Course & Elevation

The San Francisco Half Marathon & 5K is a road race held on a Sunday in early February in Golden Gate Park and along the Great Highway on the Pacific Ocean. It is hosted by the Pamakid Runners club, which founded the half marathon in 1983 and still owns and organises it, and Sutter Health has been the presenting sponsor since 2026. The half marathon is a point-to-point course with a net loss in altitude from the east end of Golden Gate Park to its far west end. The race starts at 7:45 am on JFK Promenade, east of Blue Heron Lake Drive. The course goes around the Panhandle, back through Golden Gate Park and out and back through Sunset Dunes, finishing in the southwest corner of the park on Bernice Rodgers Way near Martin Luther King Drive. The 5K starts at 8:20 am, is a net downhill course certified by USA Track & Field, and finishes at the same place. Past routes have taken in Ocean Beach and the park's historic windmills. The 2026 race was the 42nd running and drew more than 8,500 participants across its half marathon, 10K and 5K. Race proceeds support local charities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Course Facts

Distance 21.0975 km
Elevation Gain ≈ 245 m
Surface road
Profile Rolling

Weather

Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record

12°C

Temperature

77%

Humidity

39%

Rain Chance

February in San Francisco is cool and damp: average highs are around 16°C and lows around 9°C, with relative humidity near 77% and measurable rain on about 11 days of the month.

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