South Bay Races: 5Ks and 10Ks

The South Bay has two road races with close to fifty years behind them. One is a state championship, and one draws thousands of people on Super Bowl Sunday.

What are the main South Bay races?

Which is the biggest?

The Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday Race, which draws thousands of participants each year and has run for almost five decades.

It is held on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday in February, so you finish and get home long before kickoff.

Distances include 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.

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 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 competitive and the rest of it is a community run.

There is live music and a post-race expo at the finish.

The Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair falls on the same weekend, so early October brings a 4,000-runner road race and a city fair to Manhattan Beach at once. Plan on limited parking.

Details at mb10k.com. For which streets close on race morning and how to get out, see our Manhattan Beach 10K road closures guide.

What is the Hermosa Beach Ironman?

Not a triathlon, despite the name, and not affiliated with the Ironman brand. It is a Hermosa Beach Fourth of July tradition: a mile run on the sand, a mile paddle in the ocean, and a six-pack of beer that has to stay down for 20 minutes. It has no organizer page and is not a city event. Easy Reader covers it each year.

The 2026 Ironman was the 51st. It started on the beach at 29th Street at 8:00 AM on Saturday, July 4, drew nearly 2,000 competitors, the most ever, and raised more than $50,000 for local charities, according to Easy Reader.

Annie Seawright-Newton won the women’s division for the 20th time, in 33:05. She coaches at Mira Costa High School, and she signed her $500 winner’s check over to the Ryan James Foundation. Blake Vogelsang won the men’s division for the second year running, in 22:47.

What about the Peninsula?

Two smaller races, one on the horse trails and one on the road.

The Palos Verdes Trails 5K follows the bridle trails at Ernie Howlett Park in early October.

Run for Myles in Rancho Palos Verdes is a road course that starts and finishes at Point Vicente Interpretive Center, with a 5K and a 10K in late January.

Peninsula courses climb, so train for the hills.

When is race season?

The races are spread across the year.

• Late January. Run for Myles, Rancho Palos Verdes.
• February, Super Bowl Sunday. Redondo Beach.
• July 4. Hermosa Ironman.
• Early October. Manhattan Beach 10K and the Palos Verdes Trails 5K, on top of the Hometown Fair.

Early October is one of the busiest times of the year in Manhattan Beach, so plan around it.

What else is on the South Bay race calendar?

Beyond the long-established races above, most months have a 5K somewhere between El Segundo and San Pedro. Where a date is given as 2026, that race has already been run this year and the organizer has not posted the next one yet.

• January: RPV’s Run for Myles, a 5K, 10K and kids’ fun run from Point Vicente Interpretive Center. Next: Saturday, January 30, 2027.
• February: Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K and 5K. Next: Sunday, February 14, 2027. Super Bowl LXI is at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood that day.
• March: Village Runner St. Patrick’s Day 5K in Riviera Village, benefiting South Bay Children’s Health Center. The 2026 race was Saturday, March 14.
• April: Kiwanis El Segundo PTA Run for Education, hosted by the El Segundo PTA Council at El Segundo High School, 8:00 AM. Next: Saturday, April 24, 2027, the 35th annual.
• May: The Grand View Gator Run, a 5K and kids’ race for the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, on a Sunday in early May. Torrance Stars and Strides, the Armed Forces Day 5K put on by the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce, was Saturday, May 16, 2026 and in its 8th year. The Hills Are Alive, a 5K and 10K on the City of Rolling Hills Estates bridle trails from Ernie Howlett Park, was Saturday, May 30, 2026.
• July: The Village Runner Independence Day 5K starts at 8:00 AM on July 4 in Riviera Village and was the 33rd annual in 2026. The Manhattan Mile, a one-mile, net-downhill road race from Live Oak Park, was Sunday, July 12, 2026, the same day as the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix bike race. The Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Beach Run is part of the International Surf Festival and is put on by the Mira Costa track and cross country teams. Next: Saturday, July 31, 2027, 8:00 AM, Hermosa Beach Pier.
• August: BRA Run Los Angeles, a 5K, 13K and kids’ 1K at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey with Torrance Memorial Medical Center as title sponsor. Next: Sunday, August 29, 2027.
• September: The LA Kings 5K in Riviera Village benefits the Kings Care Foundation. The 2026 race was Saturday, September 12.
• October: The Manhattan Beach 10K held its 49th edition on Saturday, October 3, 2026 and sold out, which makes October 2027 the 50th. The Palos Verdes Trails 5K, hosted by Strides in Recovery on the horse trails at Ernie Howlett Park, was Sunday, October 4, 2026. No dogs or strollers on that course. The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is a walk from the Manhattan Beach Pier to the Hermosa Beach Pier and back on Sunday, October 18, 2026, the 18th annual. It raises money for the Friendship Foundation and the education foundations of El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, the Peninsula, Redondo Beach and Torrance. The Sharsheret West Coast Dash, a 5K and 10K at Dockweiler Beach, is Sunday, October 25, 2026.
• November: The Torrance Turkey Trot is a three-mile fun run put on by the City of Torrance on Thanksgiving morning. Next: Thursday, November 26, 2026, 8:00 AM.
• December: The Santa Stroll, a 5K fun run or walk from the Hermosa Beach Pier for Mychal’s Learning Place. Next: Saturday, December 12, 2026, the 8th annual.

For the swimmers and triathletes in the house: the Hermosa Beach Triathlon is a quarter-mile ocean swim, a 10-mile bike and a 3-mile run on the Strand, last held Sunday, August 9, 2026. The Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim is two miles of ocean from Hermosa to Manhattan, next on Sunday, August 1, 2027.

Is there a marathon or half marathon in the South Bay?

Not this year. The Palos Verdes Marathon was a full marathon for 45 years before it became a half marathon in 2012, according to Easy Reader. Its organizer cancelled the 2020 series and has posted no edition since. Conquer the Bridge, the Labor Day run over the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, is 5.3 miles, and its organizer writes that construction projects mean there is no 2026 race.

The closest full marathon to the Beach Cities and the Peninsula is Long Beach, and the tables below list the others by county.

Los Angeles County

Long Beach is a USATF certified Boston qualifier by its own description, and its 2026 race sold out. The Catalina half for November 2026 is already full with a waiting list, so the March marathon is the Catalina race to plan for. Santa Clarita’s organizer also lists its course as a certified Boston qualifier.

Orange County

Surf City dates to 1997 and calls itself a Boston qualifying course. The OC Marathon’s 2027 race is its 23rd, and last year’s marathon and half reached capacity in early March, so a May start means registering in winter.

Finish Long Beach, Surf City and OC in a row, marathon or half, starting with any of them, and you earn the Beach Cities Challenge medal at the third race. There is no separate registration. More than 50,000 runners have completed it since 2011, by the organizers’ count.

Two well-known names are missing from the calendar. runDisney paused its Disneyland races after the January 29 to February 1, 2026 weekend because of construction at the resort, and has given no return date (KTLA via Yahoo). The Santa Monica Classic is a 10K and 5K with no half marathon distance.

Which South Bay running clubs can you join?

Two of the clubs hold weekly track nights at Mira Costa High School and Sunday runs from Valley Park in Hermosa Beach. The store and coffee groups are free.

South Bay Runners Club

An RRCA and USATF club and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with certified coaches. Tuesday track speed work at Mira Costa High School, 7:00 PM. Wednesday easy run from Slice and Pint in Redondo Beach, 5:45 PM. Thursday at 5:00 AM from 190th Street and Anza Avenue in Torrance, and Thursday evening from the Skechers store in downtown Manhattan Beach at 5:30 and 6:30 PM, five miles each. Sunday at 7:30 AM from Valley Park in Hermosa Beach, followed by coffee. Dues are $50 a year, $25 for college students. The club’s words: “First-time runners welcome. Paces available for all skill levels.”

Club Ed Running

Founded and coached by Ed Avol. Monday tempo run at 6:10 PM from the Manhattan Beach Pier (eight miles) or 6:30 PM from the Hermosa Beach Pier (five miles). Wednesday track night at 6:00 PM at Mira Costa, skipped when the stadium hosts a school event. Saturday at 7:30 AM from the Malaga Cove Plaza fountain for 9 to 12 miles of Palos Verdes horse trails, streets and hills. Sunday at 7:30 AM from Valley Park for a 6 to 9 mile recovery run on the wood chip trail. Membership is $120 a year, and the club puts its members’ ages at roughly 20 to 80 and over.

Village Runner Running Club

Free group runs from the stores. Redondo Beach on Tuesdays at 6:15 PM and Sundays at 8:15 AM. Manhattan Beach on Thursdays at 6:15 PM.

Coffee Club Running

No fees and no sign-up. Wednesdays at 5:30 AM from Sleepy Seal and Fridays at 5:30 AM from the Manhattan Beach Pier, five easy miles, usually between 8:30 and 9:30 a mile, with a weekend long run whose location changes.

For where these groups train, see Running and Training Routes.

Continue exploring

Compiled from race organizer listings, verified September 15, 2026. Race dates, distances and entry requirements change annually and some races fill early. Confirm with the organizer before planning around any of these.

Hermosa Beach Ironman entry corrected against Easy Reader coverage on October 13, 2026.

Race calendar, marathons and running clubs added on October 13, 2026 from organizer and club pages. Peninsula race descriptions corrected against the organizers’ registration pages the same day.

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