Events
Half Marathon
200 spots left. Price increases after July 5, 2025 at 11:59pm PDT
Kid's Run (6yo & younger, 1/4 mi) - Free!
Place
Harvey West Blvd at Dubois St.
Santa Cruz, CA US 95060
Description
Run through 300 foot tall, 1500 year-old Coastal Redwoods, lush stream canyons, open meadows, pine and oak forests, and high dry chaparral-covered ridges. The Half Marathon, 30K, Marathon, and 50K events cross the San Lorenzo River (shown below) multiple times!
(Distances are accurately measured using a Rolatape® surveyor's measuring wheel.)
Bib Number & Shirt Pick-up
Race Day: Check-in beginning at 7:00 a.m. at Harvey West Park (Friendship picnic area). Please arrive 45min before your event to receive your bib and shirt. Event start times are listed here.
Parking is free.
Drop Bags: You can leave a drop bag with non-valuables at the Start/Finish.
Time Limit & Cut-off
Marathon - 9 hours (4 hrs 15 min, 12:15 p.m. @ 13 mi)
50K - 9 hours (5 hrs, 1:00 p.m. @ 18 mi)
All Events - 9 hours
Course
The course will be marked with ribbon approximately every 200 yards and color coded as follows:
10K – Yellow Out/Back
Half Marathon – Pink Out/Back
30K – Pink to Henry Cowell Aid Station + Orange Loop (5 mi, counterclockwise) + Pink to Start/Finish
Marathon – Half Marathon (twice!)
50K - 30K + Half Marathon
The most important course marking is the polka-dot flagging. It indicates a turn at an intersection. There will be at least two polka-dot flagging before a turn in the course. The polka-dot flagging will be placed before and on the same side as the required turn. As you approach an intersection, look for any polka-dot flagging before the turn. Waiting until you're in the intersection to determine the correct direction may be confusing and you may go the wrong way. After you complete the turn, there will be yellow, and/or pink flagging indicating the correct route. We also hang blue ribbons at critical junctions indicating the wrong way. Blue is bad!
If you don't see your respective flagging for 3-4 minutes, you are off course. If you get off course, you should retrace your path until you find where you left the course and then continue along the marked course.
Please be courteous on the trail. If you're passing another runner or hiker, announce "on your left" as you approach.
Headphones are allowed on dirt road sections only. Please do not wear headphones on single-track trail, while crossing paved roads, when getting aid at aid stations, or while crossing the finish line.
Your bib number indicates the distance that you're running. If you want to change your distance, please send us an e-mail or let us know by check-in, at the latest.
Many of the parks in California have poison oak. We recommend staying on the trail and washing with Tecnu after your trail run. Occasionally, bees or yellow jackets may be active and precautions should be taken if you're allergic.
No dogs allowed on the course. Please don't leave pets in your vehicle.
GPX Files:
Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.
Elevation Profiles/Course Surface
10K
Elevation Gain: 800'
Course Surface: Single Track (59%), Dirt Road (41%), Asphalt (0%)
Half Marathon
Elevation Gain: 2,175'
Course Surface: Single Track (58%), Dirt Road (42%), Asphalt (0%)
30K
Elevation Gain: 3,000'
Course Surface: Single Track (62%), Dirt Road (38%), Asphalt (0%)
Marathon
Elevation Gain: 4,350'
Course Surface: Single Track (58%), Dirt Road (42%), Asphalt (0%)
50K
Elevation Gain: 5,175'
Course Surface: Single Track (60%), Dirt Road (40%), Asphalt (0%)
Aid Stations
Fully-stocked aid stations every 6 - 7 miles. You can expect fresh fruit, salty snacks, assorted candy, water, and Skratch electrolyte sports drink. If you would like to be sure that you have any other specific item at the event, you should carry it with you. Additionally, it is highly recommended that runners carry at least 20 oz. of water between aid stations.
Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.
Cupless
In an effort to reduce waste and litter, Coastal/Zoom events are cupless. We request that you bring your preferred means of containing fluids during your run and at the aid stations. We will have some Hydrapak SpeedCup ($5) for sale at check-in.
Please note that there are no pre-filled cups of hydration at the aid stations. In case you really need a disposable cup, please request one from the aid station volunteers. We ask that you use only one. Thank you!
Awards
T-shirts will be given to all pre-registered runners. All finishers will receive a custom medal and 50K finishers will also receive a custom coaster.
Overall Winners: The top 3 male and female overall winners of every distance will win an award and race credits to future Coastal races:
1st Place - $50
2nd Place - $35
3rd Place - $20
These race credits are valid for 3 months from date of issue and is for one time use only.
Top three finishers in each age group and gender will receive award medals.
Note: Overall and age group placing are based on Clock Time rather than Chip Time. As a bona fide competition, runners should start at the same time and compete against each other on the course. Chip Time is used so runners can see their actual elapsed time.
Course Records
10K
Ekolai Lunde, 15, Halsum, Norway ('13) 39:06
Aksiniya Asenova, 32, Sunnyvale, CA ('15) 44:33
Half Marathon
Digger Lauter, 37, Oakland, CA ('21) 1:27:45
Sophia Ditty, 32, Santa Cruz, CA ('22) 1:46:20
30K
Kevin Moore, 29, San Bruno, CA ('15) 2:17:09
Michelle Meyer, 25, San Francisco, CA ('13) 2:31:57
Marathon
Robert Landauer, 28, Mountain View, CA ('13) 3:26:35
Amy Burton, 39, San Jose, CA ('13) 4:03:21
50K
Kevin Stewart, 29, Gilroy, CA ('19) 4:13:33
Malene Blikkenhauk, 22, Sogndal, Norway ('14) 4:39:24
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Directions
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