Athletes, Get Ready: Encinitas Sports Festival Rolling into Town

If you go downtown this weekend and see an awful lot of athletes sweating it out, it’s more than the impending bathing suit season motivating them. The annual Encinitas Sports Festival is rolling into town, which means about 3,000 runners, cyclists, and swimmers will converge on Moonlight Beach for some friendly (and some fierce) competitions.

The festivities will kickoff with the City of Encinitas 5K-1K Run/Walk, which is hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department every year. The USA Track and Field certified course winds through downtown, and you can preview it here.

The 5K race starts at 8 a.m. and the 1K is an hour later. If you haven’t signed up yet, registration opens at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, and it will cost you $20 to $35 depending on what you sign up for. Everyone who registers gets a free goody bag, t-shirt and free refreshments after the race. Awards go to the top three finishers in each category and everyone 12 and younger gets a medal. For more event information, visit EncinitasRace.com

And that race is just the tip of the iceberg. The Encinitas Sports Festival will include a whole slew of events all weekend. There will be triathlons, a duathlon, San Diego Century Bicycle Tour (103 miles, 66 miles, or 37 miles), a beach paddle and swim and a sports expo. That’s a lot to take in, but you can browse each event online based on what piques you interest.