Welcome to San Diego for America’s Finest City Half Marathon. Bright and sunny San Diego, famous for its year-round moderate temperatures and virtually cloudless skies, is the setting for this point-to-point road race that takes runners from the majestic views of the historic Cabrillo National Monument overlooking the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay to the green, expansive meadows of Balboa Park, whose 1,200 acres are home to 15 museums including the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
The course for the race takes runners entirely on paved surfaces through city streets, starting at the Cabrillo Monument. From there, the course takes runners down Cabrillo Memorial Drive through the Fort Rosencras National Cemetery, through an area that is one of the nation’s oldest military outposts, dating back to the 1850s.
Along this early stretch of the race, runners also pass the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, which stood watch over the bay for nearly 40 years until it was retired in 1891 due to the point’s constant fog, which obscured its light beacon. Today, the lighthouse remains largely as it was in the 1880s, and adds to the point’s authentic appeal.
Once runners descend the monument and Fort Rosencras area, the course next takes a turn through the Point Loma and La Playa neighborhoods, where spectators are usually out in droves to cheer on those running in the race, some even with hoses and sprinklers to cool everyone down.
