San Diego Holiday Half Marathon & 5K
Race Date
Dec 19, 2026
Location
San Diego, CA
The Experience
The San Diego Holiday Half Marathon is a fast 13.1-mile course that starts on Penasquitos Drive in front of the Hotel Karlan (formerly, the Doubletree Golf Resort) then travels SW along Carmel Mountain Rd (your only ‘real’ hill at mile 1.5), along the 56 bike path and finishes at the beautiful Torrey Pines State Beach (pictured above!). The race includes a 711-foot net elevation drop along the “rolling” downhill bike path, which also makes it a personal best candidate. This popular winter half has been a sell-out event every year. Get your end-of-the-year PR!!!
Logistics
Race Day
Saturday, December 19, 2026
Start Time
7:30 AM
Giveaway
T-Shirt
Start Location
14455 Penasquitos Rd, San Diego, CA, 92129
Course Info
Course Type
Loop Course
Terrain
road
Difficulty
Ultra-Flat
Elevation Gain
0'
Net Drop/km
0 m (Flat)
Separation
0.0%
Also Offers
Quality Score
Runner Favorite8813 years running
~2,360 finishers a year
shrinking
30% returning runners
2 timing sources · 9 photos
runners from 39 states
winner 1:04:22
typical high 65°F
Race Day Weather
5-year historical avgStart (Low)
47°
Afternoon (High)
65°
Pleasant conditions — light layers at start, comfortable by finish
0.1"
Precipitation
8 mph
Wind
72%
Humidity
Historical Finish Times
How 29,303 finishers actually crossed the line across 13 years.
Most recent
2025
Total finishers
29,303
Median time
2:01:25
Latest turnout
2,283
States
51
Turnout by year
2018–2025
Hover the histogram to inspect specific finish times.
Race Photos
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