A couple thousand people tapped into their reserve of inner strength on Sunday and made it through 26.2 miles of running or walking to reach the finish of the SDCCU OC Marathon.
Thousands more finished a half marathon, a 5K and a kid’s run this weekend as part of the festivities celebrating the county and a healthy lifestyle.
And as they pounded out those miles, participants enjoyed some of Orange County’s most iconic views – the sparkling blue ocean from Pacific Coast Highway, the serene marshes of the Back Bay, the architecture of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, as well as neighborhoods throughout Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Santa Ana.
The marathon’s finish at the OC Fair & Events Center offered a festival atmosphere with bands playing and people cheering to help lighten feet for the final mile or so.
Winning her first marathon was Heather Huggins, 48, who completed the race in 3:7:29. JJ Santana won among the men at 2:22:57.
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Ryuta Matsui of Redondo Beach, pushes through his pain and anguish to finish the OC Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
OC women’s marathon winner, Heather Huggins of Monrovia, joyfully breaks through the finish line tape in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. After previously placing in the top several times, this is her first, first-place win in the women’s division. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Thousands of OC Half Marathon runners take off from the starting line at Fashion Island in Newport Beach on Sunday, May 1, 2022. This is the event’s first full marathon since the 2019 pandemic. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
After finishing the OC Marathon, Patrick Sodia still has enough energy to jump over the finish line in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Birthday girl Jennifer Sunahara wears her princess crownas she finishes the OC Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jennifer Sunahara, left, celebrates with her friend, Gabby Villalobas, after finishing the OC Half Marathon on her 33rd birthday in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Suvesh Balasubramanian of Irvine, is all heart as he finishes the OC Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Third-place men’s OC Half Marathon winner, Roosevelt Cook, dances with race announcer Fitz Koehler after finishing his run in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Olivia and Kendrick Shen embrace after finishing the OC Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
James Lee of Tempe, Arizona, finishes the OC Half Marathon in his bare feet and holding the Ukrainian and Taiwanese flags. He was honoring the countries because “Both are oppressed,” he said in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
David Valle of Irvine leaps over the OC Half Marathon finish in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Nathan Chase of Laguna Hills, finishes the OC Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
JJ Santana of Las Vegas, wins the men’s OC Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
After finishing the OC Marathon, Garrett Gahn drops to his knee and proposes to Aurora Rodriguez in Costa Mesa on
Sunday, May 1, 2022. Rodriguez accepted. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Aurora Rodriguez gets a congratulatory hug after her boyfriend, Garrett Gahn, left, surprised her with a marriage proposal after finishing the OC Marathon on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Rodriguez accepted. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cambria Burton, left, and Jason Burton, both from Huntington Beach, congratulate each other at the end of the OC Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
College friends Isaiah Quiambao, left, and Ryan Tessier celebrate their OC Half Marathon finish in Costa Mesa on
Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medals await finishers of the OC Marathon and Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
