Congratulations to the Rose Bowl Half Marathon in Pasadena, California — our #1 pick in California on the HalfRuns Editors' Choice 2026 list. This is one of the biggest halfs in the state, and it earned the top spot the honest way: runners keep coming back.
Here is the number that made our editors stop and look twice. 29% of last year's runners had run it before. Close to 3 in 10 people crossed that finish line and decided to do it all again — rare at this size, with about 9,100 finishers a year and runners traveling in from 38 states. Add a USATF-certified course, and next race day on Sunday, January 17, 2027, is already circled on a lot of calendars.
So to the race and everyone who has run it: congratulations. HalfRuns is building a community for half marathon runners and collecting the best races across the country, and this one belongs near the top of the pile.
See where it lands on our full Best Half Marathons in California list, and get the details on the Rose Bowl Half Marathon.