Sunday, July 2, 2023 • Vallecito, CA • Course Map
The summer of 2023 brings the 35th annual running of the aptly named “Hernia Hill” Half Marathon, which takes runners on a tour of the historic California wine country towns in and around Vallecito and Murphys, Calif., for a hilly and challenging race through town centers and neighborhoods and along rural country roads through this mountainous region of the state.
Started as the area’s first 13.1-mile event by local resident and running enthusiast Ernie Klann in 1988, the half-marathon portion of the race has been run in his honor since 1998.
All three races in the event start at the Twisted Oak Winery, which lies just outside Vallecito near the intersection of 4280 Red Hill Road and Highway 4, and take runners on three different out-and-back courses that feature a combination of paved surfaces and hard-packed gravel roads.
In a unique touch not seen at virtually any other running event, each race also takes each field of runners through Twisted Oak’s “cardiac cave,” a wine barrel aging cave used by the winery for the storage and aging of their wines.
This race event is one of Northern California’s smaller running events, as less than 100 runners crossed the finish line in all three races combined at its July 2014 running, nearly all of whom were from the local area.
Those who come out get a great post-race celebration, however, as Twisted Oak puts on a post-race barbecue at the winery, starting at 10:30 AM. All races begin at 8:00 AM, and awards are presented to the top three runners in all age groups in each event.
Race Weather & Climate
Nestled among the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California, about halfway between nearby Sacramento to the west and Yosemite National Park to the east, Vallecito tends to experience milder, often cold winters and hot, dry summers.
On race day (July 2), the average low is 55ºF and the average high is 90ºF.
Past Results
- 2022 Results
- 2021 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2019 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2018 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2017 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2016 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2015 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2014 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2013 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2012 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
- 2011 Hernia Hill Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Hernia Hill Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
8:00 AM
Fees
- $65 for the half marathon
- $40 for the 10K
- $40 for the 5K
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Vallecito’s Hernia Hill Half Marathon, 10K or 5K race, visit ItsYourRace.com here.
Official Race Website
Comments
Ever run in the Hernia Hill Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.
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