November brings one of the prettiest road races on the coast. The Monterey Bay Half Marathon starts near Custom House Plaza and runs the shoreline through Monterey and Pacific Grove, a flat, fast course with the water on one side for most of the way.
The weekend is more than the half. Companion 5K and shorter races give every level a start line, and the whole thing has the feel of a community event as much as a competition, with locals lining the route and the field running past Cannery Row and out along the recreation trail. Fall on the Peninsula is often clear and cool, close to ideal running weather.
Registration fills ahead of race weekend, and the point-to-point logistics mean planning your parking and gear-check the night before. The coastal morning is cold at the start and warms as you go, so dress for the finish, not the gun.
Spectating is easy too, since the out-and-back shoreline route means you can post up near Cannery Row and catch the leaders and the back of the pack from the same spot.
Race-weekend details and road closures post to our events calendar, and our Sports coverage follows the local racing scene. For registration and the course map, the Monterey Bay Half Marathon site has the details.