Organizers of three local upcoming events won support for associated road closures or parking restrictions from the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board during its meeting March 17.
San Diego Triathlon Challenge
With details similar to last year’s event, the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s 33rd San Diego Triathlon Challenge weekend Friday through Sunday, Oct. 23-25, will be highlighted by a 1-mile ocean swim, 30-mile bike ride and 8-mile run.
It was held in La Jolla for 27 years before moving to Mission Bay. Then last year it returned to La Jolla’s Scripps Park.
Jessica Hill (left), special-events manager for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, shares plans for this year’s San Diego Triathlon Challenge with the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board at its March 17 meeting. (Noah Lyons)
Organizers have requested a permit ending at midday Monday, Oct. 26, to accommodate move-out, according to Jessica Hill, special-events manager for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Hill received a nearly unanimous vote of support from the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board Feb. 23. Trustee Kurt Hoffman suggested La Jolla Shores as an alternative location, saying it would be more accessible and less affected by construction related to a guardrail project on Torrey Pines Road.
The replacement of a concrete K-rail with a permanent metal guardrail on a section of the road is slated to begin late this summer and continue through the end of the year.
Hill said last month that organizers explored holding the Triathlon Challenge in La Jolla Shores but determined that Kellogg Park isn’t big enough for it.
One change this year is that a 5K (3.1-mile) run is being offered as an option to the ocean swim. Last year’s swimming portion was canceled because of large swells and the event pivoted to offering a 5K run instead. This time the run is being provided as an option ahead of time.
Vendor loading during the first two days of the event would necessitate taking 10 parking spots in front of Scripps Park, but no road closures, Hill said. On the last day, however, part of Coast Boulevard would be closed. There also would be a lane closure on Torrey Pines Road to accommodate the bike ride.
Last year, organizers closed part of Coast Boulevard from the tip of Prospect Street to Girard Avenue for the event.
Hill said this year’s closures and “no parking” zones are pending permits from the city of San Diego.
La Jolla Half Marathon
The Kiwanis Club of La Jolla’s signature fundraising event, the La Jolla Half Marathon, is adding a 10K (6.2-mile) race to its La Jolla Shores 5K and the 13.1-mile main event. Race day will start at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16.
A projected 1,000 additional participants are expected, compared with previous years.
The half marathon starts at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and follows a coastal route into La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove.
Organizers customarily requested temporary street closures and no-parking areas in conjunction with the event. Street closures will take place May 16. As the runners go through the different neighborhoods, the roads will reopen. The last runner is to be off the course by 10:30 a.m.
A map from the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla shows the route for the 2026 La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K and 5K. (Noah Lyons)
Bart Calame, president of the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla and the race director for 12 years, said the addition of the 10K is “sneaky,” as it will take place on the half marathon course.
“We already had a 5K at Mile 10 that runs down to The Cove, and then the half marathon starts at the Del Mar Fairgrounds,” Calame said. “The 10K starting line … [is] right after Torrey Pines’ hill at the top of the bluff. So we’re marketing that as ‘Skip the hill.’”
About 800 people are signed up for the 10K so far, he said. Overall, he expects attendance to hit 10,000, well ahead of last year’s 8,600.
The traffic control plan remains the same for the 2026 iteration.
“Our use of The Cove and our use of The Village, the road, the course [is] all the same,” Calame said.
Pre-event activities will begin Thursday, May 14, with exhibitors setting up their booths. Race participants will be able to pick up their credentials from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, May 15.
Calame said organizers hope to gross up to $1.1 million, with about half going to event costs. The remainder will go toward Kiwanis Club charitable giving, he said.
Tides of Creativity
Continuing the celebration of the La Jolla Shores Association’s 60th anniversary, the group has set Saturday, May 9, at Laureate Park as the tentative date and location for its second annual Tides of Creativity event.
LJSA presented the inaugural Tides of Creativity last June along Avenida de la Playa. The event, boosted by a state grant, highlighted local artists, authors and businesses and included arts and crafts, bounce houses, face painting, pony rides and more.
This year, Tides of Creativity is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. around Laureate Park in the 2200 block of Avenida de la Playa, with associated road closures from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Next meeting
The La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board next meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. Learn more at lajollacpa.org. ♦