California · 5K
Every upcoming 5K around San Diego, with start times, entry fees, finish-time stats from past editions, start-line maps, and the local run clubs to train with.
51 upcoming 5K races found · 7 with finish-time stats
San Diego running is shaped by two very different personalities that most locals learn to love equally: the flat, breezy waterfront miles along Mission Bay and the Pacific Beach boardwalk, where post-run coffee is basically mandatory, and the rugged canyon and hillside trails of Mission Trails Regional Park, Los Peñasquitos Canyon, and Torrey Pines, where the pavement disappears fast and the climbing starts.
The marine layer keeps coastal mornings cool enough to run hard even in summer, which means the race calendar here stays genuinely active across the whole year. Group runs cluster naturally around Pacific Beach, Balboa Park, and North Park, so whether you are training for your first 5K or chasing a faster time, there is almost always someone to run with before the fog burns off.
By the numbers
The San Diego races that stand out on the numbers: the biggest field, and the longest unbroken run of editions.
Train for it
The fastest way to a start line is a standing group run. These San Diego clubs welcome 5K runners of all paces.
Browse all San Diego run clubs →How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.
Across the 8 RunSignup 5K editions in San Diego with published results on RunSesh, walkers and charity entrants included, the median finish time was 36:31. The median winner crossed in 18:24, and the median last finisher came in at 1:23:30. With a median field size of 208, these are real mixed-pace crowds, not competitive-only fields.
Fall is by far the busiest stretch, with 26 races running September through November, and September alone accounts for 11 of them. If you want fewer options and fewer crowds at the start line, spring is the quietest window - March has just 1 race on the calendar.
Paid entry runs from $10 at the low end to $64 at the top, with a typical fee of $30. Two races are free to enter. Twelve races already have a price increase scheduled, so if you spot one you want, locking in early is worth it.
46 of the 50 races say they give a shirt, which makes a race-day shirt close to standard here. Medals are less common - only 3 races say they award one. The remaining 4 races have not published any giveaway details, so check their individual pages if that matters to you.
There are several active groups here:
North Park. Between the waterfront routes and Balboa Park, most of them have no shortage of good meeting spots.
