Overview The Joshua Tree Half Marathon is a night trail half marathon in the Mojave Desert outside Joshua Tree National Park, near Twentynine Palms, California. Vacation Races, the national-park race series run by Motiv Sports, holds it each November, and Visit 29 Palms presents it. It starts at dusk. Runners cover sandy desert roads and trails by headlamp, under some of the darkest skies in Southern California. On site Everything happens at RESET Hotel, a desert hotel on 180 acres minutes from the park's north entrance and the race's official lodging partner. The expo and bib pickup open at noon on race day, a prize raffle runs at the start line, and the half marathon goes off in waves at six in the evening after the national anthem. The course loops through the desert near Copper Mountain on dirt roads and trails with loose, deep sand in places. Headlamps are required. Runners finish back at the hotel, where the awards ceremony is held later that night. Race shirts are handed out at check-in, merchandise is sold at the expo and the finish, and aid stations are cup-free. Audience Runners come from across Southern California and farther afield, and many spend the weekend hiking and stargazing in the park. The field is more balanced than most Vacation Races events: at the most recent race about 55% of finishers were women, and the biggest age group was 25 to 34. Across the series nine in ten runners visit a national park while in town. Talent and Influencers There is no paid elite field. Course record holders race free every year their mark stands. Place medals go five deep overall, for masters and in every age group, which keeps the front of the pack busy long after the winners finish. Charity runners race on Wander Project bibs and can have their entry fee waived once they reach their fundraising goal, with the money going to the communities and wild places around the parks. Track record The race has been on the Vacation Races calendar for years, and many runners come back for it again and again. The most recent race had more than 1,100 finishers, and the series as a whole brings over 30,000 runners a year to events in and around the national parks. Brand presence Visit 29 Palms presents the race, RESET Hotel hosts it and HotelPlanner books race-weekend rooms. Tortoise Rock Casino, Runna, Honey Stinger, ZICO, Muscle Milk, Mother F, SportPharm, The Runner Bar and Lysol are among the other partners. Sponsors can brand the finish arch, signage, race shirt and race page, run an expo booth, sample at aid stations and the finish, get announcer mentions, and reach runners through emails, the race guide, blog and social posts.