Photo: Santa Barbara News-PressThe 2009 Southern California USATF Half Marathon Championships will be held on Saturday, November 7, in conjunction with 33rd annual Santa Barbara News-Press Half-Marathon.
The Santa Barbara News-Press Half-Marathon offers a course that is both scenic and challenging to members of the Southern California Association. Much of the race is on Shoreline Drive, first running west up the coast past Shoreline Park, then turning around for a long stretch that heads back down the beach past the start/finish line. The course continues past Stearns Wharf, Cabrillo Pavilion, the Bird Refuge, with a bike path out-and-back turnaround, heading back to the finish line. Conditions should be perfect for a beautiful Saturday morning run. The Half-Marathon starts at 8:00 am, with average early morning Santa Barbara temperatures in the mid-fifties. Runners World magazine readers will recognize the Santa Barbara News-Press Half-Marathon as one of their prestigious “Half Marathon of the Month” selections.
As the Southern California USATF Half Marathon Championships race, the overall men's and women's winners receive a handsome USATF Championship plaque. Gold, silver, and bronze USATF championship medals will also be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in 26 men's and women's 5-year age groups.
Photo: Santa Barbara News-Press
For runners in the 2009 Southern California USATF Road Running Grand Prix the Half-Marathon is the sixth race in the seven race series. Runners must complete four of the seven races to be eligible for end-of-year prize money and awards. Many runners will be competing in the Half-Marathon to complete the four race minimum requirement, or to better their overall score in the inaugural year of this series. Age-graded scores from the half-marathon will be posted at www.scagrandprix.org The Grand Prix scoring also has a team component, with a minimum of five runners required for team scoring.
Online registration closes midnight, November 1! USATF discount only available with online registration!
Photo: Santa Barbara News-PressThe current registration fee for the Half-Marathon is $55. There is a $5 discount for Southern California USATF members who register online by midnight, November 1. Runners simply need to indicate they are USATF members, and enter their 2009 membership number when registering online. A $5 discount is automatically applied. Online registration closes after November 1, and the price increases to $65. After November 1, runners must register in person, either at the Santa Barbara Running Store, 110 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101, on November 5 and 6, or on race day, November 7, between 6:30 am and 7:45 am. There is no USATF discount available after November 1!
TO REGISTER ON-LINE:
http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1725965
USATF Southern California Road Racing Grand Prix Information
For more information on the 2009 Southern California Association USATF Road Running Grand Prix Series and to see the current Grand Prix rankings, please visit: www.scagrandprix.org
To receive regularly updated news about the 2009 Road Running Grand Prix series, we invite you to send an email to: roadrunning-subscribe@scausatf.org
USATF Contact:
Wayne Joness
Chair, Open Athletics Road Running Committee
Southern California Association/ USA Track & Field
Cell (310) 600-5332 Email: runner@joness.com
