About 1,800 people signed up and participated in Cuesta College's City to the Sea Half Marathon early Sunday morning.
The proceeds from the 13.1-mile race helps raise approximately $80,000 annually for the Cuesta College Track & Field and Cross Country teams, according to race director Jani Johnson.
Johnson said Sunday morning brought ideal weather for distance running, giving the runners pleasant conditions.
"[The runners are] feeling good right now," Johnson said. "The weather is perfect today, so they're probably just really enjoying the course. It's a beautiful, point-to-point course."
Johnson said this year, about 600 people signed up for the Seaside 5K race, another option provided to racers who prefer to run a shorter distance.
However, Johnson said, the largest increase in signups this year was for the Kids' Sunrun, a quarter-mile race around Dinosaur Caves Park in Pismo Beach for runners 10 years old and under. The funds raised from the Sunrun will directly benefit the Special Olympics of San Luis Obispo.
Johnson, who was a running coach for the Cuesta College Track & Field team for 10 years, said because Cuesta College is a community college, the state does not provide ample funding for the athletics programs.
"[The budget] is sparse. It gives you just bare bones as far as travel and uniforms," Johnson said.
The race helps fill in those gaps for funding and brings the local running community together every year, said Johnson.
Cuesta College softball player Kaitlyn Sandoval cheered on the half marathon racers this morning at one of the eight water stations along the course.
"One thing that is super cool about our team this year is we all have a lot of energy," Sandoval said. "So if one person is hyped, then everybody's hyped."
