List of annual foot races held in California, sorted by region:
Lafayette:
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain.
An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 50 kilometres (31 mi) to over 100 kilometres (62 mi). 50k and 100k are both World Athletics record distances, but some 100 miles (160 km) races are among the oldest and most prestigious events, especially in North America. Around 100 miles is typically the longest course distance raced in under 24 hours, but there are also longer multi-day races of 200 miles (320 km) or more, sometimes raced in stages with breaks for sleep. While some ultras are road races, many take place on trails, leading to a large overlap with the sports of trail running and mountain running.
The Wildflower Triathlon is a triathlon held at Lake San Antonio in Central California since 1983, the first winner being Dean "The Machine" Harper. It is held the first weekend in May each year.
The Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) is an annual marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to a course that winds through downtown districts, then along parkways that hug lakes and waterways all throughout dense urban forests in the neighborhoods of both cities.
Dean Karnazes, is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public.
The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is an annual marathon held in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia. The mission of the MCM is to promote physical fitness, generate community goodwill, and showcase the organizational skills of the United States Marine Corps.
The San Francisco Marathon is an annual USATF-certified road running event held in San Francisco, California that includes a full marathon, two half marathons, an ultramarathon, a 10k, and a 5K. With the exceptions of 1988 and 2020, the marathon has been held annually since 1977. The marathon starts and finishes on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building and crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.
Turkey trot are footraces, usually of the long-distance variety, held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The name is derived from the use of turkey as a common centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner. A few races in the United Kingdom during the Christmas period are described as turkey trots. In the United States, many courses used for these Thanksgiving events are run at major certified USA Track & Field road race distances between 5Ks and a Half marathon 13.110 miles (21.098 km); others are informal fun runs between 1.0 mile (1.6 km) and 5 km. The fun runs are often run as charity benefits and feature runners in costumes, particularly as turkeys. The Atlanta Marathon, which ran on Thanksgiving from 1981 to 2009, was the only full 26.219 miles (42.195 km) marathon to run on the holiday. It has since been reduced to a half-marathon, was the nation's longest Thanksgiving Day race, while the city's full marathon is held earlier in the year, but was cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, when it was replaced by a shorter race, the Peachtree Road Race. The oldest documented turkey trot, a still-ongoing annual event in Buffalo, New York, dates to 1896.
The Miwok 100K Trail Race is a 62.2 miles (100.1 km) long ultramarathon that takes place annually in southern Marin County, California, typically on the first Saturday of May.
Lornah Kiplagat is a Dutch professional long-distance runner. She was born in Kabiemit, Rift Valley Province, Kenya and came to the Netherlands in 1999. She gained Dutch citizenship in 2003 and has competed for the Netherlands since. She used to run not only road events but also in cross country and track and field.
The Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot is an annual footrace over an 8 miles (12.9 km) course through the city of Dallas, Texas (USA). There is also a 5k run/walk. Participants may choose to register for the 5k as a timed or untimed runner. In 2005, 3,843 harriers completed the 8-mile (13 km) Trot, in addition to 22,668 runners in the 3 miles (4.8 km), making the Dallas Turkey Trot the largest Thanksgiving race in the United States and the second-biggest footrace in the state of Texas, with 26,511 total registered runners. The 2011 race attracted a record attendance of 36,820.
Ridouane Harroufi is a Moroccan long-distance runner who competes in road running competitions, including the marathon. He has won several high profile road races in the United States, including the Azalea Trail Run, Bay to Breakers, Boilermaker Road Race, Bolder Boulder, Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, Gate River Run and OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.
Tim Twietmeyer is an Auburn, California-based ultramarathon runner and an engineering manager at Hewlett Packard, in Roseville in the U.S. state of California. Twietmeyer is also an accomplished mountain biker, road cyclist, and retired almost-scratch golfer and swimmer. He is best known for his five victories and unprecedented 25 sub-24 hour finishes at the 100-mile (160 km) Western States Endurance Run.
The Crim Festival of Races is an annual road running event with several races and walking events. The original distance was 10 miles and is the marque race as "The Crim" with its infamous Bradley Hills and blue line to keep runners on course. The Crim has been held in August in Flint, Michigan since 1977. It draws runners from around the world from countries such as Kenya, Russia, and Ukraine. The race attracts approximately 50,000 people each year. The festival is one of the Flint Parade of Festivals.
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, commonly known as either Magdalena or Magda Boulet, is an American runner from Oakland, California. Born in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland, Lewy-Boulet became a U.S. citizen on September 11, 2001.
America's Finest City Half Marathon is an annual road running event over the half marathon distance 21.0975 kilometres (13.1094 mi) which is held in mid-August on the streets of San Diego, California. The race was inaugurated in 1978 and has been held every year since then. By 1985, more than 6000 professional and amateur runners were taking part in the race each year. Both men and women are able to enter into the half marathon and shorter 5 kilometer fun run.
Bizunesh Deba, also known as Buzunesh Deba, is a Bronx-based Ethiopian long-distance runner. Her personal best for the marathon is 2:19:59, set during the Boston Marathon in 2014.
Sage Clifton Read Canaday is an American long-distance runner and ultramarathoner.
Jerry Alan Dunn is an American athlete dubbed "America's Marathon Man" by Jim Murray of the LA Times. His running career began in 1975 and has spanned 45 years, breaking world records along the way and seeing the creation of nationally acclaimed events.
The 25K run is a long distance running footrace that is between the distance of a half marathon and a marathon. It was formerly an official world record distance in road running by World Athletics, but has since been downgraded to world best status. Separately, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians retains world records in the 25K distance. The ARRS holds different standards for records than World Athletics, with exclusions for certain point-to-point races and mixed sex races. As a result its women's world record is 1:26:34 by Nancy Conz, set in 1982.