The 31st annual America’s Finest City Half-Marathon and its companion 5K run around Balboa Park return to San Diego on Sunday, Aug. 17, with thousands of runners, athletes and amateur competitors blazing a trail through Point Loma and Downtown.
The 5K run around Balboa Park begins at 6:45 a.m., while the half-marathon starts at 7 a.m.
The larger event, the 3-hour half-marathon, starts from Cabrillo National Monument, continuing up North Harbor Drive. The runners circle around San Diego Bay and finish the 13.1-mile race in Balboa Park.
“Many people enjoy it and keep coming back, and it’s recognized around the country as a top event,” said race director Neil Finn.
About 8,000 marathoners running through Point Loma and Downtown are expected to affect traffic during race.
The course is closed to vehicular traffic in phases and opened as the runners complete each estimated 14-minute mile, according an AFC Half-Marathon statement.
Finn has been involved with the half-marathon since its inception 31 years ago and purchased the race from the American Lung Association in 1999.
Finn now organizes the race throughout the year, he said.
It takes more than $450,000 to fund the race.
Last year, the event raised about $150,000 for nonprofit charities, according to published reports.
Though registration for the events are now closed, more than 9,500 runners raise money for charities like the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and San Diego Habitat for Humanity.
Several corporations also sponsor charitable donations, Finn said.
As part of the weekend events, the AFC Fitness Expo at Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina will provide health information and activities Friday, Aug. 15 from noon to 7 p.m.
For more information, visit www.afchalf.com.