150 garbage bags of abandoned clothing from Big Sur Marathon runners soon up for sale

MARINA, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Runners at this year's Big Sur marathon left behind more than just sweat and footprints; they also left behind a large amount of athletic wear.

At Last Chance Mercantile, over one hundred garbage bags filled with clothing landed on Monday.

The manager here tells me it was a bit overwhelming receiving the high volume of clothing. Two days later, almost all items are hung up, but still a bit damp.

"We are in the process of hanging and drying them," said Freya Read, Director of Retail Operations.

Runners left it all on the course, including their clothes.

150 garbage bags full of clothes were shed during Sunday's Big Sur marathon.

"Right behind me is an immense amount of amazing sports clothing donated from the Big Sur Marathon. So as the runners run down the beautiful road in Big Sur, they cast off their clothing. All of those items are collected," said Read.

All of the hoodies, leggings, and t-shirts landed at Last Chance Mercantile with the help of Blue Strike Environmental instead of a landfill

"Last year, in 2024, we did over a million pounds of waste diversion. Nationally, clothing is about 7% of landfill, so textiles are a big deal in landfill," said Read.

For the past few years, they have collected leftover clothing from marathon runners, but never as much and as heavy as this year.

She says the damp clothing from the rain added some extra pounds to the load.

It may take time to get these clothes ready for sale, but the goal is simple — give these items a second chance and help local heroes in the process.

"We support Veterans Transition Center, which supports homeless and previously incarcerated veterans to get on their feet. Housing, case management, food pantry, amazing programs," said Read.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Sorting and drying the clothes will take some time before a price tag gets added.

There's no solidified date on when these items will go on sale, but Freya tells me all items will be available for 5 to 12 dollars.