Surf City Marathon celebrates 25th birthday

The Surf City Marathon returned to Huntington Beach on Saturday morning, as thousands of runners hit the pavement for the event along Pacific Coast Highway, Central Park and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

The 25th annual race also produced a local winner.

Michelle Jacobsen of Newport Beach was the top woman to cross the finish line. Jacobsen, 43, was clocked in 2 hours, 53 minutes and 47 seconds.

Ben Winfield, 27 and from Newcastle, Wash., was the men’s and overall marathon winner in the 26.2-mile race. Winfield’s time was 2:47:30.

Ben Winfield, 27, of Newcastle, Wash., is the first man to cross the finish line in the full marathon.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Sid Vaughn of Flagstaff, Ariz., was the men’s half-marathon winner in 1:06:54, while Rosie Edwards of Boulder, Colo., won the women’s half-marathon in 1:16:18.

The top 5K runner was Hunter Bliss of San Diego, who finished in 15:25.

The marathon is usually run each year on Super Bowl Sunday, but was postponed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday’s race featured a start line flyover and moment of silence in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Sid Vaughn is the first man half-marathon runner to finish on Saturday.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

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