San Francisco's Simon Ricci became the first man in nearly two decades to win three consecutive Big Sur International Marathon titles on Sunday, crossing the line in Carmel in 2:23:46. Elle Meyer of Portola Valley took the women's race in 2:51:45 as the 39th edition of the point-to-point race along California's Highway 1 attracted 6,571 finishers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 36 countries on a cool, breezy morning between Big Sur and Carmel.
Ricci's victory was also his fastest performance over the demanding coastal course, which climbs more than 2,000 feet of elevation through Bixby Bridge and the Hurricane Point ascent. Three consecutive Big Sur wins is a rare achievement: the race has historically rewarded a different breed of marathoner because of its rolling terrain, exposure to the Pacific and an early-season slot on the calendar that pulls many of California's faster road runners towards Boston or Eugene instead. Meyer's 2:51:45 was good enough to put her seventh in the overall finish order, ahead of all but six men.
The Big Sur Marathon Foundation reported a sold-out field across the marathon, half-marathon-distance 21-Miler, 12K, 11-Miler, 5K and Marathon Relay events. The Boston 2 Big Sur programme — a back-to-back challenge for runners who completed the Boston Marathon six days earlier on 20 April — drew more than 200 finishers. The combined-time leaderboard rewards consistency rather than absolute speed and remains one of the most coveted achievements in American mass-participation racing.
Hoka returned for its second year as presenting sponsor, with the brand running shakeout runs in Carmel-by-the-Sea on Saturday morning and a HOKA Fly Zone activation along the course around mile 18. Course musicians, including Pacific Grove resident Michael Martinez at his tuxedo-clad grand piano on Bixby Bridge, Taiko drummers at the southern aid stations and Samba dancers in Big Sur Village, are part of what foundation executive director Jennifer Edwards described as "the unique spirit that defines our race weekend".
The Big Sur International Marathon is one of the few major American marathons that does not pay an elite appearance fee, leaning instead on its scenery, its course-record purse and its place on the Highway 1 calendar to draw competitive fields. With the 40th edition due to be run on 26 April 2027, the race is already looking towards a milestone year — and for Ricci, the prospect of a fourth consecutive title in a race that, with its rolling profile and ocean wind, has historically punished anyone who treats it as just another marathon.