City of Santa Clarita Marathon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Eddie D.
Winnetka, CA

  (11-22-2009)

"The Santa Clarita Marathon went very well for me. I had a goal of sub 3:30 and I crossed the finish line at 3:29. Lots of lesson learned from my first Marathon that I was able to apply this time around. And it definitely made a difference.

First, I ran much less miles the week of the race. My runs this week were 5, 3 and 2.5 miles. I was definitely well rested. I felt some minor aches as a result (probably more mental) but overall I felt great! I have heard that getting lots of rest 2 nights before is key so I did exactly that. I went to the expo but I didn’t stay very long. I pretty much tried to stay off my feet as much as I could yesterday.

Meals consisted of lots of rice and salmon for lunch and pasta for dinner. I prepared everything I would need for my race almost in OCD fashion! Making sure everything was done so the morning could be as effortless as it could be. Maybe that eased my mind because I had a very good night of sleep before the race also!

I got up early on race day and got dressed making sure not to forget to put on my band-aids and body glide! Ate a toasted bagel w/ peanut butter and a Banana and grabbed a Cliff Bar for the road. Already had maps for the parking, starting line, etc. printed out, along with the list of street closures.

Weather at race time was perfect mid to high 50’s. The first positive impression the Santa Clarita Marathon had on me was the ease of parking. The Town Center Mall allowed runners to park on the top levels, literally a short walk from the starting line, very convenient! The second positive impression was lots of port-a-johns near the starting line, also very convenient. So I relieved myself and had a few minutes to make my way to the front of the starting line, fortunately it was not much of a struggle!

At the start of the race I had no problem separating from the crowd and settling into my pace. I was using a Garmin for the first time (a 301 I borrowed from a friend) to keep my pace and restrain myself during the early going. Didn’t seem to help me much at first as I found myself running with a friend who was doing the HALF not the FULL. At this point I realized I needed to slow it down if I wanted to avoid hitting the wall. I know some who say this marathon course is boring but I actually enjoyed it. I thought it was serene and the type of route(s) I would be likely to run if I lived in Santa Clarita. I also realized that I really don’t need much crowd support to get me going. Actually the kids at the water station were enough to put a smile on my face and keep me going!

During the race I made sure to execute the plan I had beforehand, and not waver from it. I took a GU about 15 min before the race and planned to take a GU and some water every 5 miles up to mile 20. After mile 5 I would have a drink of water 2 miles before taking the GU, after mile 20 I would drink Gatorade if I needed a drink. It definitely helped that there were water stations every mile along the course. I slowed down at the water stations to make sure I actually got a good drink of water, and was able to gradually drink it and not just chug. Overall the plan worked well as I made it through the entire race without hitting the wall!

I also eased up on some of the up-hills and took advantage of the down-hills. I felt good enough to pick up the pace a little bit after mile 15. I ran this race with the memory of hitting the wall at the LA Marathon in the back of my mind. I was afraid to push the pace too much at any point for fear of crashing in the later miles. At mile 18 or so I noticed I started picking off runners who had been in my sights for most of the race. This gave me some confidence as I still felt strong. I planned to make an aggressive push at mile 23 marker and tried to pick up the pace a bit, something I never thought I would consider doing at that point of a race! Over all my “push” just helped me to maintain my pace as it was starting to fade a little bit. I did the math and realized that I was on a good pace to reach my goal. A mile later I had a side stitch that I was fighting ; but at the final mile I had my mind on the finish line and just wanted to get there asap! When I hit mile 26 the finish line was nowhere in sight and I had a dumbfounded look on my face. I turned the final corner to finally see the finish line and my wife waiting for me! I was so glad that she could see me coming in strong!

At 3:29 I met my goal and felt great doing it! I also placed 4th in my age group!

I would definitely recommend this race, although if you need large crowds for support you wont get it here. The hills were very minimal and nothing serious to worry about. The Paseos (bridges) were actually welcome and were more rolling hills than anything else. There were a few out and backs along the course which I didn't mind, it was nice to exchange motivation to runners coming from the other direction. There were also some interesting course splits and turns that could have been a potential problem, (especially one at the final mile) but there were plenty of well marked signs and staff who were happy and eager to point you the right direction! Post race there wasn't a whole lot of food provided for the runners, but there were plenty of good food options nearby since the finish line was in the heart of the Valencia Towncenter."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Bob F.
Northridge, CA

  (11-18-2009)

"This was the 2nd time I have run this race. Last year I hit a new PR on this course. The half marathon had about 1300 people start the race. The race is run on some city streets but mostly on the Santa Clarita Trail, which is a paved path that runs along the dry river bed. Lots of course support and spectators cheering you on. Post race food and drink is average. All in all, a fun race to rune...very hometown feel."

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

Dane R.
Salt Lake City, UT

  (09-15-2009)

"A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 3; 20th Edition
463.7 miles raced in 2008
Race: Santa Clarita Marathon
Place: Santa Clarita, CA
Miles from home: 689 miles
Weather: 60s; partly sunny; humid

Having raced 7 straight weeks in a row, I have to admit I was quite tired going into this race. I was half-hoping to make a shot at the top three but knew my efforts hinged on how quickly and fully I was recovered. Regardless of my energy level, the Santa Clarita Marathon would not wait.


I knew in the few days prior that chances were slim to none of feeling good enough to go sub-3 but that did not hinder me from hoping so. At the speech I gave at the expo, some of the listeners questioned whether I was racing and if so, what I was hoping to run. On the spot, I said if all went well, I might give Chuck Teixeira a run for his money.

Who is Chuck Teixeira? Well, in my research for the race, I had noticed that Chuck, in the last seven runnings of the Santa Clarita Marathon had place 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 5th and 4th in times of 2:52:24, 2:51:31, 2:48:31, 2:51:13, 2:50:58, 2:45:30, and 2:40:40 respectively.

At the end of the speech, a couple who was involved with the organization of the race, told me they knew Chuck and would introduce him to me at the start of the race.

Race morning:

Staying in a hotel just one block from the race's starting line was like heaven for me. A 7 AM race time meant I would not get up until 6 AM, at the earliest. I finally sauntered down to the starting line at 6:52 AM. I am not a warm-up kind of guy and an ideal marathon start for me is to show up 30 seconds before the race and go. However, I wanted to me Mr. Teixeira. At the starting line I was introduced to Chuck and we talked until just before the gun was fired. An absolutely stunning rendition of the Star Spangled-Banner was performed by a local singer. It was so phenomenal, that even after hearing it at some 100 races in my lifetime, it actually brought a little mist to my eyes. I blamed the humidity. (Speaking of the weather, cool temperatures and a cloudy sky which were still forecasted just minutes before the start of the race did not stay around very long. Warmer than ideal (for me) temperatures prevailed as did a sun that broke through the clouds far more often than my tastes would like.

The gun sounded and Chuck and I stayed together for the first 3 miles or so. I could tell right away that today was not going to be a great day in spite of the relative ease that I went through this first 5k (6:33, 6:31, 6:37). When I found out that Chuck had won at least one of the Santa Clarita Marathons in previous years, I no longer felt sorry for his "always a bridesmaid" status. I told him I was backing off nonetheless and did so with a 6:59, 6:45, 7:03, 6:58, 7:05, 7:18, and 6:44 to bring me to the 10 mile mark.

What was most odd about this stretch was that no matter how hard I felt I was pushing myself or how much I backed off, I more or less ran the same times. I finished the first half with a string of 6:59, 6:57, 7:12 to put me at 1:30:30 for the half. Feeling quite tired, the sight of all the half marathoners turning right to finish in 3 blocks was a sight my weary eyes did not need to see.

Miles 13.1-21

While the first half of the race was punctuated by the feeling that no matter what I did, I was going to run the same times, this little section was exactly the same but with the times just skewed a little slower. The next 8 miles had me running virtually identical times with a
7:17, 8:08, 6:21, 7:16, 7:16, 7:20, 7:26, and a 7:40. (Ignore the 8 minute and 6 minute miles. Obviously the marker was askew but the average of the two equals out to be right in line with everything else).

During this section I had a vague idea of my placing and figured it was in the teens somewhere. I saw Chuck on a few occasions just churning away and slapped him a high-five each time. Every so often a runner would appear in my sights and I would slowly chip away at his lead until I passed him. One or two runners passed me but soon I made up the ground and left them behind again.



The sun would intermittently burn off sections of the clouds and beat down but it was nothing horrible. That said, it was tougher than ideal for sure. The vast majority of this race was run on or along a bicycle bath that wound all through the Santa Clarita area. Without a doubt, if you did not run the tangents, you would easily add a mile to your overall distance. But the course was very enjoyable and never boring as the tree-lined sections provided shade from the sun and the foliage was in full autumn mode.


Final 5 miles:

On the final out and back portion of the course, I spied a female runner not too far behind me who had previously escaped my view. I guess she had been too close on the other out and backs for me to see her heading out. She was motoring very well and I fully expected her to pass me in not too long. I then saw another female who looked strikingly familiar. I learned later it was a friend of a friend who I had conversed with a few times online previously. Small world indeed. Laura is her name and she would end up as the second female overall. She is also ridiculously ripped, nay shredded. I do not even want to know what she has to do to maintain that physique as I know I will never personally follow suit!

A slight side stitch had come on and I was just wishing for it to go away. The course was not a tough course but its elevation has just enough undulation to wear you out in the end.

While there was little crowd support on the course itself, that does not mean there was no cheering and enthusiasm. I lost count (and definitely need to inquire with the Race Director as to how many there were) but I think there were 20 separate aid stations along this course. Granted some doubled their duty on the out-and-back sections but that still counts. There was plenty of liquid to be had by any runner. In addition, a vast majority of the aid stations were staffed by younger kids. Besides getting children involved with a race for the benefit of the runners (I will gladly take a liquid from any volunteer, but there is something about grabbing a drink for a wee one that gives me a huge smile for 100 yards), the added incentive for the kids is to see how fun physical fitness can be, which will hopefully make great leaps and bounds towards helping the ridiculous obesity epidemic in our country.

*Steps off of soapbox*

Still waiting for the lead woman to pass me, I ran a 7:33, 7:29, 7:52, 7:33 next few miles until mile 25. When she never appeared, I decided I was going to take it home a little faster. I knew I was not going sub-3. I also was not going to get a 3:06, a time I have never run. But I knew I most assuredly did not want to run a 3:08 (Yes, I know this is all little stuff but it is the mind games we play and you know it!) So I pushed it hard in the last mile making it in a 7:16 leaving me very little time to keep under 3:08.

During the last .2 of the race I almost took out an absent-minded pedestrian who decided that the moment I came barreling around the corner was the absolute best time to cross a street, on the corner, 50 yards from the finishline, without looking to see who might be coming at her.. I know a little Newtonian physics and was aware that two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time. As I was now full-tilt sprinting and weigh ~175 lbs, I knew that *I* would be the one occupying aforementioned space as the lithe pedestrian blissfully ignorant to her imminent trampling was in no way going to impede my running. With all the energy I could must, using the quickest amount of time possible, I simply bellowed:

"MOVE!"

hoping the sheer sound would scare her back on the curb. It worked.

I passed underneath the clock in 3:07:59 for 11th place overall. Chip times later show I had a little more leeway (3:07:51) but the race photo should be dramatic!




I was quite pleased with this race. It was very well put together and very spectator friendly. I saw some people who made the effort to cheer on their runners like 4 or 5 times at least. With its looping course and out-and-back sections, it affords friends and family the chance to see you at multiple locations. The bike path is a welcome change to the style of many road races, and at times when you veer off the bike path and into, little neighborhood paths, you feel as if the entire suburb was closed just for you. A little more neighborhood cheering would have been great but I absolutely hand it to the volunteers, children, local cheerleaders and everyone involved with the race. Out in force and doing everything they could to make sure runners had a great time, we definitely appreciate their efforts.

This race has no where to go but up if the present group of people working on it continue in their present efforts. I hope to make the trip back to here as often as possible. You should too.

By the way, Chuck finished 4th overall in a time of 2:52:33. Pretty fantastic for a 49 year old man. Way to go Chuck and all the other wonderful runners I had the pleasure of meeting this past weekend!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008