Santa Barbara Half Marathon & 5K (Run Local)

The Santa Barbara Half Marathon boasts beautiful skies, towering palm trees, rolling hills, and lovely coastal views. And it still struggles with merging the 5k into the final stretch, and poor management of the finish line crowds.

Expo / pick-up:

-The Carousel House at Chase Palm Park hosted the packet pickup festival over Friday and Saturday. DJs, photo backdrops, and kids’ activities were open to the public. Saturday morning also featured a 5k shake-out run and yoga session in the rain, but even wet weather couldn’t dampen the fun. Bib and shirt pick-up were found in the Carousel House building, and an outdoor tent sold official event merchandise designed by a local Santa Barbara artist from Loud Flower Art Company. Sponsors and vendors on-site included Hoka, Voli, Fractel, and Santa Barbara Independent. I really loved the shoe demos and photo booth from Hoka’s tent!

Parking:

-For both packet pick-up and race-day, your best parking options are the multiple lots along the waterfront or on/near State Street. The official race website does a good job with maps of all the public parking lots. Most parking lots I saw charged around $3.00/hour, but be sure to double-check the road-closure schedule for race day as some lots may not be easily accessible. I believe the race also offers a VIP package with a designated parking lot, but that’s a pricy upgrade.

Pre-race:

-The half marathon start area is on State Street, between Yanonali St and the 101 freeway on each end, and with the AmTrak station and Loquita restaurant on the sides. All the port-a-potties were tucked along Yanonali St and Helena Ave, in the Funk Zone festival area, where you’ll return for post-race festivities. Gear check was also offered near the start area. Runners were separated in the start corral based on the Wave number on your bib, and you could self-select according to pacer signs. The pre-race crowd energy was tremendous! Pro tip: bring a hat and/or sunglasses. State Street faces southeast at the start, and you’ll be staring straight into the morning sun for several stretches (made even brighter by the end of daylight savings just hours earlier)!

Course:

-Miles 1-5 cruise southwest along Cabrillo Blvd on flat asphalt until it merges into Shoreline Drive, giving you views of the boats of Santa Barbara Harbor and Leadbetter Beach. Approaching Shoreline Park around Mile 1.5, you begin a steady climb up the first of the day’s two hills. It’s a sunny slog up the hill to the La Mesa Park turnaround point and the first water/aid station. Gulp some Voli electrolytes, and take a breath, because the downhill run back down Shoreline Dr is breathtaking, with palm trees, blue skies, a curvy shore ahead of mountains in the background.

-Miles 5-9.7 are probably the most postcard-worthy part of the race: more skinny palm trees lining the wide open road, and more of the Pacific Ocean. Running along Cabrillo Blvd, you’ll go by local spots like Stearns Wharf, Chase Palm Park, and East Beach, all while the skies are blue and clear. The crowds near the corner of Cabrillo and State St are so energetic, it’s like running through a tunnel of cheers. It gets quieter as you get close to the Mile 7.5 turnaround aid station near the Cemetery/Bird Refuge, but keep chugging along and you’ll be back near the water in no time.

-Miles 9.7 – 13.1: As you turn from Cabrillo Blvd onto Castillo St, say good-bye to wide-open roads and coastal views, and say hello to local shops and restaurants as you enter Downtown Santa Barbara’s narrower streets. Oh, and why is it suddenly so crowded? That’s because the 5k race also merges onto the same course at this point. Now you’re facing a one-two-punch of narrower streets and a surge of 5k runners, many of whom are kids or older participants running at slower paces. It’s a genuine traffic jam for a bit. Just as the 5k-ers split off, the second big hill of the course builds from Miles 10 to 12, looping around Alameda Park. Enjoy the fresh scent of flowers, and then it’s time to head into the home stretch. The downhill ending lets you build momentum on State Street towards the finish line, but be wary as another part of the 5k merges again into the final quarter mile of the Half course. Smile for the cameras!

Post-race:

-If you enjoyed the crowded final part of the course, congratulations, you’re in luck for more! Almost every major race I’ve run has a “runner’s chute” after the finish line: a small, fenced area where runner’s can pick up medals, snacks, water, and catch their breath and re-orient themselves after a draining final dash. But here, you cross the finish line and run smack into a wall of family/friends/crowds who are allowed to congregate immediately. It’s a messy mass of humanity when you just need a little space. I was exhausted and confused and had to wander down a block before tables were set up with all the expected post-race items (cans of Open Water, Goldfish crackers, Motts fruit snacks, Skinny Pop popcorn). This layout is so perplexing because the post-race festival at the Funk Zone – another 2 blocks south on State Street—would seem to be the perfect spot for family/friends to reunite. Instead, anybody and everybody is allowed to crowd the finish line, then there’s a quiet stretch of State Street going under the 101, and THEN the rowdy finish festival pops up.
The Funk Zone festival itself is nice. It’s packed with tents for sponsors, goodies from vendors like UCLA Health, Voli, a photo op from Hoka, live music from bands like The Last Decade, a recovery zone, beer from local breweries, photo backdrops, and great restaurants. It’s some of the best of Santa Barbara gathered in one spot.

Scenery/Weather/Support:

-The shoreline scenery is such a fantastic backdrop: there’s blue and green for so much of the race. And when you enter downtown along State Street, the crowds around the local bars/shops/restaurants deliver a welcoming feel. The local crowd support was loudest at the corner of State and Cabrillo. Water/Voli and aid stations were good, and port-a-potties were adequate. The weather was sunny, clear, and cool, with small patch of cloud cover. I’d suggest sunglasses and/or a hat for sun protection. Temperatures ranged from 54 F at the start line, and rose to the mid-60s at the finish festival.

Swag:

-The official Half Marathon race shirt was a light blue, long-sleeve shirt in a poly/rayon blend. It featured this year’s official logo, designed by a local artist from Loud Flower Art Company: seven seagulls soaring across a blue sky, leaving green, orange, purple, and red trails behind them, and surrounded by a white arch with blue text that says “Moving Together Brings Us Together”. I like the design, but the shirt material feels as worryingly thin as last year’s. The half marathon medal showed off the same official logo, with a black arch instead of a white one, on solid black metal, looped in light blue ribbon decorated with flying seagulls and a red/purple/yellow/blue rainbow trail. There’s an outlined spot on the back if you want to add an iTab with your race time. I really appreciate the race’s efforts to highlight local Santa Barbara artists.

Bottom-line:

-The Santa Barbara Half Marathon is a beautiful race: ocean views, rolling hills, skyward palm trees, clear skies, pleasant weather, strong community support. You get a mix of big race energy with cozy, coastal-town vibes. There’s so much positive going for this race, that it makes the small issues of (1) a combined 5k route (set it much earlier or later!), and (2) the messy finish line crowd feel so glaring. I think these are fixable issues, and I hope the race directors address them to make the event even better.

The Santa Barbara Half Marathon has soaring palm trees, sunny skies, and pretty coastal views. It’d be top-notch if the final miles didn’t merge with the 5k, and if the finish line crowds were better managed.

Expo / pick-up:

-Packet pick-up was held over 2 days at a festival in Chase Palm Park near the beach, with bands, DJs, bubbles, photo backdrops, and kids’ activities. Saturday’s events also included a 5k shake-out run and yoga session hosted by Hoka—sign up, they’re fun! Outdoor tents were efficient for bib and shirt pick-up. I wish the merch sales featured greater variety, especially since this year’s cool, local artist-designed logo was only available on cotton shirts and sweaters, and not on any poly/tech shirts. Some of the sponsors and vendors on-site included T-Mobile, Voli, Rabbit, and Nomad.

Parking:

-For both packet pick-up and race-day, your best parking options are any of the multiple lots along the waterfront or on/near State Street. Downtown Santa Barbara has lots of public parking options, and I was relieved to find that I needlessly worried ahead of time. Most parking lots I saw were charging $3.50/hour, which wasn’t too bad.

Pre-race:

-The half marathon start line is on State Street, between Yanonali St and the 101 freeway, and the pre-race crowd energy was tremendous. Numerous port-a-potties were spread along Yanonali, in the Funk Zone festival area, where you’ll return after the race. There was no gear check offered for this race, so if you have items you need immediately pre/post-race, you’ll need to make other arrangements. Runners were separated in the start corral based on the Wave number on your bib, and you could further self-select according to pacer signs. Pro tip: bring sunglasses—because State Street faces southeast at the start, you’ll be staring straight into the morning sun (made brighter by the end of daylight savings just hours earlier)!

Course:

-Miles 1-5 head southwest along Cabrillo Blvd on mostly flat terrain until it becomes Shoreline Drive, taking you past the boats of Santa Barbara Harbor and Leadbetter Beach. Once you hit Shoreline Park at around Mile 1.5, you begin a steady climb up the first of the day’s two hills. It’s a sunny slog up the hill towards the Mesa Park turnaround point and the first water/aid station. The downhill run back down Shoreline Dr is really exhilarating, with palm trees and water dominating your view.

-Miles 5-9.5 are probably the most scenic part of the race: towering palm trees lining the wide-open road, more and more of the Pacific Ocean. Running along Cabrillo Blvd, you’ll go by local spots like Stearns Wharf, Chase Palm Park, and East Beach, all while the skies are blue and clear. The crowds near the corner of Cabrillo and State St are absolutely tremendous, they brought fantastic energy!

-Miles 9.5 – 13.1… As you make the turn from Cabrillo Blvd onto Castillo St, the coastal views transition to those of local shops and restaurants. Remember the wide-open roads? Yeah, this is where they come to an end as you enter Downtown Santa Barbara’s narrower streets. The reduction in road width isn’t too bad, but it’s made worse because the 5k also merges onto the same course at this point. So you’re now faced with a double-whammy of narrower streets and an influx of 5k runners, many of whom are kids or older participants running at much slower paces. It’s a real traffic jam. Oh, and then the second and toughest hill of the course kicks in around Mile 10. Yikes. Despite the downhill/flat ending, it’s really hard to build momentum on the crowded road as you barrel towards the finish line along State Street.

Post-race:

-Was it overly crowded in the final stretch of the race? You betcha. You might expect the road to thin at the finish line, and you’d be wrong! I can’t remember the last time I ran a half marathon where family/friends/crowds were allowed to congregate immediately at the finish line. There was no runners-only chute or any barricade stopping anyone from stepping onto the course right away. Instead of grabbing a medal and then food/water, you’re instead funneled into a messy, jam-packed mass of humanity. I was wandering exhausted and confused, thinking I somehow missed my medal. Instead, I had to shuffle down another block before there were tables set up with all the expected post-race items (medal, water, Kirkland granola bars, Goldfish crackers, Welch’s fruit snacks). What’s odd is that the post-race festival at the Funk Zone, another 2 blocks south on State Street, would seem to be the perfect spot for family/friends to reunite. Instead, anybody and everybody is allowed to crowd the finish line, and then there’s a quiet stretch of road, and THEN the finish festival springs up.
The Funk Zone festival itself is pretty nice, though. Lots of tents for sponsors, lots of goodies from vendors like UCLA Health, Honda, Rabbit, Voli, a photo op van from Hoka, live music from bands, a recovery zone, free beer/kombucha at the beer garden, photo backdrops, and lots of pretty great restaurants. It’s some of the best local businesses that Santa Barbara has to offer.

Scenery/Weather/Support:

-The coastal scenery is really hard to beat: there’s so much blue and green for so much of the race, and even when you enter downtown along State Street, the local bars/shops/restaurants have a really warm, welcoming feel. The local crowd support was great too, and was especially concentrated at the corner of State and Cabrillo. Water and aid stations were good, port-a-potties were plentiful. The weather was mostly sunny and cool, with little cloud cover. I’d recommend sunglasses and/or a hat to ward off the sun. Temperatures ranged from the low-50s in the early morning when I walked to the start line, and rose up to the upper 60s by the time I got to the finish festival.

Swag:

-The official Half Marathon race shirt was a light sea-foam green, long-sleeve shirt in a poly/rayon blend. It features this year’s official logo, designed by local artist DJ Javier, a yellow/orange/teal graphic featuring three runners amidst palm trees. I loved the design, but the shirt material felt too thin. The half marathon medal showed off the same official yellow/orange/teal logo on chunky black metal, looped in a sea foam green ribbon with stylized text and palm trees. There’s an outline on the back if you want to add an iTab with your race time. It’s a medal design that definitely stands out with its beach vibes!

Bottom-line:
-The Santa Barbara Half Marathon has so much going for it: gorgeous ocean views, palm trees galore, green and blue scenery, clear skies, pleasant coastal weather, wonderful community support, and great vibes that combine big race energy with small-town coziness. My issues with the combined 5k route (set it much earlier/later!), and the disorganized finish line are pretty fixable, at which point I could see this race earning a regular spot on my future running calendar.