Every year, we rank our favorite and most scenic California half marathons. This year, we rated San Diego Beach & Bay, the OC Half Marathon, Santa Rosa Half Marathon, and the Surf City Marathon amongst our favorites.
California Half Marathon Calendar
Browse all California Half Marathons in 2025 and 2026 by month and by city below. For each race, you’ll find the history of the half marathon and the course, the most recent year’s course maps, elevation profiles, runner reviews, pricing, and how to sign up.
We dedicate hours every month searching for races to include in the California Half Marathons calendar. If you happen to see any half marathon not included, contact us at [email protected] to submit your race.
Filter California Half Marathons
Race Size
Difficulty
Scenery
Type
Perfect For
Distances
Filter California Half Marathons
Race Size
Difficulty
Scenery
Type
Perfect For
Distances
Featured Race
August 24, 2025
1,000-10,000 runners
Santa Rosa, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Marathon, Trail
Featured Race
July 20, 2025
500-1000 runners
San Francisco, California
- 5k, Half Marathon, Road
May 17, 2025
1-100 runners
Sutter, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Road
May 17, 2025
1-100 runners
Santa Monica, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Trail
May 17, 2025
1-100 runners
San Jose, California
- Half Marathon, Trail
May 17, 2025
1,000-10,000 runners
Del Mar, California
- 5k, Half Marathon, Road
May 18, 2025
1,000-10,000 runners
Ventura, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Marathon, Trail
May 24, 2025
1-100 runners
Placerville, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Trail
May 24, 2025
1-100 runners
San Diego, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Road
May 26, 2025
1-100 runners
Laguna Hills, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Trail
May 31, 2025
100-500 runners
El Sobrante, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Trail
May 31, 2025
1-100 runners
San Jose, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Trail
June 1, 2025
100-500 runners
Castro Valley, California
- 5k, Half Marathon, Road
June 1, 2025
10,000+ runners
San Diego, California
- Half Marathon, Marathon, Road
June 1, 2025
500-1000 runners
San Jose, California
- Half Marathon, Road
June 1, 2025
1-100 runners
Oakland, California
- Half Marathon, Marathon, Trail
June 1, 2025
100-500 runners
Salinas, California
- 10K, Half Marathon, Trail
June 7, 2025
1-100 runners
San Jose, California
- Half Marathon, Marathon, Trail
June 7, 2025
1-100 runners
Inglewood, California
- Half Marathon, Road
June 7, 2025
500-1000 runners
Fontana, California
- 5k, Half Marathon, Trail
June 12, 2025
100-500 runners
Santa Cruz, California
- 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Trail
June 14, 2025
500-1000 runners
Long Beach, California
- 5k, Half Marathon, Road
Running in California
FAQ
What are the most popular California half marathons?
The three most popular California half marathons are the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon with over 10,000 runners, the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon with over 6,800 runners, and the Monterey Bay Half Marathon with over 6,300 runners.
What’s the best half marathons in California for beginners in 2025?
There’s a ton of competition for the best California half marathons for beginners. But, we most frequently recommend the OC Marathon & Half Marathon, the Napa Valley Half Marathon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon and the Surf City Half Marathon as well produced races with beautiful courses and big crowds. If you’re willing to travel, here’s our full list of best half marathons for beginners.
Which California cities have half marathons?
You can run California half-marathon events in Agua Dulce, Alameda, Angel Island State Park, Arcata, Auburn, Avalon, Bakersfield, Bass Lake, Berkeley, Big Bear Lake, Brentwood, Brisbane, Camarillo, Carlsbad, Castro Valley, Clayton, Cloverdale, Coloma, Coronado, Costa Mesa, Death Valley, Del Mar, El Dorado Hills, El Sobrante, Escondido, Eureka, Felton, Folsom, Fontana, Fort Bragg, Fountain Valley, Fremont, Fresno, Gilroy, Half Moon Bay, Huntington Beach, Inglewood, Irvine, Joshua Tree, La Jolla, Laguna Hills, Lone Pine, Long Beach, Malibu, Mendocino, Mill Valley, Modesto, Monterey, Morgan Hill, Napa, Nipton, Oakland, Oxnard, Pacifica, Pasadena, Paso Robles, Perris, Petaluma, Pinole, Placerville, Pollock Pines, Redding, Riverside, Roseville, Sacramento, Salinas, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Mateo, San Ramon, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Santa Rosa, Santa Venetia, Santa Ynez, Saratoga, Simi Valley, South Lake Tahoe, Stinson Beach, Susanville, Sutter, Tahoe City, Truckee, Vallejo, Ventura, Ventura County, Walnut Creek, Weott, Windsor, & Woodside.
What are the best California half marathons?
