San Diego offers three different half marathons.  If participants successfully complete all three half-marathons in a calendar year then they will be awarded the “Triple Crown” award.  The Carlsbad half marathon is in January, La Jolla Half Marathon is in April, and last but not least, the America’s Finest City (AFC) Marathon is in August.  Each half marathon is 13.1 miles and all are very fast courses. 

Carlsbad Half-Marathon

The Carlsbad half marathon is the fastest in the San Diego area and one of the fastest in the U.S. It starts and finishes at the same location as the Marathon; however the courses are not the same. Participants start the journey running to the ocean and Carlsbad Boulevard (Highway 101). Then the course goes south on the 101 to the turn around point at Break Water and then runners head back to the finish line. The out-and-back course is gently rolling, with no major elevation changes. Run this course and you will see why some of the fastest Half Marathon times in the U.S. run here.

La Jolla Half-Marathon

The La Jolla Half Marathon is in April and is considered to be the most scenic Half-Marathon out of all the three half-marathons in San Diego.  This course has several major hills (up and down) and some areas where footing may be difficult. Runners should use extreme caution in these areas.  The La Jolla Half marathon is probably one of the most grueling since all runners will have to run up the Torrey Pines ascent as well as the La Jolla Shores major uphill battle.  “Triple Crown” participants will have to train the hardest for their half marathon, since they will be battling multiple hills.

America’s Finest City (AFC) Half Marathon

The America’s Finest City (AFC) Half-Marathon is the last marathon offered in the calendar year (August).  Be prepared for the hot, humid San Diego August race day when training for this half-marathon.  Pacing yourself correctly is very important if you plan to complete this race.  The course starts at Cabrillo National Monument and ends at the Embarcadero at the Star of India.    A time limit of 13 minute 45 sec / miles will be strictly enforced, so train hard and work at beating this time if you’ve never ran a marathon before.