Congratulations to the Carlsbad Marathon, named #4 in California on our HalfRuns Editors' Choice 2026 list. Set in Carlsbad, California, this one earns its spot the old-fashioned way: runners from 51 states and territories make the trip for a January race on the coast north of San Diego. When people travel from every corner of the country to run your course, that says something.
Our editors picked it as the destination race — 20% of last year's runners had run it before, about 3,500 finishers turn out a year, and the course is USATF-certified. The next race day is Sunday, January 17, 2027. We're building a community for half marathon runners and collecting the best races across the country, and Carlsbad belongs on that short list.
See where it lands among the rest: Best Half Marathons in California.