The South Bay has three road races with real history behind them, and they fall in three different seasons. One is a state championship, one draws over eight thousand people on Super Bowl Sunday, and one involves a surfboard.
What are the main South Bay races?
| Race | When | Distances | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday Race | Super Bowl Sunday, February | 10K, 5K run and walk, Kids 1K and more | Redondo Beach |
| Manhattan Beach 10K | Early October, Saturday morning | 10K | Downtown and residential Manhattan Beach, finishing at the pier |
| Hermosa Beach Ironman | Mid September | Run, paddle, and a local tradition | Hermosa Beach |
| Palos Verdes Trails 5K | Early October | 5K trail | Palos Verdes Peninsula |
| Run for Myles | Late January | 5K and 10K | Rancho Palos Verdes |
Which is the biggest?
The Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday Race, which draws over 8,000 participants and has been running for almost five decades.
The timing is the whole idea. It runs on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday in February, so you have finished and are home long before kickoff. It is the one race here that people who do not otherwise run turn up to.
There is an unusually wide set of distances: a 10K, a 5K run and walk, a 5K stroller walk, a Kids 1K, a baby buggy 10K, and a Big Game Challenge for people doing more than one. That range is why the numbers are what they are.
Details and registration at redondo10k.com.
What is the Manhattan Beach 10K?
A Saturday morning 10K in early October that runs through downtown and residential Manhattan Beach and finishes at the pier, with around 4,000 runners and close to fifty years of history.
It carries a designation most local races do not: it is an RRCA California 10K State Championship, with championship awards in open, 40-plus, 50-plus and 60-plus categories. So the front of the field is genuinely competitive even though the back of it is a community run.
There is live music and a post-race expo at the finish.
Worth planning around: the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair falls on the same weekend. That means one weekend in early October when Manhattan Beach hosts a 4,000-runner road race and a city fair at the same time. Brilliant if you want both. Difficult if you were hoping to park.
Details at mb10k.com.
What is the Hermosa Beach Ironman?
Not a triathlon, despite the name, and not affiliated with the Ironman brand. It is a Hermosa Beach tradition that has run for more than thirty-five years, held in mid September.
The format is a mile run on the sand, a mile paddle in the ocean on your own surfboard, and then a six-pack of beer immediately on coming out of the water. Entrants are 21 and over and bring their own board and their own six-pack. It starts late morning.
It is a spectacle rather than a race, and the beach fills with people watching. If you are in Hermosa that weekend you will know about it whether you entered or not.
What about the Peninsula?
Two smaller races, and both trade road running for terrain and views.
The Palos Verdes Trails 5K runs in early October on Peninsula trails rather than pavement, which makes it a different proposition from the beach city road races.
Run for Myles in Rancho Palos Verdes offers a 5K and a 10K in late January.
Peninsula courses climb. That is the point and it is also the warning.
When is race season?
Split across the year rather than clustered, which is unusual.
- Late January. Run for Myles, Rancho Palos Verdes.
- February, Super Bowl Sunday. Redondo Beach. The big one.
- Mid September. Hermosa Ironman.
- Early October. Manhattan Beach 10K and the Palos Verdes Trails 5K, on top of the Hometown Fair.
Early October is the busiest two weeks of the year for this coast. Plan around it or plan into it.
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Compiled from race organizer listings, verified 15 September 2026. Race dates, distances and entry requirements change annually and some races fill early. Confirm with the organizer before planning around any of these.