Santa Clarita Marathon Showcases City’s Trails and Paseos

Mayor ProTem Laurene Weste
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Everyone is invited to the annual Santa Clarita Marathon, presented by Parkway Motorcars. On Sunday, November 6, more than 5,000 local and visiting runners will race along Santa Clarita’s picturesque trails and paseos.

The 2016 Santa Clarita Marathon includes the Marathon, a Half Marathon, a 5K Run, presented by Boston Scientific, the Mayor’s Walk with Mayor Bob Kellar and a Kid K Fun Run, presented by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The Santa Clarita Marathon is an official qualifying race for the prestigious Boston Marathon and includes race participants from around the world. The 2015 Marathon had participants from 21 different states and six different countries. The Marathon allows us the opportunity to showcase our beautiful City to thousands of visitors from around the globe.

Runners completing the Marathon route will traverse a total of 26.2 miles through the City. Eighty percent of the route is along the City’s scenic trails and culminates at the finish line at Westfield Valencia Town Center. The Half Marathon will follow the same course, but will break away after mile 12 for a 13.1 mile finish at Westfield Valencia Town Center.

Not quite ready for a full or half marathon? The 5K is a great option! Participants will follow a 3.1 mile course starting and ending at Westfield Valencia Town Center. And, if you prefer to walk, join Mayor Bob Kellar for the annual three-mile Mayor’s Walk.

Young runners can get in on the fun of the Marathon too! The Kid K Fun Run is a non-competitive event that follows a safe, quarter-mile course. This event is open to kiddos under the age of 12. Parents, you are welcome to accompany small children or cheer them on at the finish line.

Another aspect of the Marathon is the Santa Clarita Marathon’s Final Mile Challenge, presented by Kaiser Permanente. The program is led by local schools and is designed to help students learn the importance of exercise, healthy eating and setting and completing goals as they train to run the final mile of the Santa Clarita Marathon.

Prior to the Marathon, the City gets into the racing spirit by hosting the annual Health and Fitness Expo, presented by Boston Scientific, on Saturday, November 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Town Center Drive at Westfield Valencia Town Center. The new expanded expo is free and open to the public and will have a variety of exhibitor booths featuring the latest on health and fitness trends. All athletes will need to pick up their race packets at the Health and Fitness Expo.

And if you’d like to be involved in the Marathon without breaking a sweat, consider volunteering. Did you know that over 40,000 cups of water and Gatorade are handed out by dedicated volunteers along the Santa Clarita Marathon course? Many attendees say one of the best parts about the race is the volunteers. To find out more about volunteering, visit SantaClaritaVolunteers.com .

All races will begin at 7 a.m., with the exception of the Mayor’s Walk at 7:05 a.m. and the Kid K beginning at 8 a.m.

If you haven’t registered – don’t worry, you can still register for all events online at SCMarathon.org or in person at the Health and Fitness Expo on Saturday, November 5. Registering in advance online will save you the $10 processing fee. And unfortunately, registration will not be available on race day.

Come on out, have some fun, join the big run!  I wish you the best, whether this is your first time at the Santa Clarita Marathon or your tenth. To view full course maps, road closures, parking information or registration and pricing for each race, visit SCMarathon.org.

Laurene Weste is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council and can be reached at: [email protected].

 

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