The 34th running of the La Jolla Half Marathon, which raises tens of thousands of dollars for local charities each year, will be Sunday, April 26, kicking off at 7:30 a.m.
The race features thousands of runners negotiating the grueling, partly uphill 13-mile trek from Del Mar Fairgrounds to La Jolla Cove.
Begun in 1981 as a fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla, the race has grown into one of the more prestigious in the country, with scores of runners descending on La Jolla the last Sunday in April to participate.
La Jolla’s Half Marathon is part of the trio of scenic Southern California half marathons, along with the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon & Half in January and the America’s Finest City Half Marathon in August, which form the ViaSat Half Marathon Triple Crown.
Longtime La Jolla Kiwanian Don Hodges noted nearly 40 groups and organizations, many youth oriented, benefit from race proceeds. Benefiting groups include but are not limited to Meals on Wheels, the Athenaeum Music & Art Library, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of San Diego County, Inc., La Jolla YMCA, Challenged Athletes, San Diego Humane Society, La Jolla Christmas Parade, the Warrior Foundation, Alpha Project, La Jolla Youth Baseball, SNAP, La Jolla Foundation-Sparkle and Shine, Braille Institute, La Jolla Symphony and the Home of Guiding Hands.
The half marathon has evolved into the largest annual fundraising event for the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla. Proceeds come back to the community in the form of scholarships, grants to school music programs, support for veterans programs and supplementary funding for the Meals-on-Wheels program, to name a few.
For those seeking a less demanding Sunday morning, the La Jolla Shores 5K offers similarly picturesque vistas en route from La Jolla Shores Beach to Scripps Park. Although registration for the half marathon is closed, last-minute participants can still register for the 5K.
Medals will be awarded to the top five finishers in each age class in the half marathon, with championship trophies awarded to the first open-division male and female finishers overall.
The awards ceremony will take place at the finish line at Scripps Park at 10 a.m. To add to the celebratory atmosphere, a beer garden will also be open at 10 a.m. for guests and participants 21 and older.
As with all public sports events, the half marathon will bring a certain level of inconvenience to the community. On race morning, some streets will be closed off from 5 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Kiwanis is a nondenominational, nonsectarian service organization with the stated mission to serve the children of the world.
For more information about the Half Marathon, visit lajollahalfmarathon.com or call (858) 454-0777.
For more information about the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla, or to arrange for a visit to the club’s weekly meeting on Fridays at La Jolla Presbyterian Church, call (858) 454-1239.