition Results/Photos

Results

Photos

Important Points

The By-the-Bay 3K was not held in 2023
There are no entry refunds or deferments for any reason
Deferrals to future race years are not permitted.
The slots for races are limited to the following number of entrants
1. 1. Marathon: 4500 entrants
  2. Marathon Relay: 100 teams
  3. 21mile: 1000 entrants
  4. 11 mile: 1600 entrants
  5. 12K: 950 entrants
  6. 5K: 550 entrants
For a participant who wants to qualify For Big Sur Marathon B2B challenge must be an official entrant in the April Boston marathon. If the participant in the Big Sur Marathon B2B challenge does not start or finish the Boston Marathon, he/she will no longer be eligible for the B2B Challenge medallion or finisher jacket. B2B registration fees do not cover the participant’s Boston entry fees
The 21-miler & the 11 Miler events welcome both runners and walkers.
At the start of the 21 Miler race, entrants are offered a short yoga/stretching session.
Entrants of the Big Sur International races can transfer their race registration to another individual or switch to a different race category. Check for detailed instructions on how to switch categories or transfer your registration.
The course is USATF, AIMS, and World Athletics certified and is an official Boston Marathon qualifier.
All aid stations will be equipped with water, Gatorade Endurance, portable toilets and medical personnel with minor first aid. Fruits and GU gels are also available at limited aid stations. There will be refill stations for personal hydration devices at the end of every station
Time limits are applicable for all the races as follows:
1. Marathon/ Marathon Relay: 6 hrs
2. 21 miler: 6 hrs 30 min
3. 11 miler: 5 hrs 30 min
4. 12K: 5 hrs
5. 5K: 3 hrs
Due to the nature of the course, no animals, pacers, skates, skateboards, bikes, wheelchairs, hand cranks, baby joggers, or children/infants in backpacks are allowed on the course.
The Big Sur International’s organizers strongly discourage the use of iPods, headphones, earbuds, or other MP3 or headphone devices in any of the events.
The participants are assigned starting corrals and the corrals are opened in waves. The corral/ waves assignment is done on basis of the expected/predicted time of finish
Pacers are available
Free race morning parking will be available for Relay runners at Monterey Peninsula College (MPC), 980 Fremont Street, Monterey.
Registration discounts for all race categories are offered for active military members. To obtain the discount code, please send an email to registration@bsim.org.

Contact Information
Phone: (831) 625-6226
Fax: (831) 625-2119
Email: registration@bsim.org
Marathon Tours Query: allyson@marathontours.com
Web Page: www.bigsurmarathon.org or www.montereybayhalfmarathon.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bsimevents/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BSIMEvents/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigsurinternationalmarathon/

Big Sur International Marathon – 2025 Registration & 2024 Results

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