VAN SCHOOR / RUNNING
← THE JOURNALRace Report
4.1

OC MARATHON 2026

I went into the OC Marathon with one number in my head: 3:30.

START13.126.2 MI
DISTANCE PROGRESSION / CONCEPTUAL
DATE
MAY 3, 2026
LOCATION
Orange County, California
DISTANCE
26.2 MI
RACE
FIRST MARATHON

The goal

3:30:00

Under that, and I would have accomplished what I set out to do.

Tom Van Schoor running the 2026 OC Marathon.
Runners waiting beneath palm trees at the OC Marathon start line before dawn.
Race morning in Orange County. Still dark, cold, and waiting for the start.

The nerves finally showed up

Fortunately, I wasn't doing it alone.

3:00 A.M.

Race morning started at three.

Now there was nothing left to think about. It was time to run.

We were not running eight-minute miles

That was the dangerous part.

Tom Van Schoor running during the 2026 OC Marathon.
The early miles felt fast, controlled, and much easier than they had any right to.

Halfway

13.1MI

The half-marathon point might have been the strongest I felt all day.

There is also a problem with it: you still have another half marathon to run.

Mile 18

My friends kept moving. I couldn't.

EFFORT / EDITORIAL STUDY
Tom Van Schoor approaching the finish of the 2026 OC Marathon.
The final miles became less about pace and more about finding a way to keep moving.

Burning matches

I was beginning to understand that difference in real time.

FINISH / 26.2 MIFIRST MARATHON

3:28:48

I had run my first marathon. I had broken 3:30.

GOAL
3:30:00
UNDER GOAL
1:12
Tom Van Schoor wearing his medal after finishing the 2026 OC Marathon.
A few minutes after the finish, when the effort finally started to sink in.
RACE REPORT / 4.1Orange County, California

The beginning, not the finish

The biggest thing OC taught me is that I have so much more to learn.

Curiosity for what’s possible.

And 3:28:48 was only the starting point.