8 events in Santa Cruz County, California

From big races to Saturday morning group runs—find running, cycling, triathlon, and swimming events and connect with the local endurance sports community.

• Open Water Swim Clinics [finishlineproduction.com] [Register at runsignup.com]
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  Sat, Jun 27, 2026 at 9:00 AM

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  Invest in yourself and improve your open water swimming skills for a safer and more rewarding swim experience.

  We want you to be prepared too and we want open water swimming to be something you...

  Invest in yourself and improve your open water swimming skills for a safer and more rewarding swim experience.

  We want you to be prepared too and we want open water swimming to be something you embrace versus something you fear if you are a new swimmer . These clinics are good for you if:

  • You're a good swimmer but don't have open water experience or you haven't been in the water for awhile,.

  • You're just rusty on your OWS and racing skills

  • You're looking for tips and pointers to improve your stroke and technique in open water.

  • Swimmers who are new to open water swimming in lakes or ocean venues.

  • New triathletes who are trying out a new sport even if you're a good pool swimmer.

  • Triathletes and swimmers who haven't been in the water for awhile.

  • Open water swimmers looking to improve skills and gain more comfort in the water.

  We are segmenting our clinics into two clinics depending on your open water skills and comfort level. However, swimmers of all abilities are welcome to any of the clinics but the first one is specifically targeted to new open water swimmers. If you've got more experience and just want to swim you are more than welcome - just be prepared to share your experience and expertise with the newer swimmers!

  Clinics are starting in June this year with one clinics on June27 and one on July 25. That gives you time between the clinics to practice.

  Clinic #1 - Basic Open Water Skills - June 27 (Saturday)

  We will start the season on June 29 with an introduction to open water swimming for people who have no or limited experience with swimming in open water, or swimmers who are rusty in their skills. This clinic will talk about gear, water and swim conditions, gaining a comfort level in open water, and having an experience with the basics of entry, exit, sighting, breathing, etc. No experience in open water or ocean is necessary to participate but you should be able to swim 100 yards with a focus on freestyle. Starting earlier will give you an opportunity to fully develop your open water skills before you get to your first starting line of the year. You'll meet new swim buddies, have opportunities to seek out additional coaching and open water workouts. You'll also be more comfortable in subsequent clinics. This clinic will be limited to only 25 participants to enhance smaller group coaching.

  Clinic #2 - More Open Water Skills and Practice Sessions - July 25 (Saturday)

  This clinic is a continuation of the beginning clinic and will focus on intermediate skills. If you have open water skills and would like to improve them and prior experience in open water but you're not quite comfortable and need to improve your skills, you've not been in the water for awhile, or you started with the earlier clinic and want to continue improving your swim, and swim some longer distances away from the shoreline. This is an opportunity to improve your skills for sighting, group swimming and drafting, race entry and exit, fine tuning for your stroke and gear.

  Most people attend both clinics if they can because it's an opportunity to build new skills or fine-tune your existing open water skills.

  You can select to register for the swim clinics individually as clinic 1 and 2, or both clinics. Clinics are $50 for each for the two clinics. There is a 10% discount for registering for both.

  All clinics are USA Triathlon sanctioned clinics and a one-day license or annual membership is required for participation. Because these clinic are taught by USA Triathlon certified coaches you only need to purchase one USAT one-day membership for both clinics if you are not already a member. Additionally, the one day membership can be deducted from a future purchase of an annual membership in 2026. If you are already an annual member you will not need to pay for the additional one day membership license.

  All Open Water Sessions will meet at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz. You will receive specific email instructions and directions as well as gear lists before each clinic session.

  Open Water Swim Triathlon

  Santa Cruz County, California, 95060, United States
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• Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Firecracker Run [runsignup.com]
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  Sat, Jul 04, 2026 at 8:00 AM

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  Year 41 — and America's 250th Birthday!

  This is the one you don't want to miss.

  The Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Club is fired up to bring you the 2026 Firecracker — and this year is unlike any other....

  Year 41 — and America's 250th Birthday!

  This is the one you don't want to miss.

  The Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Club is fired up to bring you the 2026 Firecracker — and this year is unlike any other. Our nation is celebrating its 250th birthday, and we're throwing the party Santa Cruz style: lace up your shoes, hit the pavement, and kick off Independence Day the way this community has for over four decades at Harvey West Park, Santa Cruz CA.

  We're calling all runners, walkers, families, and friends — our goal is 1,000+ runners this year!

  That's right. We want to make the 2026 Firecracker the biggest in our history. So grab your crew, sign up your neighbors, rope in your coworkers, and let's pack Harvey West Park on the Fourth of July. Whether you're chasing a PR or pushing a stroller, there's a course for you.

  5k Run Walk

  Santa Cruz County, California, 95060, United States
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• San Lorenzo River Trail Run [runsignup.com]
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  Sat, Jul 11, 2026 at 7:50 AM

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  Run through 300 foot tall, 1500 year-old Coastal Redwoods, lush stream canyons, open meadows, pine and oak forests, and high dry chaparral-covered ridges. The Half Marathon, 30K, Marathon, and 50K events cross the San Lorenzo River (shown above) multiple times!

  (Distances are accurately measured using a Rolatape® surveyor's measuring wheel.)

  2 Miles 6.3 Miles 13.1 Miles 30k 26.2 Miles 50k Run Trail

  Santa Cruz County, California, 95060, United States
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• Jolly10K [jolly10k.com] [Register at runsignup.com]
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  Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 8:00 AM

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  Join us for another year of fun in the sun! At the Jolly10k you'll take a 10K or a 5K run or walk, through stunning Los Gatos mountain trails and arrive back at the finish line to enjoy fun, food and...

  Join us for another year of fun in the sun! At the Jolly10k you'll take a 10K or a 5K run or walk, through stunning Los Gatos mountain trails and arrive back at the finish line to enjoy fun, food and fellowship. We have informational booths, a variety of resource tables, CPR training and as always the Los Gatos Fire Dept. joins us for a group photo with the Fire Engine. We definitely have fun, but the reason we gather for the Jolly10k is to create a safe environment to have the difficult conversations about addiction and the deadly epidemic of Fentanyl that has flooded our country and stolen far too many young lives. But together, we can remember our loved ones and share life-saving information on how to prevent the next life lost from being someone in your family. Excercise, Information & Education!

  4 Miles 6.2 Miles 10k Run Trail Walk

  Balzer Field Parking Lot, Santa Cruz County, California, 95030, United States
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• Santa Cruz Trail Run [insidetrail.com] [Register at ultrasignup.com] - Facebook - Instagram
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  Sat, Aug 22, 2026

  10k 30k Half Marathon Run Trail

  Henry Cowell Redwoods, S. P., Santa Cruz County, California, 95018, United States
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• Sandman Tri [scsla.org] [Register at runsignup.com]
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  Sun, Aug 23, 2026 at 7:00 AM

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  The Sandman Triathlon is one of Santa Cruz County’s oldest triathlons, having held its inaugural race in 1985, in the infancy of the sport.

  The Sandman is a fundraiser for:

  • the local State Parks,

  *...

  The Sandman Triathlon is one of Santa Cruz County’s oldest triathlons, having held its inaugural race in 1985, in the infancy of the sport.

  The Sandman is a fundraiser for:

  • the local State Parks,

  • Lifeguard operations,

  • the Junior Lifeguard program.

  Proceeds help fund scholarships for underprivileged kids so they can receive high-quality water safety education.

  The Sandman Triathlon is a USAT-sanctioned event.

  20 Miles 24 Miles Duathlon Triathlon

  State Park Dr, Santa Cruz County, California, 95003, United States
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• Run by the Sea [runbythesea.org] [Register at runsignup.com]
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  Sun, Oct 04, 2026 at 8:00 AM

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  Run by the Sea returns to lovely Wilder Ranch State Park on Sunday, October 4th! This unique Half Marathon, 12K run, and 4K run/walk meanders along the gorgeous coastal bluffs of California's Central...

  Run by the Sea returns to lovely Wilder Ranch State Park on Sunday, October 4th! This unique Half Marathon, 12K run, and 4K run/walk meanders along the gorgeous coastal bluffs of California's Central Coast in Santa Cruz and consists mostly of flat, packed dirt trails. Participants will enjoy scenic coastal views while passing along the bluffs and Wilder Ranch park trails. Get ready to take in the natural beauty of the Monterey Bay, the serene flats of Wilder Ranch's meadows, and maybe even catch a glimpse of some dolphins - no other race is quite like it!

  Now in its 10th year, Run by the Sea is organized by the Santa Cruz Track Club and benefits the track club's youth program, Bike Santa Cruz County, and Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewards.

  Race Headquarters and Parking

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  4K Route

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  12K Route

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  Half Marathon Route

  4k 12k Run Trail Walk

  Santa Cruz County, California, 95060, United States
  OpenStreetMap Google Maps