Surf City Marathon draws thousands amid tribute to Bryant crash victims
The 24th annual Surf City Marathon drew its customary capacity field of 2,500 runners Sunday in Huntington Beach, with an additional 14,500 entering the half marathon, organizers said.
The field for the 26.2-mile marathon is limited to 2,500 because runners on the beachfront path may encounter walkers, bicyclists and others not participating in the race. The path is only 8 feet wide in a few stretches, according to organizers.
The marathon began at Pacific Coast Highway between the ocean and the Waterfront Beach Resort, then quickly passed the Huntington Beach Pier.
The course also took runners to Huntington Beach’s Central Park and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.
More than 2,000 volunteers worked along the course, according to organizers.
“There’s great energy along the course,” said Thomas Dialynas of Newport Coast, the men’s division winner, who completed the race in two hours, 26 minutes and 47 seconds.
“Miles 20 to 24 is where it gets tough,” said Dialynas, a first-time entrant in the Surf City Marathon. “There were a lot of people along the course and even a lot of people with their surfboards cheering us on. It was awesome to come out and do this.”
Each of the top three women’s finishers is from Portland, Ore., with Ashley DeSanno taking the top spot in 3:05:26.
A moment of silence at the start of the race paid tribute to the nine people killed a week earlier in a helicopter crash in Calabasas: retired Lakers great Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, Huntington Beach residents Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan, and John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli and Payton and Sarah Chester, who like the Bryants lived in Newport Beach.
Signs referencing Bryant were seen along the course, and several runners ran in Bryant jerseys. There also were remembrances at the eighth and 24th miles, coinciding with the numbers Bryant wore during his 20-season NBA career.
Daily Pilot staff contributed to this report.
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