Welcome to the Surfer’s Path events. The crowning jewel of the Golden State, Santa Cruz County welcomes runners with an enchanting blend of nostalgia, natural beauty, and invigorating activities. Whether you choose the 10k/5k, Half Marathon, or Wahine 10k/6k you will be treated to scenic courses, featuring breathtaking views of the Monterey Bay coastline and a series of world-renowned surf breaks. An ideal destination event, participants can experience a quintessential California vacation. Create a memory that you will treasure forever by achieving your athletic goal in this picture-postcard setting.

The Surfer’s Path Theme

Many consider Santa Cruz to be the mainland’s birthplace of surfing. It’s arguably the true Surf City. In the authoritative The Encyclopedia of Surfing, Matt Warshaw describes how surfing first came to the American mainland at Santa Cruz. Back in 1885, three Hawaiian princes, attending school in California, fashioned homemade boards from redwood planks and rode the break at the San Lorenzo River mouth. Locals continued to surf for decades until 1938 when the great Hawaiian legend Duke Kahanamoku visited Santa Cruz and the city’s modern surf era was born.

Today, the Santa Cruz County coast is dotted with legendary surf breaks, including Steamer’s Lane, Pleasure Point and Capitola. In appraising the quality of Santa Cruz surf, Surfing magazine stated, “Nowhere else in the world will you find so many different kinds of waves packed into such a short coastline”. In addition to the breaks, runners will pass points of interest such as the residence of Jack O’Neill, pioneer of the modern wetsuit as well as the Santa Cruz Surf Museum, the world’s first surf museum.

Journey onto the Surfer’s Path, and tour the coastal bluffs of Santa Cruz County that offer views of these famous points of interest and surf breaks. Miles will melt away as you enjoy breathtaking views and watch surfers ride the waves.

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