The Big Sur International Marathon, one of the country's most scenic and breath-taking races, was won on Sunday by Adam Roach, with a finishing time of 2:22:30. The women's race was won by Nuta Olaru, a 41-year-old former Olympian, who broke the tape in 2:50:08.
Olaru finished 13th in the marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
The race utilizes a point-to-point course, starting in Big Sur and ending in Carmel, with runners traveling north along the famous Route 1 coastal highway. The Big Sur International Marathon, in its 27th years, was named one of the country's top three marathons, behind Boston and New York, by "Runner's World."
"It's beautiful and it's a blast," said Steve Paskey, who runs in the Big Sur marathon every year. "Running along Highway 1, one year, we saw whales, condors, blue sky, and blue-green water."
Roach used a late-burst to pass Chris Mocko, 26, of San Francisco, and Jesus Campos, 27, of King City, to secure the marathon win.
More than 4,500 runners participated in this year's race.