Half Marathon races near Santa Clara

Prepare for a high-energy racing weekend in the heart of Speed City, USA. This event is a Rock 'n' Roll San Jose experience, where the streets become a concert venue and race course. It's a weekend to run, rock, and celebrate, with race-day energy from start to finish. Lace up for an ultra-fast course, known for being flat and built for speed, perfect for chasing personal bests. As you run through the streets, live music plays, turning every mile into a performance. It's a blend of athleticism and entertainment, ensuring a memorable race-day.

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Run sends runners onto the Coastal Trail with a pumpkin waiting for them at the end. It is a race weekend event in Half Moon Bay, California, tied to the Annual Art & Pumpkin Festival, with a Kid's Fun Run, 5K, 10K, and half marathon based around Hatch Elementary School and the Pacific-side trail. Senior Coastsiders hosts it, and the proceeds support programs for local older adults. The route follows coastal paths overlooking the ocean, with rolling but generally fast, flat terrain that works for beginners, fun runners, and people chasing a personal best. The half marathon starts early and has a 3.5-hour cutoff, while the 5K and longer races include chip timing and finisher medals unless runners opt out. The festival side adds the Great Pumpkin Parade, live music, pie-eating contests, costume contests, giant pumpkin displays, and free admission on historic Main Street in the self-styled World Pumpkin Capital.

The Santa Cruz Marathon is a coastal race series held in Santa Cruz, California. Its routes wind along the beach, bluffs, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Participants begin near the historic boardwalk, proceed through seaside streets towards Capitola Village, and then return to Santa Cruz for a finish adjacent to the sand. The half marathon follows a southbound out-and-back course through coastal neighborhoods and Capitola. Marathon participants continue further, incorporating the rugged trails and ocean vistas of Wilder Ranch State Park. The race offers marked courses, hydration stations, on-route support, medals, and refreshments at the finish line.

The Zoom Turkey Trot begins Thanksgiving morning at Hellyer County Park in San Jose. Runners will use the Coyote Creek Trail, with the Buena Vista Pavilion serving as the race hub. The event offers a 5K, 10K, and a USATF-certified half marathon. A free 50-yard Kids Run is available for children aged 6 and under. Starts are staggered throughout the morning, beginning with the Kids Run, followed by the half marathon, 10K, and 5K. Separate 5K and 10K registration categories exist for younger runners, making the event suitable for families and adults seeking a longer holiday run. The course is largely flat, fully marked, and almost entirely paved. The 5K and 10K routes remain on pavement, while the half marathon includes a short single-track section. Aid stations are positioned every 2 to 4 miles, offering fruit, salty snacks, candy, water, and electrolyte drink. The race is cupless; runners must carry their own bottle or cup. Course rules include passing on the left with a callout, keeping headphones off on single track, road crossings, aid stations, and the finish line, and leaving dogs off the course. Participants receive a custom medal, pre-registered runners get shirts, and age-group awards are given to the top three finishers in each category. The top three male and female runners in each distance receive awards and race credits. A literal Thanksgiving prize is also awarded: runners can win a turkey.

Summit Rock is an early-winter trail race in Sanborn County Park, just outside Saratoga in Northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. The series offers a half marathon, 10K, and 5K on forested terrain, with pines, redwoods, oak trees, and miles of single-track trail inside a park of more than 3,600 acres. It is a timed race with electronic chip timing, but walkers and hikers are welcome too, so the field is not limited to runners chasing a fast finish. The half marathon and 10K climb toward peaks, while every distance uses narrow trail under the tree canopy. The terrain is challenging, with enough climbing and descending that new trail runners are encouraged to walk the hills and save energy for flatter or downhill sections. More experienced runners get a tougher mountain-route outing close to Silicon Valley, San Jose, and San Francisco, and all finishers receive custom medals. The race takes its name from Summit Rock, the park peak tied to the event.

The Crystal Springs Trail Run begins at Huddart Park in Woodside, California, leading runners into the wooded paths surrounding King’s Mountain and Bear Gulch. This winter trail race offers distances from a 5-mile run to an ultramarathon, including a half marathon, 22 miles, a marathon, and a 50K. A free 50-yard dash is also available for children aged 6 and under. Established in 2006, the event does not offer prize money, fostering a community atmosphere rather than a professional competition. The course is predominantly unpaved, with approximately 95% of the route on dirt trails, featuring a total elevation gain of 4,810 feet. Participants will traverse redwood forests and areas dense with ferns. The organizers emphasize trail etiquette, requesting runners announce passes, remain on marked paths to avoid poison oak, and refrain from using headphones on single-track sections, road crossings, aid stations, and near the finish line. Bibs indicate each runner's chosen distance, and participants can change their race distance via email or during check-in.

Coyote Hills is a trail race at Coyote Hills Park in Fremont, California, offering half marathon, 10K, and 5K distances. While the park has "hills" in its name, the courses limit climbing, focusing on steady running and varied terrain rather than significant elevation gain. Walkers are welcome, contributing to a broader participant base than a runner-exclusive event. The routes follow the eastern San Francisco Bay shoreline, crossing dirt paths, paved sections, and wooden boardwalks through marshland. Runners will encounter rolling terrain and open bay vistas, with the low Coyote Hills serving as a landmark on the western edge of southern Alameda County. The park holds significant human history; Native peoples have inhabited this region for at least 12,900 to 13,500 years. The Tuibun Ohlone village site, over 2,000 years old, is accessible via naturalist-led programs. Participants also receive complimentary race photos, and sponsors help reduce entry fees.

Bay Breeze begins and ends at San Leandro Marina Park, offering half marathon, 10K, and 5K races on Valentine’s Weekend. This Brazen Racing event, situated on the east side of San Francisco Bay, features a mostly flat bayside trail adjacent to the water. The course suits runners aiming for a fast time, and it welcomes walkers at all distances, including a dedicated Hiker Division. The course traces the shoreline near the marina, providing open views of the bay toward San Francisco and long sections with the water close by. Organizers describe it as a "breeze" relative to Brazen’s steeper Bay Area races, aligning the name with its character. The event has been held for over ten years, attracting more than a thousand finishers across its distances, and has returned to San Leandro Marina Park after previous editions were held in Fremont.

Western Pacific is a Brazen Racing event in Fremont, California, offering 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances. All three races begin and end at Quarry Lakes. The event welcomes runners, walkers, and hikers, not exclusively those aiming for a fast time. The course is largely flat and fast, with enough dirt and gravel to offer a trail-like feel rather than a road race. The route follows the Western Pacific Trail, a path with historical significance. In the 1800s, it transported gravel for the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The 10K and half marathon extend along the Alameda Creek Trail. The majority of the running occurs on dirt fire trails, interspersed with gravel sections and a brief paved segment. Volunteers staff the race, participants receive complimentary photos, and sponsors contribute to keeping entry fees affordable.

The Horseshoe Lake Trail Run is a 13.0-mile trail half marathon situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It begins and concludes at the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve parking lot, located on the west side of Skyline Boulevard. The event takes place on a Sunday, with check-in commencing at 8 am and the race starting at 9 am in the horse trailer lot. The race's informal names offer insight into its character: “There’s always one more hill half marathon” and “Steve Patt’s birthday half marathon.” The course navigates both single-track trails and fireroads, passing through shaded woodlands, open hillsides, and featuring rolling ascents totaling 2,535 feet of elevation gain. Participants will travel northwest along the Bay Area Ridge Trail towards Rapley Ranch Road, descend from the ridge in the direction of the Pacific, ascend once more, and conclude with a clockwise circuit around Cathedral Hill. Proceeds from the entry fee support The Hatuey Project, an organization that supplies medicine to Cuban children battling cancer, with the race director matching each entry-fee donation.

The SPASM Lake Chabot Trail Run begins at the marina in Lake Chabot Regional Park, Castro Valley, California. Runners follow dirt paths around the reservoir and adjacent hills. This is primarily an unpaved trail race, with distances from short runs to the half marathon, marathon, 30K, and 50K. Some editions also include a 2-mile sprint or 8K. The event, established in 2010, caters to those preferring a trail run over a road race. The course encircles Lake Chabot Reservoir, constructed to supply water for the East Bay. Thus, the run takes place around a functional piece of local history, not a venue solely for racing. Approximately 95% of the running occurs on unpaved trails. Organizers use a Rolatape surveyor's wheel for distance measurements. The event accommodates novice trail runners, experienced long-distance participants, and families, offering a free 50-yard kids' dash for children aged six and under.