13.1 Wine Country Half Marathons Across the USA

© Michael Warwick | Dreamstime.com

1) Wine Country Runs Half Marathon

Known for its rolling farmlands, hot springs and wineries, Paso Robles plays host each spring to this out-and-back loop race that takes runners along the hilly farmland just north of town.

Sunday, March 18, 2018 • Paso Robles, CA

2) San Luis Obispo Half Marathon

Drive along the Pacific Coast Highway and you’ll see exactly the scenery you find here — huge, rolling green hills and mountains overlooking the rocky Pacific coastline, with vineyards tucked into the hills just beyond the edge of the land.

Sunday, April 29, 2018 • San Luis Obispo, CA

3) Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon

More than 3,000 runners turn out each year for this point-to-point race starts in downtown Santa Ynez, a small wine country town known for its western-style architecture just over the mountains from nearby Santa Barbara.

Saturday, May 12, 2018 • Santa Ynez, CA

4) Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon

Featuring a course that takes runners through the scenic, green rolling hills and horse country of Virginia’s Loudoun County, this race follows a meandering, loop-shaped point-to-point route that starts at Doukenie Winery, and farm fields, houses and trees dot the landscape throughout.

Saturday, June 2, 2018 • Purcellville, VA

5) SoCal Wine Country Women’s Half Marathon

Runners will need to be ready for both challenging terrain and weather at this race, which bills itself as Southern California’s only trail half marathon designed especially for women, along the trails that wind through and around Vail Lake Resort just outside Temecula.

Saturday, June 2, 2018 • Temecula, CA

6) Fueled by Fine Wine Half Marathon

Framed by the rolling farmland of northwest Oregon’s Willamette River Valley as well as the majestic peaks of Mount Hood and the Cascades, this Oregon race welcomes more than 1,000 runners every summer.

Sunday, July 8, 2018 • Dundee, OR

7) Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon & 5K

Selected by Runner’s World magazine as the half marathon with the “best finish,” due in no small part to the festival that awaits runners at the finish line, this race offers some of the country’s most beautiful and dramatic scenery for a race.

Sunday, July 15, 2018 • Sonoma, CA

8) Running Between the Vines Half Marathon

Ready for a 13.1-mile run that starts at the peaceful, relaxing grounds of a winery and then unfolds out into a wilderness area filled with forests, hiking trails, fishing lakes and campgrounds?

Saturday, August 18, 2018 • Jackson, MI

9) Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon

Known for its cool climate and ample rainfall, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become one of the west coast’s major wine producing regions in recent decades, which runners get to see at this summertime race.

Sunday, September 2, 2018 • Carlton, CA

10) Divas Half Marathon in DC’s Wine Country

Get ready for a race filled with pink running outfits, sequined tiaras and feather boas along this a scenic, winding out-and-back course that starts and finishes at Virginia’s Tarara Winery, nestled along the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains on the Potomac River.

Saturday, September 15, 2018 • Leesburg, VA

11) Wineglass Half Marathon

This gradual downhill course unfolds along the winding Chemung River, taking runners on a point-to-point course that finishes across the Centerway Bridge, and features a run past the famed Corning Museum of Glass.

Sunday, September 30, 2018 • Corning, NY

12) Healdsburg Half Marathon & 5K

From the starting line near the Healdsburg City Hall, the USATF-certified course takes runners along Sonoma County’s mountain valleys, and features a downhill finish for the last few miles.

Sunday, October 14, 2018 • Healdsburg, CA

13) Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon

Starting at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and run mostly through Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley, this race is framed by mountains and vineyards that stretch out for miles, past several wineries along the way.

Saturday, October 27, 2018 • Geyserville, CA

13.1) Paso Robles Half Marathon

Formerly known as the Harvest Half Marathon, this race is timed to coincide with the annual wine grape harvest here, a place with more than 26,000 acres of vineyards and several wine trails that unfold along rolling hills.

Sunday, November 11, 2018 • Paso Robles, CA

1 comment… add one
  • Julie Armstrong February 13, 2018, 3:01 pm

    Another one to consider: the Salinas Valley Half Marathon. Runs through agricultural fields and verdant vineyards. Race ends at Pessagno Winery with free wine tasting from 6+ Monterey County wineries. All runners get a free wine glass and more! Race date is Saturday, August 4. Organized by the Big Sur Marathon Foundation!

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