Griffith Park Run Half Marathon

Aztlan Athletics built this race around Griffith Park's trail network instead of the roads that ring it, which makes it the rare Los Angeles half where the whole distance is run on dirt. The field mixes local trail runners, road runners looking for a softer surface, and a small approved elite group racing for cash, with a 5K and a dog division sharing the morning.

The first four miles are fast and flat on hard-packed trail. Miles 5 through 7 climb into rolling ground above the Pony Ride and Merry Go Round, and that stretch is where even pacing falls apart. The route then runs past Travel Town and the Zoo and flattens out again to the finish on the Autry Museum field, so a strong last few miles is realistic if you hold something back through the middle.

February mornings in the park usually start in the 40s and warm into the 60s by the time the 5K goes off. Shade is patchy once the course leaves the golf course perimeter, and a recent winter storm can leave the dirt soft or tacky for a day or two.