Event Description

Are you ready? If you had to escape a tsunami event in Santa Cruz how long would it take you to run or walk to high ground?  Would you know which way to go? Here’s your chance to test yourself and gain some knowledge about tsunamis and their impact on our community. 

Be part of the first race to start on the Santa Cruz Wharf! 

Adults are only $20 and kids 12 and under are $10.  This will automatically be calculated at check-out. 

Background 

Race the Wave combines a functional evacuation exercise, a community fun run, and an emergency preparedness fair hosted by the City of Santa Cruz during National Preparedness Month. 

This event reinforces the City's commitment to tsunami preparedness and hazard mitigation while highlighting the shared responsibility to protect public infrastructure, such as the Wharf. 

Participants will follow an evacuation route from a high-risk coastal location on the Santa Cruz Wharf to higher ground. The race begins on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, follows Pacific Avenue through the downtown area and concludes at Mission Plaza Park, outside the updated maximum tsunami inundation zone.

At the finish line, an emergency preparedness fair will bring together City departments and community-based organizations to share emergency preparedness information with the community. The fair will focus community attention on the need for 72 hours of personal and household preparedness.

During the registration process you will be asked if you would like to opt into Cruz Aware, the local emergency notification service.  You can find out more about Cruz Aware by clicking on the link above.