I've been running this course since it was the Santa Monica 5000, and it's still one of my favorites. There's just something about an oceanside race that never gets old--great energy, beautiful views, and a course that feels both fun and fast. I especially love that the 10K is now part of the Conquer LA Challenge! That adds an extra layer of motivation and makes race day feel even more special. The whole event has such a strong community vibe, whether you're racing hard or just soaking it all in. Only wish? That the LA Marathon would bring its finish line back to Santa Monica. There's nothing quite like ending a race by the ocean read more

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I started on my running journey about a year ago. I initially started to help with losing weight, and found out I really love the running sport. I'm more of a back of the pack solo runner so I would mostly run on my treadmill. Of course as I got more into running, i started following other people in the running community on social media. Eventually, I decided I wanted to sign up for my first 5K. Living in Los Angeles my whole life, I knew I wanted my first event to be local. I am so happy I signed up for the Santa Monica Classic. It was an amazing event. Running by the beach was beautiful and ending at the pier was amazing. It was great weather and a great course and I could not think of anything more perfect to have done my first 5k with. Now, as I'm doing this review, I'm addicted to the training and running these races. I have done 3 5K's and will be doing my first 10k in 2 months. Then on to half marathons and hopefully a marathon. read more

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I've been criticized for running away from problems. Maybe that's true. But, at an event like the Santa Monica Classic, running helped me channel my rage into something productive and set a new PR - 49m28s! You can normally find me running along the beach path twice a week in the mornings, so I've already been spoiled by the amazing views of the ocean in Santa Monica. The 10K course is decent, but has limited views of the water since you're running along Main and Ocean - roads on the cliffs above the beach itself. There is a gradual incline from mile 1-4, but this was barely noticeable compared to some hilly courses I've done (like the Firecracker 10K). Water stations were evenly spaced throughout the course, but some of the volunteers needed to be a little more coordinated when handing out cups. The weather is almost always perfect in Santa Monica, but the late start time (8:30AM) meant that it was already warm when the race commenced. Compared to other races, check-in and post-race festivities are fairly low key. It's not necessary to pick-up your bib on Saturday unless you're looking for freebies, as there's plenty of time and space to grab your bib before the run on Sunday morning. (There was more stuff at the post-race area on the Pier as well.) I thought parking would be a nightmare, but it was easy to get in and out of one of the garages by the Promenade. When choosing where to park, note that the Promenade garages are closer to the finish line (SM Pier) while the beach lots are closer to the start line (Barnard Way). There were a few things that would have made this better: 1) bag check for people choosing to take public transportation; and 2) staggered start times so you're not weaving around walkers, strollers, and others with poor race etiquette. Otherwise, this was a decent race, and I'm glad I did it for and by myself. But, I probably wouldn't necessarily do it if I weren't doing the Conqur LA challenge. #runningfrommyproblems # roadtoLAmarathon read more

Santa Monica Classic - 2017 medal - Races & Competitions Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I can't think of anything better than a great run through Santa Monica and the usually sold out Santa Monica Classic is a great way to do it. Race Day morning was pretty laid back considering the amount of runners in this race. The race day bib pickup is a definite plus and was well organized and quick. You have 2 choices for parking, either close to the start line at Ocean View Park, or closer to the finish line by the Santa Monica Pier. Either way, it's about a mile in between the two. I personally opt to park in one of the structures closer to the finish and then take the one mile walk to the starting line area as my warm-up. Other than perhaps the first mile and the turn up on San Vicente, the course is within view of the ocean. It's a nice course, just not very exciting. It's pretty much an out and back. My only critique would be that the races start a little too late. The 5K started at 8:00am and the 10K at 8:30. It's still pretty warm in September and the course gets even warmer running UP San Vicente. Plenty of course support for the short races with water with post-race hydration and food at the finish line festival located on the world famous Santa Monica Pier. Medals are always nice and well done. A short sleeve tech shirt also given with registration and race day bib pick up is available for FREE! This race also happens to be one of the three races that comprise the Conqur LA Challenge. The Pasadena Half Marathon and the Skechers LA Marathon are the other two. read more

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The race: A fairly easy 5k & 10k route, no hills or major inclines. A decent size local race organized by the group that runs the LA Marathon, the participant numbers cap off around 4000 people. It's a good race for beginners that want to get that first race under their belt, and good for experienced runners trying to get a PR time in an official race since the course is mostly flat. Leading up to the race the Conqur group & race sponsor Sketchers held free training/fun runs to get people prepared for the race. The end of each training run had guest speakers from Kaiser to give health and fitness tips/advice & Sketchers held a raffle where they gave away race entries, shoes, magic bullets, etc... Expo: The pre race expo/bib pick up was small local even with a few sponsors. The post race expo was on the Santa Monica pier with a few bigger sponsors & some good games to play to win prizes. Parking was pretty much everywhere, your best bet it to park in one of the structures close to the pier/finish line. The start line is a mile away from the finish line so you'll have a long walk back after the race if you park by the start line. Realistically the long walk to the start line before the race is a decent warm up. read more

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So glad that the Santa Monica 5K/10K Classic is back in 2015! The Santa Monica race was held in mid-May from 2006 to 2013, but returned in mid-September in 2015. Benefitting the Santa Monica Educational Foundation, this race has one of the most scenic and beautiful race courses in Southern California. Running definitely doesn't feel like a chore especially when going down Ocean Boulevard with views of the Pacific right next to you. Start line is located at Ocean View Park and the finish line is located at iconic Santa Monica Pier. The 5k course is a nice and short run for beginners, and I suggest registering for the 10K course if you want a more challenging course. The first two thirds of the 10K course goes at a steady but slight uphill grade. Almost stopped to catch my breath during the first two thirds of the 10K, only to be saved by the remaining downhill third of the course. Happy to have accomplished my goal of finishing a 10K in under an hour at the Santa Monica Classic! For race day, there's plenty of parking available on adjacent residential streets and city-owned structures, but come early. We parked in the city-owned structure right by Third Street promenade, which was about a 20-minute walk to the start line, but a very short walk from the finish line! Also, shirts are not handed out at bib pick-up before the race, but rather after the race, so there's really no need to do your bib pick-up the day before. read more

Santa Monica Classic - Races & Competitions Near Me - Los Angeles, California

My first Santa Monica Classic Run and it was a smooth 5K with my 7 year old daughter. I'm glad we've tried it. 9/13/15. It was a very warm and humid day and the water stop was at Mile 2. There was no difficult elevation at all. Smooth process. Started on time. Next time,I will park close to the finish line which is a mile away from the start. The expo was at the SM Pier. There were many stuff that they were giving away but the line was ridiculous and with the heat? No,thank you. We claimed our bling and shirt and we walked away. Overall,the challenge was the heat not the course itself. ;) read more

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The Santa Monica Classic has been a perennial sell-out since it became one of the three legs of the Conqur LA challenge. The other two being the Pasadena Half and the LA Marathon. The SM Classic has a 5k and 10k option. The race is well organized. There were plenty of water stations along the way. There's not much of a crowd support but not atypical of a shorter race. Here are a few key things to note: - Race start (near Venice) is about 1.5 miles south of the finish line. The final 2 miles is the same as the LA Marathon finish at the SM Pier. - Parking is available either at the start or the finish. Parking fee is $12. Plan to arrive 60 minutes before the start to avoid parking issues. - The 5K starts 30 minutes before the 10K. You'd think it's the other way around but probably done this way to disperse the 5K crowd from the finish festival before the 10K runners show-up. - You pick up your shirt after the race at the festival. - For the 10K, a flat beginning becomes a gradual uphill until the turnaround at mile 4 on San Vicente. It's a grind, both mentally and physically, even though the total climb is only about 250 ft. - The finish festival is on the SM Pier. There's a band cranking and the usual booths you'll find at most races. read more

Not sure how many road runners are checking Yelp for reviews, but thought I would at least take a shot. I've raced this a few times now. The 2023 race was tough - very warm & humid. I like the course (although there is more elevation gain / loss than most people expect for a beach-town race!). I am deducting two stars simply because the finish line / exit was horrible - you get the medal right as you exit the race, but t-shirt & nutrition are over at the pier and the line to get those items was insanely long - at least 20+ minutes. read more

Wow! Sold out this year. After all the years I've done the SMC, never had it be sold out status. This is a nice and fairly flat 10K course. Bib pick-up is a breeze. Lots of volunteers and great community support. Used to benefit Heal The Bay, not sure where the fees go now. Very diverse participant pool. Wish they would consider wave starts cuz letting the floodgates open means EVERYONE goes at the same time and you have strollers, peeps darting in and out (esp at the beginning) which makes it feel like a free-for-all and kinda dangerous. Expo is too crowded and loud (you have to pick up your tshirt at the post-race expo). Lines like crazy and there's no direction...didn't really enjoy the expo. A bit disorganized but overall an OK race in my book! read more

I ran in this event last weekend, I signed up for the 10k which kicks off at 8am, there is also a 5k segment that started earlier at 7:30am. Because of this, the starting area was not that packed and I was able to stretch on the grass area right next to the starting line. The course starts just south of the Ocean Park and Barnard Way intersection. The course snakes through Santa Monica (Barnard Way, Main Street , Colorado, Ocean Ave, San Vicente Blvd). The turnaround is up San Vicente Blvd at 11th street, where the 10kers turnaround and head to the finish line at the Santa Monica Pier. Freebies included Vitamin water, organic bananas/apples, raisins, fruit bars, Coke Zero, POM Pomegranate juice, and Powerbar. I saw several people with eco-friendly Heal the Bay bags but they were out when I got there. The free Nike dri-fit t-shirts were nice. Overall I had a good time and all for a good cause, Heal the Bay. They had a cool display with ocean life which included a sea urchin, crabs, starfishes, and jellyfishes. read more

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Another great way to start a Sunday morning! The weather was perfect, the organization was wonderful. They honored the $10 discount to all 5k runners who requested it, due to the non-marking of the turn around point which added about another mile for some of us during last year's run. Great spectators who cheer for any/everyone at the finish line. Minus 2 stars for letting the "Under 21 Division" start at the front of the 5k. Another nightmare similar to the one we experienced during the City of Angles 1/2 Marathon. These brats made it a point to spend most of the time zig-zagging and sudden-stopping all over the place which really slowed people down, not to mention how unsafe it was trying not trip trip over them and trying to refrain from punching them. The 5 star rating is because everything else about this race is awesome! The expo rocks! The NIKE t-shirts are fantastic! Great music. Lots of goodies from Whole Foods (bananas, apples, granola bars, raisins, POM Pomegranate Juice), Free Photo booth hosted by POM, Coke Zero, Vitamin Water, Powerade, and water being passed out. Heal the Bay giving away bags. Most important: This race supports one of my favorite causes: HEAL THE BAY If you didn't get to do it this year, please join the fun next year! Cheers! read more

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This was my first year doing this race for the Tour LA 5K challenge. This was also the first time I've never picked up my bib ahead of time. All of the races I've done before, we got our shirt at bib pickup. For the Santa Monica Classic, I ended up parking my car around 0705. I was registered for the 5K and it took me about fifteen minutes to walk to the start/bib pickup. I was in that line forever! And there were probably at least 30 people in front of me. It felt so disorganized. I think there should've been separate tables for 5K's, 10K's or by last name or something. Also, they were using smart phones to scan the code in our email but I think the reception wasn't that great. It probably would've been easier had they just printed out a list since the race had sold out. This is why I docked off a star. I think I was one of the last 5K people to start! I had a late start too! Anyway, the course itself was pretty easy. It was clean and clearly labeled. Water stations were easy to get to. One thing that irked me was that the first place 10K person was coming up behind me and I was to the right already but a motorcycle cop came blaring down and yelling on his loudspeaker for people to move and he was so rude! Absolutely unnecessary! The finish was nice. Got a bottled water and muscle milk with my medal. It was a short walk to the finish line festival at the pier. Kaiser was giving out bags that had two carrots. That was random. Then I went to get my free shirt. Easy, no lines. The vendors there were decent but I did think the finish line festival was small for a race that size. Anywho, I'll probably do this race again next year. Definitely sign up early because it sells out quickly! read more

Great race, fun race, beautiful setting, so many runners, only slightly disorganized, good choice to start us in waves. There was good support along the course and it was very well marked. I'll return next year. BTW, be sure to register early because they sold out and pick up your bib the day before because day of race is chaotic. read more

Santa Monica Classic - About to start the 2017 race - Races & Competitions Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I signed up for this race earlier this year with my boyfriend. We could not wait to run it, and had been training together. Unfortunately the Friday before the race our family relative passed away very unexpectedly. We decided to go be with our family during this difficult time in Northern California. On our drive up, I emailed the race coordinators to see if we could have our race refunded or receive a credit for a future race. We received a short and curt email saying that our fees could not be refunded or redirected per the registration guidelines. While I understand why rules such as these are created, I was extremely disappointed with how the organization handled the situation and with their lack of compassion during a difficult time. We will not be participating in a future Santa Monica Classic. read more

This race deserves more stars for the beauty of running near the beach. However, I attended the 5k in 2008 and the course was poorly marked. Instead of there being a turn around point...people either turned where it was marked online to turn (if you went online pre-race to see the course) or they turned where they chose. I turned where the cop said to...unfortunately this meant running a 7k instead of a 5k. Some people ran 5k's some 7k's, all were clocked for the same race even though people behind me most of the race came out in front. This was my first race and unfortunately I'll have nothing to compare it to because it's in the air how far anyone ran. This was the third annual race and it was attended by thousands of people. Very poor management and organization. They didn't have all the mile markers or timings..it was basically just follow the crowd where ever they may run. People were yelling at me to turn in the right place but everyone around me kept running. I would have turned had I known why these people were yelling to turn at California but I didn't know who they were or why they were yelling that so I kept going following the markings (or non-markings). At the end they had water and handouts and food but unfortunately no bag. The start and finish were 3/4 to a mile apart which meant you'd have to walk either before the race or after. If you walked after you carried your bananas, power bars, handouts and whatever else you grabbed in your arms...for a mile!!! read more

SaMo Classic, you kicked my ass. My knees hurt and my hip felt like it was 70 years old. But I finished, and it was awesome. Can't wait til next year to do it all over again! read more

Nice course, with a small enough size to keep things a bit easier in terms of race day logistics, but big enough that you're not cheated on the basic amenities you expect. Water stations were a lot smaller then I was expecting, but then again, it isn't the LA Marathon size crowd that I'm usually used to. Good thing I brought my own drinks to supplement what they were giving out. Cool shirts and medals, and extra star because they let you run with strollers. Only thing I'd change is to allow strollers start further up. Narrow lanes on some of the street means I had to do a lot of weaving to pass up a lot of the slower runners. Most were responsive and let me pass, but the ones who had headphones in, or were just oblivious were frustrating to get by. read more

Well-organized run. Perfect overcast weather. Good crowd, but didn't feel too crowded at the start line where runners push and shove one another. Freebies at the expo included pinkberry (such a long long line though), POM juice, water bottles, almonds, bars. Free unisex dry fit shirt although the shirt is a bit too wide for females. Planning to make this an annual run for me. read more

I'm a fan of the course for sure. However, I'm disappointed that they ran out of sunglasses and, most importantly, they ran out of food!! I was famished by the time I finished the 10k. I saw everyone eating bananas and oranges and made a bee line to the stand but they were completely out of everything!!! What the.....??? Not cool especially since this was not a cheap run. BTW - This is for the 5/20/12 run. I would have given it 5-stars was it not for the lack of food. I'll be back next year. Hopefully they figure it out by then. read more

Great course, fist half is steadily uphill. I would definetly do this 10k again. The T- shirt s*****!, I guess they went away from the tech shirt. All in all a good time. read more

One of the best places on earth. To live by the sea adds years too your life they say. Santa Monica pier has it all. Food live entertainment a amusement over the ocean fun bike paths, lots of excitement. If you ever find yourself in southern California definitely worth checking it out read more

The Good: - Race is generally well organized, and starts on time! Race day pick up of bibs is convenient in a great park where the Santa Monica/Venice 5/10k also commences in December. - The course is in a scenic part of town and very linear. It has only one hairpin turn; at 11th street. - Athlinks presents an excellent Results page. - Good commercial race for people who don't take their running that seriously. The Not-So-Good -Overpriced compared to most 10ks. -Race start time is set too late. To avoid the heat, most serious runners are finished with their long runs by the time this race even begins. According to Athlinks, it was 83 degrees at the start meaning it was in the 90s if one was running directly under the sun. -65% , the first 4 miles of the 10k is uphill. -Non staggered starts and no consideration to even try. Joggers, strollers, and even walkers clog up the start, hindering runners who might be striving for a good race time. (So fight to get in the front if you're interested in racing for time). The 5k begins a half hour before the 10k. The 5k attracts walkers many of whom are generally ignorant of race etiquette and walk way out into the course blocking 10k runners and forcing them to go around them, and this occurred for about a mile on Ocean. No one on the SM Classic course was there to help them understand or practice race course etiquette. -and to be nit-picky (if I'm not already ;-) Boo on Nesquik. Hundreds of 10k runners had finished the race by 9:30, but when I asked a clerk at the booth, she told me Nesquik wouldn't hand out its product until 10. Sionara! read more

Absolutely environmentally insensitive of your event not to have a gear check for runners, particularly for an event that's a part of the "Conqur LA Challenge." You are forcing those of us who live within public transportation range to drive in and park, AND pay extra for doing so. Unless I hear differently that organizers have changed this policy, I will not be running another Santa Monica Classic after this one. read more

A great run overall, though mile 3 was a real asskicker. I had to jump off the street onto the grass a number of times to catch my breath and watch runners I had passed catch up to me. The downhill mile 4 was a huge relief on my lungs. No medal for this race, but that's ok - it's for a good cause! Gotta do something about the results all being plastered to a small board though as it was very inconvenient with 50 people huddling in front of it trying to find their time. Looking forward to Rock n Roll San Diego in two weeks! read more

A great race did it as part of the tour la challenge from conquer la group. The race location is beautiful and course is pretty easy

I ran the Santa Monica Classic as part of the Conqur LA Endurance Challenge (SMC, Pasadena Half Marathon and LA Marathon). It was a fun and easy 10K, mostly flat, although there is a gradual uphill on San Vicente going into Brentwood. There is a bit of a bottleneck right at the start and I think the organizers could have done a better job of lining people up according to their paces. They never mentioned anything about slower people starting farther back, so everyone just stood wherever. The festival at the end on the pier was also nice and we got some freebies including coconut water and a big bunch of swiss chard (LOL). I appreciated that you were able to pick up your bib the morning of the race and the shirts were actually handed out at the end so you don't have to walk back to your car to drop it off. They also had women's cut tech shirts and a pretty decent medal which made it worth the $50 price tag! read more

This was easily one of the worst run races I have experienced. They did not have enough bathrooms. Lines were in excess of 30 people in each line. The race also started over 15 minutes late. In addition, there was no way to know how fast you were running because there was no timing at the mile markers. And once you finished the race, because they delayed certain groups from starting with the rest of the pack (I was prevented from running for over six minutes), you had no way to even know your finish time. In fact, I did not know my finish time until I was sent a text message about 45 minutes after I finished the race. While they did a great job in getting paid sponsors at the "finish festival"and making sure you were aware of all of the paid sponsored "opportunities" when you signed up, it would have been nice to see Conqur Endurance Group, who put on the race, exhibit even a token of care towards the runner's experience. After all, without runners who want to run your race, you don't have a race. read more