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.
Upcoming Half Marathons Near Santa Cruz, CA
Looking for a half marathon in Santa Cruz, California? Browse the most comprehensive Santa Cruz half marathon calendar with each race history, course description, difficulty rating, finisher ranges, scenery, and what the race is perfect for like family-friendly or lots of crowd support.
You’ll also be able to find must-know race logistics like pricing, start time, and course maps.
Half marathons are always coming and going. If you don’t see a race on the Santa Cruz half marathon calendar, you can contact us at [email protected].
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
March 1, 2026
10,000+ runners
Atlanta, California
- Half Marathon, Marathon, Road
Featured Race
August 17, 2025
500-1000 runners
Anchorage, Alaska
- Half Marathon, Marathon, Road
Featured Race
August 24, 2025
1,000-10,000 runners
Santa Rosa, California
- 10K, 5k, Half Marathon, Marathon, Trail
Featured Race
October 4, 2025
500-1000 runners
Colorado Springs, California
- 5k, Half Marathon, Marathon, Road
Featured Race
July 20, 2025
500-1000 runners
San Francisco, California
- 5k, Half Marathon, Road
September 27, 2025
1,000-10,000 runners
San Jose, California
- 10K, Half Marathon, Trail
October 11, 2025
500-1000 runners
Santa Cruz, California
- 10K, 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?
