San Diego Holiday Half Marathon & 5K

San Diego Holiday Half Marathon & 5K is run in San Diego, California, on December 19, 2026, with the half marathon (13.1 miles) and the 5K both starting at 7:30 a.m. The half begins on Penasquitos Drive in front of the Hotel Karlan and heads southwest along Carmel Mountain Road, with the one real climb arriving around mile 1.5. From there the route joins the 56 bike path and drops to the finish at Torrey Pines State Beach, a net descent of roughly 710 feet.

That profile is the whole point: a fast, largely downhill course built for personal bests, and the race has a reputation for selling out because of it. If you want the time, rehearse downhill running in training rather than only flat miles, because quads that have not been taught to brake will complain well before mile 10. A twelve-week build with one long run a week and a couple of sustained tempo efforts is enough, and entering early matters more here than at most December halves.