Runners make three loops around San Francisco’s Lake Merced Municipal Park for this half marathon — and just one loop around for the 4.5-mile race — which unfolds entirely on the paved roads that wind along the lake shore, starting and finishing near the parking lot at the northern end of the lake. The park lies next to both the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Olympic Club, the home of the 2012 United States Open golf championship.
(MORE: Lake Merced Half Marathon event details)