Santa Barbara and the adjoining Santa Ynez Valley offer the ideal destination running experience. Held in early May on Mother’s Day weekend, the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon is the perfect excuse to visit this haven for outdoor recreation. The area has plenty to offer including beach and ocean …
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Santa Barbara and the adjoining Santa Ynez Valley offer the ideal destination running experience. Held in early May on Mother’s Day weekend, the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon is the perfect excuse to visit this haven for outdoor recreation. The area has plenty to offer including beach and ocean activities, hiking, biking and running trails, historic towns and missions, plenty of shopping and restaurant options, and an abundance of wineries and tasting rooms.
Prepare to take a scenic journey on this 13.1-mile course that winds through the Santa Ynez Valley bordered by vineyards and the Sierra Madre Mountains. The course starts in downtown Solvang, then passes through the quaint town of Los Olivos, making its way up Corkscrew Hill before the beautiful run down Ballard Canyon to the grand finish on Copenhagen Drive in the heart of historic Solvang. Along the way you’ll wind through clusters of horse ranches, fruit orchards, lavender farms and vineyards.
Bring your family and friends to enjoy a weekend full of activities in this bucolic setting and celebrate in style at the expanded post-race Wine & Music Festival in Solvang Park. Run the half marathon or the two-person relay. Form a team of six or more. Run with, or for, your mother. But be warned… this race is habit forming and sells out early!
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Misty n magical morning run
The vineyard views are a perfect distraction. The morning breeze, mist, bit of fog & late morning sunshine made for the perfect running conditions. There are 2 hills at the … MORE
The vineyard views are a perfect distraction. The morning breeze, mist, bit of fog & late morning sunshine made for the perfect running conditions. There are 2 hills at the 7 & 10 m mark but otherwise a manageable course. The pre BIB pu n post run celebrations were top notch with noticeable generous champagne & wine pours at both. Family friendly and very clean venue before,during & afterwards. The medal for half was unique in design featuring an encased pressed dried field flower! Bonus: beautiful city of Solvang makes for a great runcation has varied options for dining & Danish baked goods. And if ur into wineries, some of the most picturesque ones just 20 min away in Los Olivos. If you decide to stay overnight, book accommodations at least 6 mos ahead otherwise expect to pay 2x plus more per night! Will run this half again.
Wine Festival with a Half on the Side
Who doesn’t love a wine festival?? Now throw in a half marathon and you have one great day all before noon! But really - this was a really excellent race … MORE
Who doesn’t love a wine festival?? Now throw in a half marathon and you have one great day all before noon!
But really – this was a really excellent race all round. Solvang is a great city to explore. The swag was great. The logistics were easy – shuttle, expo, etc. the size of the race is perfect – enough people to ever be alone but not overcrowded in the course.
Highly recommend signing up for this one!
Another California Must Do Race
This race winds through the wine country of the inland Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara. You stay in Solvang, which is a small Dutch-themed tourist town, but fun with … MORE
This race winds through the wine country of the inland Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara. You stay in Solvang, which is a small Dutch-themed tourist town, but fun with wine tasting rooms throughout the town. The race is really well organized. There is a fun party atmosphere on expo day and post-race. The course comprises of rolling hills. In the middle of the race there is a steep (but short) hill known as “corkscrew hill” but you get a nice long downhill section after the hill and then rolling hills to the finish. The whole event gives a vacation race feel. Fun to bring your spouse or family to.
Fantastic Destination Race!
This is a great destination race for wine enthusiasts and people just looking for a fun getaway. This race starts and ends at the fun town of Solvang, considered the … MORE
This is a great destination race for wine enthusiasts and people just looking for a fun getaway. This race starts and ends at the fun town of Solvang, considered the Danish capital of America with a lot of history and Danish influences to enjoy in its food, shopping and sites. So, a great place to go spend a weekend and do a race!
As for the race itself, it’s a great event and well produced. The best thing about this particular wine country race is that it’s reasonably priced BECAUSE although it includes a post-race wine event (as most wine country races do), it allows you to choose whether you want to participate ($30 more) or not (save $30!). So, if you sign up early enough, it’s a reasonably priced event (for a wine-centered race).
The course is challenging (rolling hills throughout, with a major hill at the midpoint) with great views. My only complaint (about most wine country races) is that those wine country roads are always terrible. Bumpy, potholed, etc. I guess smoothing out country roads is not top of California priority… I spent a lot of time looking down, and even saw a woman trip and fall. So, something to think about.
The medal was absolutely gorgeous and the shirt was meh…a cotton blend and off-white. Seems like races are getting cheap with their shirts, and I wish they were optional.
All in all, highly recommend!
Beautiful and challenging course
I enjoyed this course. I registered for the next year at the finishing festival. The course is really pretty. There is a super tough hill in the middle of the … MORE
I enjoyed this course. I registered for the next year at the finishing festival. The course is really pretty. There is a super tough hill in the middle of the course. It was well supported. The shirts and the medal were nice. I enjoyed the wine festival. Parking was pretty easy. I am looking forward to next year.
Wow what a fun desitination race
Solvang is a fun Danish themed town in the Santa Barbara wine country. Lot's of wine tasting around if that's your thing. the course loops you around about 8 winreies … MORE
Solvang is a fun Danish themed town in the Santa Barbara wine country. Lot’s of wine tasting around if that’s your thing. the course loops you around about 8 winreies with rolling hills. One long hill in the middle called corkscrew hill but after that you cruise all the way back. Cool damp temps for the start
Very beautiful course
This course is a really fun and challenging course, first few miles you have some small hills then it flattens out until just after mile 6 then you get the … MORE
This course is a really fun and challenging course, first few miles you have some small hills then it flattens out until just after mile 6 then you get the monster cork screw and after that it’s really nice run. The expo on Friday gives everyone plenty of time by staying available til 7 so those like myself who come up after work can still get their stuff. Post race is really nice and the wine garden is worth the entry fee if you like to sip wine and overall great place for a Mother’s Day weekend
Awesome weekend
This race was my first time running in Solvang and I did the OC half marathon the weekend before. I honestly didn’t think I would get a better result then … MORE
This race was my first time running in Solvang and I did the OC half marathon the weekend before. I honestly didn’t think I would get a better result then the weekend before but i kept a really steady pace. Really enjoyed the scenery and the atmosphere was awesome right down to the volunteers and all the emergency service workers. I would definitely recommend highly thus event to all my friends and I’m definitely going to come back. Solvang is my wife’s favorite place to stay.
Loved everything about it!
As a first timer doing this race and first timer in Solvang, CA, I had a wonderful experience! From the very detailed information prior to race day to the wine … MORE
As a first timer doing this race and first timer in Solvang, CA, I had a wonderful experience! From the very detailed information prior to race day to the wine tasting expo the day before and wine tasting after the race. I wanted to wear a “costume” for the race and reached out to ensure this wasn’t a problem and I received a response within the hour!
The scenery was beautiful from running through the neighborhood, the little shops and the views when reaching the top of the 7 miles and Al the animals along the way. At the beginning of the race, there is a little incline but no more than .2 of a mile and it kind of evens out and almost a slight decline in elevation. From mile 2-6 it’s a very light incline but feels more flat. There are definitely hills to tackle but personally I found corkscrew hill which is from mile 6.4 to 6.9 not as bad as I anticipated.. it then follows onto some rolling hills but very easy and manageable. The one I found challenging was the last little hill at around mile 11.5-12 probably because it is towards the end of the race where you are simply trying to cross the finish line. Overall, I found the route to be beautiful, well planned and challenging enough. I carry my own hydration pack but there seem to be plenty of water stations and people cheering which was nice. The parking was very accessible, we didn’t arrive until 6:30am and the race started at 7am. I also loved my pics which I purchased in advance with registration, I love my wine glass , (this was an extra charge for the wine festival at the end of the race) and the medal is very cool as the windmill spins. Overall experience was great and absolutely looking forward to next year’s race!
Run Sip Solvang
This was my first time participating in the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon and it will not be my last. Packet pick-up runs from 1 - 7 pm on … MORE
This was my first time participating in the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon and it will not be my last.
Packet pick-up runs from 1 – 7 pm on Friday in Solvang Park. You can pay $25 to be able to pick-up your packet on race morning.
On race morning, there are multiple parking and shuttle options. I opted to park and take one of the shuttles from Buellton. There were only a few other people on my bus. Perhaps later buses were more crowded.
The course starts and finishes in Solvang and is a loop. The first half is goes gently uphill with a large climb around the halfway point. You are then rewarded with several miles of gentle rolling downhill before one more climb in the final stretch. The scenery was absolutely beautiful as you run through vineyards and fields with horses and cows. I enjoyed the views the entire time. My only complaint is that much of the road needed to be repaved. At times, it was uncomfortable to run on.
Participants have the option of purchasing entry into the wine festival after the race. As I remember, it was $25 when registering or $45 on race day. If you enjoy wine, I highly recommend attending the festival. Participants received a wine glass and were able to taste wines from a nice selection of local wineries. For non-wine drinkers – Boochcraft Kombucha, Kona Brewing Company, Golden Road Brewing Company and Michellob Ultra were also at the festival.
The festival went until Noon. The last bus to Buellton also left at Noon. They made multiple announcements of the last bus. Since I had been drinking, I decided to stay in Solvang and have lunch. I figured I would take an Uber or a Lyft back to Buellton once I was ready to go home. This ended up being a mistake on my part. There were very few Uber and Lyft drivers in the area. I ended up waiting over 45 minutes to get an Uber. I will plan better next time.
Overall, this was a fantastic experience. Motiv puts on a quality race. I can’t wait to run it again next year.
Stress-free and beautiful scenery!
Love this race! Easy packet pickup with swag you'd actually want to use (t-shirt, oatmeal, discounts for related races, reusable tote). Easy-to-find start line and plentiful aid stations throughout course … MORE
Love this race! Easy packet pickup with swag you’d actually want to use (t-shirt, oatmeal, discounts for related races, reusable tote). Easy-to-find start line and plentiful aid stations throughout course with friendly, energetic volunteers. Course has some hills, but manageable – lots of gorgeous scenery, quiet and peaceful with very little car traffic (and great traffic control ready and waiting). Smooth finish line with just what you need (banana, water, FULL-SIZE parmesan crisps!) – quality medal and even a cute flower to make the race that much more charming.
This was my second time on the course, and would definitely do it again. It’s less expensive than similar races and the value and care you receive is amazing!
Fun and nice views!!!
Don’t stop running! Race had the best views of wineries and vineyards! The hills weren’t too bad. I wish there were more vendors at the expo. It was very minimal. … MORE
Don’t stop running! Race had the best views of wineries and vineyards! The hills weren’t too bad. I wish there were more vendors at the expo. It was very minimal.
First half-marathon and not the last
I really enjoyed my first half-marathon! It is a really nice race with a pleasant scenery. The organization was ok and the refreshment posts well located. MORE
I really enjoyed my first half-marathon!
It is a really nice race with a pleasant scenery.
The organization was ok and the refreshment posts well located.
What a stunning race…with a wine garden
This race is full of wonderful runners all out to have a good time. Relaxed good spirit vibes. I’d say grab 3 friends and sign up. Plus it has a … MORE
This race is full of wonderful runners all out to have a good time. Relaxed good spirit vibes. I’d say grab 3 friends and sign up. Plus it has a relay if people only want to run half. I’m adding this to my yearly races. Very cute town that you start and others you run into.
Wine country race
Due to COVID, this race was postponed to October, but it still had nice wine country scenery. From the city center of Solving the first half was steady uphill, but … MORE
Due to COVID, this race was postponed to October, but it still had nice wine country scenery. From the city center of Solving the first half was steady uphill, but nothing too steep. After the relay transition point at Los Olivos, a corkscrewed up hill killed my legs. The second half was steady downhill, except for the last small up hill before the goal.
Great Run & Fun Event
Expo was easy. Shuttle to & from was convenient. Plenty of water stations. Loved there was Nuun & water to pick from. Great volunteers...friendly & helpful. Beautiful scenery. Fun wine … MORE
Expo was easy. Shuttle to & from was convenient. Plenty of water stations. Loved there was Nuun & water to pick from. Great volunteers…friendly & helpful. Beautiful scenery. Fun wine event afterwards. Cannot wait until 2022!!
Beautiful Hilly Course
This course is a stunning run. It is hilly, especially in the later mileage. That being said it is worth it once you reach the top & get to see … MORE
This course is a stunning run. It is hilly, especially in the later mileage. That being said it is worth it once you reach the top & get to see the sprawling wineries. Solvang is a cute & fun getaway for a weekend race vacation. I will definitely run this race again.
Good race overall
-Biggest Con to me was the post race wine fest was crowded and in way to small of a space. -A few killer hills but good views. -Expo was lacking … MORE
-Biggest Con to me was the post race wine fest was crowded and in way to small of a space.
-A few killer hills but good views.
-Expo was lacking
-Race communication was good
-loved that it was 70% women running
Can’t beat the scenery
This is a beautiful scenic race. We were accommodated with a bus from our hotel and the event was well organized. Begin and end in Solvang - which is nice … MORE
This is a beautiful scenic race. We were accommodated with a bus from our hotel and the event was well organized. Begin and end in Solvang – which is nice to explore after the race. The only complaint was how packed and condensed the wine festival was afterwards – a lot of people packed into a small area and the lines were long to sample drinks. Also, I think the best thing was running through the Fall scenery – not sure how it is in May. I’d definitely do this race again!
Must run race
Most beautiful race! Some steep hills, but the atmosphere keeps your chugging along. The weather is always amazing regardless of May or October. Must have race for anyone. MORE
Most beautiful race! Some steep hills, but the atmosphere keeps your chugging along. The weather is always amazing regardless of May or October. Must have race for anyone.