The City of Santa Clarita will discontinue the Santa Clarita Marathon after 25 years. Though the Santa Clarita Marathon was last staged prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the decision to discontinue the event is based on economic factors.
Following the 2019 Santa Clarita Marathon, which was held in November of that year and saw a 13.8 percent decrease in the number of registered participants, City staff identified 99 similar races in California between October and December.
This is significantly higher than 10 years prior when the Santa Clarita Marathon was one of a handful of events in Southern California held in the fall. The increase in competition for participants, as well as the rise of less traditional running events such as mud runs, trail runs and obstacle courses, have contributed to decreased participation.
The City believes one of the key philosophies to being fiscally responsible is to continuously evaluate and assess the programs and events produced by the city. While the Santa Clarita Marathon is being discontinued, staff members are in the process of developing plans for a new marquee event that will serve the local community and encourage tourism in Santa Clarita.
