The views of the coastline at the Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon are a welcome sight for any runner who’s not from the local area, as this wintertime road race offers a respite from the cold winter conditions in much of the rest of the country this time of the year.
One of three half marathon events that make up Southern California’s Half Marathon Triple Crown (including April’s La Jolla Half Marathon and the America’s Finest City Half Marathon in August), the Carlsbad races provide a course whose signature is its sun and surf, with waves crashing alongside the shore for runners for much of the race course.
Featuring an out-and-back course that starts and finishes at the Plaza Camino Real shopping center between Carlsbad and Oceanside, the race is considered both the fastest of its kind in the San Diego area and one of the fastest half marathon running events anywhere in the country.
