San Lorenzo River Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 30K & 50K

Saturday, June 13, 2024 • Santa Cruz, CA • Course Map

Part of a series of trail runs that take place in parks and forests up and down the California and Oregon coasts, Santa Cruz’s San Lorenzo River Trail Run takes runners through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, a park that’s filled with a centuries-old grove of redwood trees as well as old-growth Douglas fir, oak, mandrone and Ponderosa pines.

Hilly and challenging, each race features several steep uphill and downhill stretches, and the half marathon experiences an overall elevation gain of more than 2,100 feet.

Runners will start the race at Harvey West Park, a small family-friendly park located near the southern end of the much larger Henry Cowell Redwoods Park, both of which lie just a short drive north from downtown Santa Cruz.

From there, those running the half marathon will follow a route that winds northward along the a few of the park’s 15 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails — specifically along the Spring, Rincon, Big Rock Hole, River and Eagle Creek, Lookout and Harvey West trails.

The route brings runners all the way north through the park up to its northern end, where a race aid station will be waiting at the half-way point of the half marathon. Once runners grab some refreshments and make the turnaround, they’ll cover the same route they’ve just run in reverse, scaling the hills and scrambling down the downhills all the way back to Harvey West Park for the race finish.

Along the way, the trees are probably what many runners will notice most, as some of them reach nearly 300 feet into the sky, and a number are between 1,400 and 1,800 years old.

There will also be a couple of stream crossings as runners make their way through the San Lorenzo River canyon — once on the way out, a second time on the way back in — so runners will need to be prepared for every kind of terrain: wet, dry, muddy, sandy, rocky, and everything in between.

Runners also will need to be on the lookout for the polka-dotted ribbons out on the course to indicate the race route.

Race Weather & Climate

Located along the California coastline just south of the San Francisco Bay Area, roughly 30 miles southwest of San Jose, Santa Cruz typically sees mild to moderately warm and generally very dry weather in June.

On race day (June 13), the average low is 50ºF and the average high is 74ºF.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the San Lorenzo River Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

8:00 AM

Fees

  • $35 for the half marathon
  • $40 for the 50K
  • $35 for the other races

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of Santa Cruz’s San Lorenzo River Trail Run Marathon, Half Marathon, 30K, 50K or 10K race, register online at RunSignup.com here.

Official Race Website

www.coastaltrailruns.com

Comments

Ever run in the San Lorenzo River Trail Run? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races — $50 or Less, Trail Races, California

3 comments… add one
  • Jennifer Moran March 29, 2024, 11:52 am

    Is race June 13th? Or Saturday July 13?

    Reply
  • Angel sedano June 21, 2016, 11:52 pm

    Good ? Is it on Saturday or Sunday?

    Reply
  • Eric May 4, 2016, 1:31 pm

    Hi!

    It looks like the date is wrong for the San Lorenzo River Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 30K & 50K race. It says Saturday on your website and Sunday June 26 on the Race website http://www.coastaltrailruns.com/slr_san_lorenzo_river.html

    Can you confirm that this is Saturday or Sunday?’

    Thanks,
    Eric

    Reply

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