San Francisco Half Marathon

The San Francisco Half Marathon takes runners through Golden Gate Park and along the Pacific Ocean coastline, offering a scenic route that highlights some of the city’s most recognizable natural landscapes. The race starts on JFK Promenade near Blue Heron Lake Drive inside Golden Gate Park before heading east toward the Panhandle, the narrow green corridor that connects the park to the surrounding city neighborhoods. The terrain is rolling, with noticeable climbs during the early kilometers through the park followed by a long descent toward the coast. The half marathon features approximately 65 m of total elevation gain, reaching a high point of around 85 m before descending toward sea level near the ocean. Once on the Great Highway, the course becomes largely flat, allowing runners to settle into a steady pace during the later stages of the race. The race finishes in the southwest corner of Golden Gate Park on Bernice Rodgers Way near Martin Luther King Drive.