The race — which saw just over 1,200 runners cross the finish line in both races combined in 2016, including more than 615 finishers in the half marathon alone — follows an out-and-back course that starts and finishes at the part of the park known as North Beach, near the northwestern end of the boomerang- or V-shaped island.
From there, the course heads first onto the park roadways and trails through the forested areas around North Beach.
After runners make their way through the first three miles of the course and head back toward the starting area, the race then makes a left turn and heads south. The next stretch unfolds all the way down to the southernmost end of the island and turns left again, to head out to its easternmost point.
Throughout most of this very flat and fast out-and-back stretch, runners will have views of the white-sand beaches and the ocean on either side of the road.
Runners will finish the race back at North Beach — and because the race will be run on roads where there is minimal car traffic, there is no course time limit for the race. In order to avoid the warmest weather of the day (and the brightest sunlight), the race will start shortly after 7:00 AM.