All ArticlesThings To Do
Pacific Beach Half Marathon & 5K: A Local's Race-Weekend Guide
Paul Stritmatter·Jul 22, 2026·5 min.
Everything you need to know about the Pacific Beach Half Marathon & 5K — the two-day format, the scenic point-to-point course, race-day logistics, and how to make a beachside weekend of it.
Some races you run for the PR. This one you run for the vibe. The Pacific Beach Half Marathon & 5K takes over Pacific Beach for a two-day race weekend on Saturday and Sunday, October 3–4, 2026, with a scenic waterfront course, a finish line steps from the sand, and a beach-party atmosphere that's pure San Diego. Put on by San Diego Running Co., it's grown into one of the most fun races on the local calendar — flat, fast, ocean views the whole way, and a boardwalk finish where the medal comes with a drink ticket.
The 5K runs Saturday as part of Pacific Beachfest; the Half Marathon runs Sunday morning; and if you're feeling ambitious, the Surfside Double Shot Challenge lets you do both. Whether you're tackling 13.1 for the first time, easing back into running, or just want a beach 5K with friends, there's a start line here for you. Here's how the weekend works and how to make the most of it.
Most half marathons ask you to stare at asphalt for two hours. This one hands you the coastline instead. The Half Marathon is a point-to-point course that starts at Crown Point Park in Mission Bay and runs the waterfront — past SeaWorld, Hospitality Point, the West Mission Bay Drive bridge, and Mission Beach — before finishing on Thomas Ave where it meets the Pacific Beach Boardwalk. It's flat and fast (a legitimate PR course), fully on closed streets and sidewalks, and the finish is now on solid ground — no more sand slog at mile 13.
The 5K leans all the way into the beach theme. It runs Saturday as part of Pacific Beachfest and is famously about half sand, half boardwalk — roughly 1.75 miles on the sand and 1.35 on the boardwalk — starting and finishing right on the beach. It's less about splits and more about the experience: running with the ocean beside you and a festival waiting at the finish.
And then there's the party. Both days wrap into a beachside celebration with live music, local vendors, and that unmistakable PB energy — the kind of race that feels like a reward.
Since expanding to a weekend, the event gives you a few ways to run it:
Every runner receives a Pacific Beach tank top, a custom finisher medal, chip timing, free race photos, and a complimentary drink ticket. Half marathoners also score a custom pair of SDRC sunnies. The drink ticket tears off your bib and is good for a Michelob ULTRA (regular, Seltzer, or Zero) at Pacific Beachfest's beer garden on Saturday or one of the PB partner bars on Sunday — PB Shore Club, Mavericks Beach Club, or 710 Beach Club. You'll need to be 21+ with ID to redeem.
Overall and age-group awards go to the top three in each gender across brackets from 13 & under through 80+, for both the Half and the 5K. Winners pick up awards at the San Diego Running Co. booth in the vendor village after the race.
Parking in PB is tight on race mornings, and because the Half is point-to-point, your start and finish aren't the same place. Plan ahead:
Whether you're running it or cheering from the boardwalk, this is Pacific Beach at its most alive. For more of what's happening around town, browse our full event calendar — and if all that coastline has you dreaming, start with our Pacific Beach neighborhood guide.
Want the real plan for San Diego every week? Subscribe to the Hello San Diego Weekend Newsletter — the only weekly roundup of San Diego events that actually tells you which ones are worth your time. No fluff, no AI listicles scraped from press releases, just the local's plan for the days ahead.