Big Sur Marathon elevation profile: 610 m gain and 457 m loss over 42.195 km, with segment pacing, fueling notes, and race tips.
Often called 'The Outdoor Beautiful' the Big Sur International Marathon runs along the stunning Pacific Coast Highway. Known for incredible scenery, challenging hills including Hurricane Point, and the famous pianist on Bixby Bridge.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Big Sur, California, USA |
| Distance | 42.195 km |
| Elevation gain | 610 m (2001 ft) |
| Elevation loss | 457 m (1499 ft) |
| Start / finish elevation | 305 m / 10 m |
| Official site | https://www.bigsurmarathon.org/ |
Big Sur is about the experience, not the time. Run by effort, not pace. Hurricane Point will humble you, but the scenery makes it worth it.
| Miles | Terrain | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Rolling downhill start | Start in Big Sur. Don't bank time - save legs for the climbs. |
| 5-9 | Rolling coast | Pacific Ocean views. Enjoy the scenery. Stay conservative. |
| 10-12 | Hurricane Point climb | The big one: 520ft climb over 2 miles. Walk if needed. This is the race. |
| 13-16 | Bixby Bridge descent | Listen for the piano. Incredible views. Control your descent. |
| 17-22 | Rolling coast | Smaller hills remain. Legs are tired. Keep moving. |
| 23-26 | Final descent to Carmel | Downhill finish to the beach. Celebrate completing one of the world's most beautiful marathons. |
The hills increase energy needs significantly. Bring extra fuel. Aid stations are well-stocked but spread out. The ocean air and wind can be dehydrating.
No. With 610m (2,000ft) of elevation gain including Hurricane Point, Big Sur is one of the hardest major marathons. Run it for the experience, not the time.
Hurricane Point is a brutal climb from miles 10-12, gaining 520ft (158m) over 2 miles. It's the defining challenge of Big Sur and offers incredible Pacific views.
Since 1987, a grand piano has been placed on Bixby Bridge at mile 13. A tuxedo-clad pianist plays as runners cross - it's become an iconic Big Sur tradition.
Big Sur is point-to-point. Buses transport runners from the finish area to the start in Big Sur. It's an early morning (4 AM) cold bus ride - bring throw-away warm clothes.
Every public page on this site has a Markdown mirror at the same path with a .md suffix (for example /calculator.md), and honors an Accept: text/markdown request header on the HTML URL. The calculations here are also available as callable tools through a free public MCP server — no account or API key.