
Monterey, CA

The Salinas Valley Half Marathon begins
at the historic Soledad Mission, established in 1791 as the 13th Alta
California mission, located in the heart of the Salinas Valley, made famous by
John Steinbeck in his novel East of Eden. The course takes runners and walkers
slightly south from the Mission, then west toward the Santa Lucia
mountainsâ€"well known for the vineyards of wine grapes used to produce award-winning
pinot noir, chardonnay and syrahâ€"before turning north along the base of the
mountain range and winding over gently rolling hills to the west of the Salinas
River.