Overview Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon is a half marathon, two-person half relay and 5K held each Mother's Day weekend in Solvang, the Danish-settled town in the Santa Ynez Valley, and run by Motiv Sports. The USATF-certified course leaves downtown Solvang, passes through Los Olivos, climbs Corkscrew Hill and descends Ballard Canyon to a finish on Copenhagen Drive. Relay teams hand off in Los Olivos after a 5.8-mile first leg. On site Friday opens with the free Race Expo and packet pick-up in Solvang Park, beside a Garden Party with live bands and a drink for runners 21 and over. The half and relay start Saturday at 7:00 am at Atterdag Road and Laurel Avenue, and the 5K follows with a single 300-runner wave. Seven aid stations line a course past horse ranches, lavender farms, orchards and vineyards. At the finish, a beer garden and the ticketed Wine Festival fill the park until noon, with shaded lounges, acoustic sets and local wineries pouring. VIP ticket holders get pre-race coffee, a catered brunch and a wine reception. Audience Runners of every pace travel in from other cities, states and countries. Most stay the weekend. They collect bibs on Friday, run Saturday morning, then carry medals and tasting glasses from the finish straight into the festival. Friends without passes gather along its low picket fence or in the beer garden, and run clubs set up cheer zones on the course. Talent and Influencers A Snail's Pace runs the pace groups, from 1:40 to 3:00. The podium draws Central Coast racers: Orcutt's Josef Gertner won the men's race three years running, and the most recent winner ran 1:10:41. At past Garden Parties, Sage City Band and DJ Oli played the Friday sets, and race announcer Angela Warren has called runners in at the finish. Track record More than 2,000 runners start each spring. The Solvang start and Copenhagen Drive finish have stayed put for years. Entries sell in price releases that rise toward race day, and the earliest releases sell out months ahead. It also counts toward the Golden State Challenge, a medal for runners who finish four Motiv races in California in one year. Brand presence Chumash Casino Resort has presented the race, with its name on the start and finish arches and printed on the festival tasting glasses. Local wineries pour inside the Finish Line Wine Festival, and several extend 2-for-1 tastings or member perks to finishers at their tasting rooms all weekend. Honey Stinger gels go out at the mile 8.3 aid station, 2XU has its own compression-apparel page on the race site, and expo booths line Solvang Park beside active lifestyle and natural food brands.