![](https://presidiosports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Pier-to-Peak.jpg)
Runners competing in the Pier to Peak Half Marathon begin at sea level and finish 13.1 miles later at 4000 feet altitude atop La Cumbre Peak above Santa Barbara. (Presidio Sports Photo)
Returning this upcoming weekend for its annual Labor Day jaunt up to La Cumbre Peak is Run Santa Barbara’s Pier to Peak Half Marathon.
The Pier to Peak has a reputation as being one of the more difficult half marathons in the country due to its extreme elevation climb.
Runners begin their trek at sea level and finish at La Cumbre Peak at an elevation of roughly 4,000 feet. [COURSE MAP]
Chris Vargo and Sara Kida won last year’s race. For Kida, now 31, it was her fourth straight victory in the event. Vargo’s winning time in 2011 was 1 hour, 35 minutes and 43 seconds. Kida won in 1:51.36 (10th overall).
More pre-race information about Sunday’s Pier to Peak can be found HERE.