Each runner had their own pace, their own stride and their own reasons for hitting the pavement.
Thousands of runners joined the OC Marathon, some showing up at dawn to do the full 26.2 miles, others opting for the shorter half marathon.
Christine Mayfield of Placentia finishes a symbolic and heart-felt run at the Hoag OC Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 4, 2025. In 2017 Mayfield was at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fire, killing 58 people and wounding at least 413. On the day of the tragedy she had run 24 marathons and vowed to run a total of 58 to honor the 58 who died. Sunday she made good on her promise, finishing no. 58. Coincidentally, she is also 58 years old. “We know their stories,” she said. “We love their big, beautiful, bold lives. And we hope to honor those lives in the way we spend our days.” Her husband, who was also at the concert, was shot twice in the arm and survived. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Gray skies don’t take away the joy Hoag OC Half Marathon runners experience at the finish line in Costa Mesa on
Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Olivia Wagner, right, congratulates her friend and co-worker, Jennaca Walsh, after Walsh finishes her first half marathon in just under two hours on Sunday, May 4, 2025 in Costa Mesa. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Army veteran Ryan Palomar gets assistance finishing the race after his legs cramp near the Hoag Marathon finish line in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Max Iskra holds his 9-month-old son, Brooks, above the crowd so his wife Kim can see him as she crosses the Hoag OC Half Marathon finish line in Costa Mesa on
Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Matt Pleskacz and his girlfriend Corinne Nelson, who has run five half marathons and five full marathons, share a hug after finishing the Hoag OC Half Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 4, 2025. Nelson is also a cancer survivor.
(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tyler Manon and his dad, Robert, fight their way to the Hoag OC Half Marathon finish line in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 4, 2025. May 4 is known as Star Wars Day, as in “May the 4th be with you.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A spectator encourages a runner in the Hoag OC Half Marathon on Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Christine Mayfield of Placentia holds a sign honoring the 58 victims of the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting in Las Vegas. Mayfield ran the Hoag OC Marathon on Sunday, May 4, 2025 in honor of the victims. She and her husband, Lennie, survived the tragedy. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bari Gaymon and her her 7-year-old Australian Shepherd finish their second Hoag OC Half Marathon on Sunday, May 4, 2025 in Costa Mesa. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Stephanie Mundt of Tempe, Arizona finishes in 2:52:08 to take first place in the women’s division of the Hoag OC Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Xavier Smith, 24, from Lake Forest, shouts his way through the finish line to take first place in the men’s division of the Hoag OC Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1 of 12
Christine Mayfield of Placentia finishes a symbolic and heart-felt run at the Hoag OC Marathon in Costa Mesa on Sunday, May 4, 2025. In 2017 Mayfield was at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fire, killing 58 people and wounding at least 413. On the day of the tragedy she had run 24 marathons and vowed to run a total of 58 to honor the 58 who died. Sunday she made good on her promise, finishing no. 58. Coincidentally, she is also 58 years old. “We know their stories,” she said. “We love their big, beautiful, bold lives. And we hope to honor those lives in the way we spend our days.” Her husband, who was also at the concert, was shot twice in the arm and survived. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
And while each had their own goals, for a few hours on Sunday, May 4, they were all part of a collective group who would cross the same finish line at OC Fair & Event Center, fatigued but accomplished, for the event marking its 21st year.
Lake Forest’s Xavier Smith and Stephanie Mundt, of Tempe, Arizona, were the overall winners in the men’s and women’s divisions of the marathon. The half-marathon winners were Ellie Stevens of Las Vegas and Kristoffer Mugrage of Alamosa, Colorado.
Race director Gary Kutscher said the largest number of runners participated, with an estimated 3,600 runners in the marathon and 10,000 in the half marathon.
The previous evening, an estimated 4,000 runners participated in Southern California’s largest nighttime race for the Hoag OC 5k and 6,500 youngsters were registered for the “Kids Run The OC” race.
The marathon entrants came from 47 states and 27 countries for the scenic race, which at times offered ocean views, some of the course weaving through the quaint streets of Corona del Mar.
The weekend’s festivities started on Friday with The OC Lifestyle and Fitness Expo, featuring 60 vendor booths and exhibits for racers to check out.
There’s been a surge in running clubs that have sprouted up since the coronavirus pandemic, Kutscher said, in part the reason participation numbers have been up in recent years.
He’s seen the resurgence in running interests come and go through the years, but this latest wave of running enthusiasts is stronger than ever, he said. More than 150 clubs joined the run.
There’s not only the social aspect of getting together with like-minded people, but there are countless stories of people with fitness goals, doing runs in the name of loved ones, or because they have overcome their own health obstacles, he noted.
Related Articles
Irvine Unified’s new superintendent has deep ties to the district
Comedy magician to conjure up some laughs and tricks
Racer marks 58th marathon in honor of 58 ‘angels’ killed in Route 91 Music Festival shooting
Future of Tustin Legacy up for discussion at community meetings
Free surgery clinic in Orange is first in the nation
Hoag Hospital came on as this year’s title sponsor, both with a shared goal of promoting a healthy lifestyle, Kutscher said.
Others use the run as a fundraiser, a chance to raise money for nonprofits they are passionate about, with 30 official charities joining as this year’s beneficiaries.
Since its inception, more than $9.5 million has been raised through the event for a wide range of charities and nonprofit organizations.
“It really runs the gamut of why people do this,” he said. “The fact that it’s a daunting distance — for many people, it changes their life, for the rest of their life.”