One of my favorite things about signing up for races is discovering new interesting places to run. Last weekend Michael and I ran at the inaugural Surfer’s Path Hang 10, a ten mile race starting and finishing in Capitola Village and following the coastline with some beautiful vistas along the way.
The actual race took place on Sunday morning, but we decided to use the event as an excuse to spend Saturday exploring the town of Capitola itself. The town can be described as kind of a cross between Santa Cruz and Carmel, with a mix of upscale restaurants and fast food joints, and a casual surf city vibe with less crowds than its neighbor to the west. Most of our day consisted of either eating or just walking around and seeing the quirky sights from Capitola’s long history as a beach resort.
Colorful Venetian Hotel buildings on the beach
Most points of interest are concentrated around a few blocks, making Capitola very walkable. Some of the best scenery can be found right near Capitola Beach. The iconic Venetian Hotel next to the beach makes for a colorful photography subject, and the Capitola Wharf just a few hundred feet away provides a nice path to walk out over the ocean and take in the views.
Capitola Wharf
In terms of food, the highlight of our trip was definitely dinner at the Bella Roma Caffe, a cozy little Italian restaurant known for their delicious handmade pasta. Michael got a seafood linguini and I got a sausage ravioli, both off the specials menu, and both were excellent. The pasta itself had a nice fresh chewy texture, and Michael’s dish contained a generous helping of some of the juiciest mussels I’ve ever had.
View from the Surfers Path start/finish line
Having properly carbo-loaded, we got up bright and early the next morning to run the race. It was a pretty small event with only about 500 to 600 runners for both the five and ten mile combined. The course winded through cute neighborhoods and seaside parks, and was one of the most scenic races I’ve ran so far.
Cool surfboard finisher's medal
Despite not being surfers, we greatly enjoyed our time at Capitola. It’s a bit of a quiet town, but a nice relaxing getaway for a couple days.
