Salinas Valley Half Marathon

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.