Malibu Marathon Takes Place Today

A field of about 1,000 runners is expected for today's third annual Malibu International Marathon, which includes a 26-mile, 385-yard course taking runners from the Camarillo Airport to in what organizers call "The Run to Paradise."

The race is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. at Camarillo Airport, with the first eight miles through Ventura County's flat farmlands. The course will then follow Pacific Coast Highway for its final 18 miles, beginning with two miles along the Point Mugu Naval Air Station, then entering the "Keyway to the coast," the rock valley passageway to the Pacific Ocean at Point Mugu.

The second half of the course includes cliffs lining the undeveloped coastline, with the final six miles going past Malibu homes on the highway. The race concludes at the entrance to Zuma Beach.

About 3,000 more runners are expected to race in a half-marathon, conducted over the final 13.1 miles of the marathon course.

The event serves as a fundraiser for:

• Malibu Special Education Foundation
• Malibu Wings Team, which helps prevent child abuse and treats its victims
• The Shark Fund, which raises money for
• Malibu Green Machine, which funds planting of native plants and water-efficient landscaping in the city
• Girls on the Run, a running program for girls from third through eighth grades Future Leaders for Peace, which teaches youths positive ways of approaching life challenges and dreams
• Lazarex Cancer Foundation, which provides resources for cancer patients who've been told they have no other options
• Christopher's Haven, which is planning to build a Malibu retreat for families with children undergoing cancer treatment at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital

—City News Service