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Sanborn Trail Challenge Half Marathon 8-Mile & 4-Mile
March 1, 2025
Saratoga
Trail
1-100
Challenging
Forested
High: 65°
/ Low: 43°
Overview
Set for its annual running this year in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sanborn Park Trail Challenge runs feature a half marathon, 9-mile and a 4.2-mile race that take runners on an out-and-back trail run through Sanborn Skyline County Park, which looks out onto nearby Saratoga, Cupertino and San Jose from the mountains above the valley.
Runners will start the race at the park entrance visitor center just off Sanborn Road, which lies just over a 10-minute drive west from Saratoga.
From there, the course takes runners on a winding route along the nearly 3,700-acre park’s 15 miles of lushly wooded trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains, along the San Andreas, Skyline and Summit Rock Loop trails out to the half marathon turnaround point, which lies parallel to Skyline Boulevard.
Course Description
The trails are made up mostly of single-track dirt trails through the park’s lush forests, and there are some challenging hills — runners can expect to climb roughly 1,800 feet between the starting line and the 3rd and 4th miles of the race, along the Skyline Trail that parallels Skyline Boulevard.
Organizers describe the course as “extremely mountainous and very technical,” to give you an indication of how challenging the trails can be.
While organizers plan to post two fully stocked aid stations out on the course, runners are strongly encouraged to bring along their own water to supplement what they get on the course and ensure they stay properly hydrated during the race.
