The 2024 Santa Monica Classic was shortened to a 5k and an unofficial 10k due to extreme heat in Los Angeles. It was very hot in the LA area—just as hot as the desert that day. Honestly, I wasn’t too disappointed when the race was shortened. I originally signed up for the Santa Monica Classic 10k, but when the option to run the 5k came up, I took it. It’s funny because my goal was to run 15-16 miles that day, and yet, here I was lining up for a 5k.
To be clear, 15-16 miles was my goal but it felt like garbage, it felt unsafe, or the vibe wasn’t there, I wouldn’t do it. For me, safety is always a priority and just another reason I was happy the Santa Monica Classic kept the runners safety in mind.
Before the Santa Monica Classic 5k:
The Santa Monica Classic 5k and 10k were completely revamped, with a new start near the pier. I left my house Saturday afternoon, arrived in Santa Monica with no issues, and went to bed super early. Lately, I’ve been so busy with work that I feel like all I want to do on weekends is sleep. (And yet, for some reason, I keep signing up for races! LOL.) Unfortunately, my night of sleep wasn’t great, and I woke up feeling tired.
I jogged the two miles to the Santa Monica Classic 5k start line. Sometimes, your warm-up feels terrible, but you end up running great. Other times, your warm-up feels off, and the race follows suit. For me, the Santa Monica Classic 5k fell into the latter category.
Due to the heat wave in Los Angeles, they changed the Santa Monica Classic 10k to a 5k, with an option to run an unofficial 10k (which was really just 6.1 miles). I wasn’t feeling up to it, especially considering how rough I felt that morning. The heat also meant they had to implement wave starts because of the sheer number of runners—7,000 people between the two races. I can’t imagine how challenging the logistics were, but I’m thankful they made it work. Oh, and something that wasn’t mentioned much: the 2024 Santa Monica Classic 10k and 5k race courses were completely new this year. They are less hilly and you get more Ocean Avenue. I liked the old course and the new course for the Santa Monica Classic 5k is good too. (Obviously I’ll tell you in 2025 about the new course of the Santa Monica Classic 10k).
Santa Monica Classic 5k Race:
Immediately after the start, I felt terrible. I glanced down at my watch and saw I was running a 6:15 pace. Since I’ve run in Santa Monica a lot, I’m familiar with the gradual hills. They sneak up on you, and suddenly, you’re wondering, “Why does running feel so hard?” The first mile and a half climbs 120 feet, and then the last mile and a half is downhill.
I probably should have started further back, but it was chaotic at the start, and I didn’t want to risk being pushed around or stuck behind someone in the wrong corral. I hit the first mile in 6:35, which was kind of disappointing after so many recent 5k miles at a much faster pace.
As the climbing continued, I felt progressively worse. Running just didn’t feel good for me that day. By the time we turned around, my pace had dropped to 7:15. I knew the last mile and a half would be downhill, but I was hurting. I hit mile two of the Santa Monica Classic 5k in 6:54.
The final mile was motivating because I could see friends running in the opposite direction. Even though I wasn’t feeling great, I told myself to just hold on. I ran the third mile in 6:39. The last mile is the same as previous years of the Santa Monica Classic 10k, where I’ve usually run faster, but it just wasn’t my day.
I crossed the finish line of the Santa Monica Classic 5k in 20:58, finishing as the 10th woman overall and 1st in my age group. I was pretty shocked to win the age group award.
Afterward, I ran 10 extra miles to hit 15 for the day. I’m testing the waters with long runs to see if I want to train for a winter marathon. Ironically, I felt better during those 10 miles in the warm weather than I did in the 5k! During my long run, I consumed one bottle of Hammer Heed, one bottle of Electrolyte, and one bottle of Gatorade water, plus three UCAN gels. I’m working on getting my gut used to taking fuel again 🙂
Santa Monica Classic 5k Thoughts:
I know I’ve been running some quality miles and workouts lately, so I was definitely untapered going into this race. That can be tough to acknowledge, especially when you’re running slower times than you’d like. But I’m trusting the process. Long story short, I’m happy with my time, but racing untapered is always challenging.
You can see more race recaps here and Strava here.
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Questions for you:
What is your favorite race?
Have you been to Santa Monica?