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California > America's Finest City Half Marathon & 5K
San Diego, CA
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Date
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Event
Details
Bright and sunny San Diego, famous for its year-round moderate
temperatures and virtually cloudless skies, is the setting for the America's
Finest City Half Marathon & 5K, a point-to-point road race that
takes runners from the majestic views of the historic Cabrillo National
Monument overlooking the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay to the green,
expansive meadows of Balboa Park, whose 1,200 acres are home to 15
museums including the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
The course for the race takes runners entirely on paved surfaces
through city streets, starting at the Cabrillo Monument at 7:00 AM.
From there, the course takes runners down Cabrillo Memorial Drive
through the Fort Rosencras National Cemetery, through an area that is
one of the nation's oldest military outposts, dating back to the 1850s.
Along this early stretch of the race, runners also pass the Old Point
Loma Lighthouse, which stood watch over the bay for nearly 40 years
until it was retired in 1891 due to the point's constant fog, which
obscured its light beacon. Today the lighthouse remains largely as it
was in the 1880s, and adds to the point's authentic appeal.
Once runners descend the monument and Fort Rosencras area, the course
next takes a turn through the Point Loma and La Playa neighborhoods,
where spectators are usually out in droves to cheer on those running in
the race, some even with hoses and sprinklers to cool everyone down. As
it makes its way through these districts and into the Harbor Island
area, there's usually plenty of distractions along the course to take
runners' minds off their 13.1-mile trek, from cheerleaders and belly
dancers to the celebrity sightings that have been reported in recent
years, including Oprah Winfrey.
Along the middle stretch of the race, which takes runners along North
Harbor Drive and over onto Harbor Island, the scenery changes as the
course runs past San Diego's bayside international airport, giving
runners plenty of views of the water and the planes coming in and
taking off. Still flat and fast through these miles, the course unfolds
all the way around the edge of the bay, turning away from the water at
Ash Street and heading back into residential areas on the last couple
of miles' approach to Balboa Park.
The last two-plus miles of the race, starting with the turn onto India
Street and concluding with the finish line along Pan American Road
inside the park, are mostly long, flat straightaways, which give
runners a nice way to finish the course. Once inside the park, the
scenery is part of the reward, as the course turns onto El Prado and
then Pan American Road, for the finish at the intersection with
President's Way, surrounded by the several museums runners pass on the
way to cross the finish line.
Race
Weather & Climate
Known for its year-round mild weather conditions, with the occasional
fog and marine layer near the ocean, San Diego's weather is somewhat
warmer in the summer than in the winter, though not by much. In August,
local monthly temperatures average between 78°F and
67°F, while
rainfall amounts are almost nonexistent, averaging less than a
tenth of an inch during the month.
Fees
2009 fees:
$70 if registered by May 16, 2009
$75 between May 17 - June 16
$80 between June 17 - August 15
No race day registration for the half-marathon
Registration
To reserve your spot in the summer 2010 running of San Diego's
America's Finest City Half Marathon & 5K, please check back
when registration for the race opens on January 18, 2010.
Websites
www.afchalf.com
Cabrillo National Monument
Balboa Park
Course Map
Share
Your Race Story
Ever run in San Diego's annual America's Finest City Half Marathon?
Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Post your comments in Runner Reviews for the America's Finest
City Half Marathon
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