The Long Beach marathon returned for its 39th year this weekend with one of the largest turnouts in the race’s history.

Roughly 18,000 people gathered at the starting line on Shoreline Drive around 6 a.m. ready to take on 26.2 miles.

A crowd of Long Beach Half Marathon participants runs through Shoreline Drive on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Maison Tran.
Marvin Gonzalez, 30, runs during the 39th annual Long Beach marathon on Sunday, Oct. 15. Photo by Fernando Haro.

One runner, 46-year-old Jenna Otin, traveled from Arizona to Long Beach to take part in the race.

She joined a running club back home in Surprise, Arizona and was convinced to run the Long Beach marathon by her friends.

“It’s become part of what we do,” Otin said, adding that she was excited to cross the finish line and know “what it’s like.”

Lani Delgado, 51, was in the crowd supporting her daughter and husband who were running. She held a sign that read, “Keep running PEANUT Y HUNSKI, you’ve got this.”

Claus-Bernhardt Johst from Cologne, Germany celebrates as he takes off at the start of the Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Maison Tran.
A low-rider car parks at the starting line to help kick off the Long Beach Half Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Maison Tran.

“I’m super proud of her for doing this,” Delgado said of her daughter Jordan.

Jordan’s dream was to run a marathon after graduating from college, according to Delgado. This past year, she graduated from Cal State Fullerton with her degree in psychology and she signed up to run with her dad, Delgado said.

Jordan, who runs track and cross country, and her father Bryan, who is a triathlete, decided they could also make it their first marathon together.

“They’re looking forward to just finishing,” Delgado said.

A group of runners during the Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Fernando Haro.
Timothy Brigham, 26, drinks some water while running the Long Beach Marathon Sunday, Oct. 15. Photo by Fernando Haro.

The race started near the Pike and took runners through parts of Downtown before directing them to the Queen Mary. The track then took the runners through Shoreline Village, Belmont Shore, Cal State Long Beach and back to the Pike for the finish line and festival celebration.

In the half marathon, 25-year-old Ayrton Ledesma of Azusa won the men’s category with a time of 1:05:27. Jennifer Sandoval, 24, of Fontana, won the women’s race with a time of 1:18:11.

In the full marathon, Ryley Fick, a 23-year-old track standout at Cal State Long Beach, won the women’s race with a time of 2:58:30. Jason Yang won the men’s competition with a time of 2:27:04.

“The race was pretty tough,” Yang said, pointing out that it starts flat and then gets hilly near the end.

But to win felt “amazing,” he said.

Jason Yang, winner of the men’s 39th annual Long Beach Marathon, stands wearing his medal on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Maison Tran.
Ryley Fick crosses the finish line, winning the Long Beach Marathon in the female runner category on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Maison Tran.
Jennifer Sandoval (left) crosses the finish line for the win in the women’s half marathon Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Fernando Haro.
Marathon participants run into the sunrise, taking in a view of the Queen Mary on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Maison Tran.