Long Beach Marathon 2012 preview: 28th annual race slated for Sunday

The 28th Long Beach International City Bank Marathon will take place at 7 a.m. PT on Sunday, Oct. 7.

The 26.2 mile course is one of the most scenic and flat courses in California. It starts in downtown Long Beach, stretches down the coast along the city's Beach Path, cuts through Marine Stadium, takes runners past Blair Field, through Cal State Long Beach and re-traces its steps back up the coast and into the heart of downtown.

A full map of the course can be found here.

In 2011, Edwin Romero of Bogota, Colombia won the men's race with a time of 2:19:08. On the women's side, Huntington Beach's Abigail Swift crossed the finish line first with a time of 2:43:20

The race record for men was set in 1989, when Rex Wilson posted a time of 2:12:27. The women's race record was set in 1992 by Olga Appell with a time of 2:30:43.

The Long Beach marathon can be used as a qualifier for any marathon in the country, including the Boston Marathon.

More information on the race is available at runlongbeach.com.