Gary Kutscher

from 2023 Runner Program

ANDREA KOOIMAN A RUNNER'S STORY

COSTA MESA, CA

As the Mayor of this great city, I personally would like to welcome you to The City of the Arts and thank you for participating in the 19th annual SDCCU OC Marathon Running Festival and related festivities. This year’s event marks the 14th year it’s been held in Costa Mesa

As all of you run through our town and finish at the OC Fair & Event Center, it is our hope that your festival will continue as you discover Costa Mesa and learn what a fabulous place it is to live, work and visit

We encourage you all to take the time to check out our world-class venues like the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the South Coast Repertory theater and the new Orange County Museum of the Arts

Visitors can also spend some time shopping at our world-renown South Coast Plaza or for a change of pace, please visit The Lab and Camp and SoCo, retail centers If you are hungry, our restaurants are the best in the county and are regularly featured in local and regional publications If outdoor activities are more your style, Costa Mesa is rich in open space with active parks as well and natural surroundings and wildlife views that can be found in our Fairview and Canyon parks. Finally, our proximity to the ocean and beaches allows us to enjoy near perfect weather, and spring in Costa Mesa is an especially wonderful time of year. You will soon find out that Costa Mesa is a great place to live, work, shop and visit

Thank you and good luck

Mayor John Stephens

Dear OC Marathon Participants:

Featuring the OC's Finest Cities....

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

DearOCMarathonParticipants:

WelcometoNewportBeach!ItisanhonorforthecityofNewportBeachtohostthe 19th annual OC Marathon This event takes a tremendous amount of dedication, time and effort to organize I want to thank the event's leadership, staff and volunteersformakingthisanoutstandingevent,yearafteryear Mostofall,thankyoutothethousandsofparticipatingrunners Becauseofyouand themarathonsupporters,manyOrangeCountychildreninneedwillbenefitthrough thisevent'scharitablecontributions

NewportBeachisacommunityknownforitsbeautifulnaturalresources,highquality oflifeandanunparalleledexperienceforourmanyvisitors TheOCMarathongives usawonderfulopportunitytoshowcasethebestofourgreatcity.

WeareproudofNewportBeachandallithastooffer:astunningarrayofnatural resourcessuchastheUpperNewportBay,theBuckGullyReserve,andprotected naturaltidepools;manyrecreationalopportunitiesfoundinour66magnificentparks; world-class shopping opportunities; and fine dining and hotels. We are proud to shareitwithyou

EnjoytheOCMarathon,enjoyyourstaywithus,andpleasecomebackagainsoon BestRegards,

Mayor Noah Bloom

SANTA ANA, CA IRVINE, CA

Congratulations!

On behalf of the Santa Ana City Council, greetings and welcome to the 19th Annual San Diego Credit County Credit Union Orange County Marathon Running Festival I am so pleased that the Marathon will run through the city of Santa Ana as we are happy to showcase some of our City’s unique qualities

The number of expected participants in this year’s OC Marathon is over 15,000 individuals in the full, half and 5K combined run

I am so pleased that nearly 700 children from 10 Santa Ana schools will participate in the Kids Run the OC I wish the best of luck to all participating runners this year

I want to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers, staff and Marathon supporters who have been so important to the success of this event We appreciate your efforts and contributions.

I hope you will enjoy this year’s OC Marathon

Mayor Valerie Amescua

On behalf of the City of Irvine, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 19th San Diego County Credit Union OC Marathon The OC Marathon is an exciting event that promotes a healthy lifestyle while at the same time raising needed funds for charitable organizations in Orange County

Year after year, the OC Marathon does an outstanding job in organizing this wonderful event for our community. Congratulations to the registrants and all the volunteers for your hard work and dedication in making this year’s marathon one of the best ever

Again, it is a pleasure to welcome everyone to Irvine and Orange County Whether a runner, a rooter, a volunteer, or just a spectator, have a wonderful day here in Orange County and thank you for your support