The wet weather Monterey County has experienced recently has caused a landslide on Highway 1 near Rocky Creek. This is on our Big Sur Marathon course. The news is very fresh and we’ll be communicating with our local authorities including CalTrans and the CA Highway Patrol in the coming days to understand the extent of the damage and what our response for the races will be. Expect further communication from us as information becomes available. We’ll be in touch by the end of the day on Monday, April 1, with an update even if we don’t have a definitive plan yet. Thank you for your patience as we assess the situation.
April 1, 2024
Thank you for your patience as we continue to monitor the Highway 1 slip out at Rocky Creek along the Big Sur Marathon route. While we do not have an update to share about the impact to the April 28, 2024 Big Sur Marathon, we are in active communication with our agency partners including CalTrans, California Highway Patrol, CAL FIRE, Monterey County Sheriff, and California State Parks. We are working to understand the extent of the road damage, as well as the assessment and repair timelines. We will be in touch again by 4PM on Thursday, April 4, 2024 with another event update. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
April 4, 2024
The Big Sur Marathon Foundation (BSMF) team has been working hard to gather information to determine the impact on our event, caused by the slip out near Rocky Creek Bridge. We thank you for your continued patience. Barring any further inclement weather that impacts our event, BSMF is committed to planning and putting on a race for every distance on event weekend. We continue to work closely with CalTrans, California Highway Patrol, and California State Parks to find a safe solution to conduct the race. Our agency partners do understand that we need to provide our participants with updates and we will have another event announcement by 4pm on Wednesday, April 10th.
April 5, 2024
Dear BSIM Participants,
On behalf of the Big Sur Marathon Foundation, I want to thank you for your patience as we continue to work through the challenges presented by the recent Highway 1 road slip out. As the Executive Director and Race Director, I recognize and empathize with your concerns and frustrations from the uncertainty that this unfortunate situation has caused.
We do know that our races will take place and we are working to finalize the specifics of their exact routes in accordance with our agency partners. I can assure you that we are working as quickly as possible to make these decisions with the safety of our participants and volunteer community as our top priorities. Running the ragged edge of the western world is exactly what the Big Sur International Marathon has come to be known for and with that unmatched beauty and rugged coastline, can come unpredictability from Mother Nature.
This unforeseen Highway 1 slip out has been given our full attention since its occurrence last Saturday evening. Our team has been working tirelessly over the holiday weekend and throughout this week along with our committed agency partners to identify solutions and to prepare for race day on April 28th. I am extremely grateful for the commitment and dedication that I have seen from our entire community supporting us during this trying process.
Our hearts continue to go out to the Big Sur community and to those in the nearby vicinities who remain impacted. As a nonprofit organization, the Big Sur Marathon Foundation gives back to our community with proceeds generated from the Big Sur Marathon. We are wholly committed to providing you with a safe, enjoyable, and memorable race day experience on the last Sunday of April, 2024. Thank you for your continued patience as we continue with this planning.
Our next event update will be emailed on Wednesday, April 10th at 4PM. If we can deliver an update sooner we will. We will continue posting updates on our social channels as well as on our homepage as we have been doing this week.
We appreciate your understanding during this time.
Sincerely,
Josh Priester
Executive Director and Race Director
Big Sur Marathon Foundation
Big Sur International Marathon
April 10, 2024
The Big Sur Marathon Foundation (BSMF) appreciates the patience of all our participants over the last 10 days while we continue to navigate the Highway 1 slip out at Rocky Creek. After multiple discussions with our agency partners, it has been determined that running the point to point route from Big Sur to Carmel past the slip out location is not an option. The good news is the Big Sur International Marathon and accompanying events will still be held with modifications to some of the race courses.
Here’s what we can share today about each distance:
Marathon – there will be a modified out and back course starting and finishing in Carmel, start time will be 6:15AM
21-Miler – there will be a modified out and back course starting and finishing in Carmel, start time will be 6:15AM
11-Miler – normal course, starting at 6:30AM
12K – course will be clockwise around Point Lobos, starting at 7:05AM
5K – normal course, starting at 7:05AM
Relay – there will be a modified out and back course starting and finishing in Carmel, start time will be at 6:15AM
While the BSMF recognizes that these unforeseen circumstances are not ideal, safety is paramount for our participants, staff, volunteers and vendors. We are confident you will all have an unforgettable experience on one of the most scenic stretches of road in the world.
We will be sending an email communication with information about the expo, bib pick-up, pasta dinner, and other pre-race events on Thursday, April 11th. We will send additional information via email for each race distance with relation to start times, bussing, parking, start line procedures, and amended course maps on Wednesday, April 17th. Website updates will be ongoing and changes will be located here. Please check often.
The Big Sur Marathon Foundation looks forward to hosting each of you over our event weekend in a few short weeks. We truly appreciate your support during this extraordinary time. Taper well and travel safely.
