Manhattan Beach 10K (49th Annual)

If you're looking for things happening in Los Angeles this weekend that get you outside before the day heats up, the 49th Annual Manhattan Beach 10K delivers a South Bay tradition that's been drawing crowds for nearly five decades. On Saturday, October 3, more than 4,000 runners line up in downtown Manhattan Beach for a 6.2-mile course that winds through the city's downtown streets and residential neighborhoods before finishing just south of the Manhattan Beach Pier.

What to expect

The race starts sharp at 7:30am, with a split start located at Ardmore Avenue and 4th Street. Organizers use an electronic timing system, so your official time begins the moment you cross the starting mat rather than when the gun fires. Because the course doubles back on itself, the timing mats near the start don't stay active indefinitely, so runners are advised to be in the starting corral and ready to go at gun time.

The course itself is rated moderate to slightly difficult, tracing a loop through Manhattan Beach's tree-lined streets before bringing runners back toward the coast. The finish sits in the lower parking lot just south of the pier, where a post-race expo and live music wait for anyone who wants to stick around. Awards go to the top ten finishers in a range of age divisions, split by gender, with the presentation staged on Manhattan Beach Boulevard at Ocean Drive as soon as results come in.

Runners who registered ahead of time get a race shirt, available for pickup at the finish line the morning of the race using a bib number. The first 1,000 finishers are guaranteed their size and style before the guarantee lapses. Packet pickup happens the day before at Village Runner in Manhattan Beach, with a short race-morning window also available near the start line for anyone who couldn't make it earlier.

Getting there and practical info

Manhattan Beach sits along the coast in the South Bay, an easy drive from most of LA if you avoid the worst of Saturday traffic. Arrive early: parking near the pier fills up fast on race morning, and street closures affect much of downtown while the course is active. If you're mapping out things to do in Los Angeles that combine fitness with a beach-town atmosphere, this is one of the better outdoor events on the fall calendar, especially with the finish line festival adding live music and vendor booths to the morning.

When: Saturday, October 3, starting 7:30am Where: Manhattan Beach Pier area, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 Packet pickup: Friday, October 2, 11am-6pm at Village Runner, Manhattan Beach

Registration for this edition has already closed, as the race reached capacity ahead of the event, so this one's for participants who already have their bib rather than race-day walk-ups. Spectators are still welcome to line the course or gather near the finish for the expo and music. For anyone scanning LA events this weekend and hoping to catch a genuine neighborhood tradition rather than another generic 5K, the Manhattan Beach 10K's course through the city's residential streets and its finish steps from the sand make it worth the early wake-up call, even just to watch.

The race has been a South Bay fixture for 49 years running, and the combination of a scenic, well-organized course with a lively finish-line scene keeps it near the top of the list for anyone who follows upcoming events in Los Angeles built around the coast rather than downtown.