Race Review: San Diego Santa Run

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I may have mentioned the second half of 2019 was all about novelty races for me. My schedule and training limited my distances, but there are plenty of offbeat 5ks and 10ks here in my hometown of San Diego that I hadn't tried. 

 One of the big ones was the annual Santa Run in downtown Pacific Beach this past weekend. Just blocks from the Crystal Pier and boardwalk, this is truly a race for anyone and everyone. I walked it with my nephew and a friend and always had plenty of company because this race is big, as in 4000+ participants, all dressed in similar Santa Claus costumes.

 Getting there: Locals know it can be hard to find parking in PB, especially on weekends. Throw in road closures for the race and subsequent holiday parade and, well, welcome to San Diego. We assumed I'd be circling for on-street parking at least a half mile away on some side street. Then I turned the corner and found a spot one block from the start and finish on Garnet and Cass! Now, if you don't have the parking gods looking out for you, know there are several paid lots close to the race too. They were full by 8 a.m., an hour before the start.


The course: The course is relatively flat and involves two out-and-back sections, first heading east on Garnet through the business district for the first mile, and then going up and back on Cass for the remaining two miles. It's not that scenic but in both, as you turn to head back, the slight incline provides a cool view of thousands of bobbing Santas in front of you. It's a nice, slight downhill finish. 

 I do want to mention the start done in waves. First are the competitive runners with chipped timing. Then are the Jogging Santas who are running but not for time. Then comes the biggest wave that we were in: Walking/Strolling Santas. We were at the head of that wave and waited 20 minutes to take off. Thankfully we had excellent weather and entertained ourselves taking selfies and waving to overhead drones.


The swag: Along with a cute running bib, each entrant is given a Santa suit, santa hat, sunglasses and beard. The kids get just a hat for their race, which is how I ended up donating part of my gear to my nephew who ended up doing our race instead of his. The suits come in two sizes: petite/small and standard. Not knowing what to expect, my friend and I got the standard issued suits and were swallowed up. The material is cheap but will keep you warm. I opted out of the shorts, fearing the flimsy drawstring belt would break at a most inopportune moment. 

 There's bottled water and bananas at the finish line, and vendors giving out freebies. The beer garden was packed by 10 a.m. You do have a drink ticket on your bib that can be redeemed at some of the local bars throughout the day. There's also a virtual goodie bag with some decent discounts.

This was definitely different and fun to do. I'd recommend it for the novelty, especially if you're having trouble getting in the holiday spirit. I didn't find a single participant who wasn't in a jolly ol' good mood.

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