Carlsbad 5000 Celebrates 40 Years of Fast

April 13, 2026

More than 8,000 runners, record-setting performances and Olympic legends filled the oceanfront streets of downtown Carlsbad for the milestone 40th anniversary of the iconic race

CARLSBAD, CA (April 13, 2026) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The 40th Carlsbad 5000 offered a little bit of everything on Sunday. Over 8,000 runners made their way down and back along Carlsbad Boulevard. The race is known as the “World’s Fastest 5K” because 16 world records and eight American records have been set on its streets.

There was an airplane dragging a banner across the sky reading, “Carlsbad 5000 – 40 Years of Fast.” On the sand parallel to the course, artists using rakes etched the same message in huge letters stretching more than 150 yards.

And yes, there was speed.

In the men’s professional race, Colorado’s Drew Hunter covered the 3.1-mile course in 13 minutes, 47 seconds, averaging 4:27 per mile and beating Mammoth Lakes’ Gabriel Planty by five seconds.

The women’s pro race featured a mad dash to the finish line. Simone Plourde of Montreal won in 15:30. Katherine Wasserman of Boulder, Colorado, and California’s Eleanor Fulton both finished one second back. Only four seconds separated Plourde and Taylor Werner in fourth place.

Both winners earned $5,000.

Plourde, 25, represented Canada in the 1,500 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and her speed proved the difference. She made her first move at 4 kilometers.

“I said, ‘OK, this is my time to start making that gap,’” she said. “To be completely honest, I was hurting. At 500 meters to go, I was looking for the Carlsbad sign that hovers above the street. I said, ‘Simone, you’re a 1,500-meter runner. It’s time to put it into second gear. This is what you’re good at.’ I made sure I finished strong.”

She finished just ahead of Wasserman and Fulton. All three runners averaged exactly five minutes per mile.

Hunter, 28, entered as a heavy favorite. His personal-best 5K time of 13:10 was 29 seconds faster than the next runner’s best. He made his move at 2 1/2 miles for the simplest of reasons.

“I was feeling good,” he said. “I sort of said if I was feeling bad, I’d wait until later. But I felt stronger, so I went.”

Hunter and Plourde were both competing in the Carlsbad 5000 for the first time. Hunter, though, has history in San Diego County. In the fall of his senior year at Loudoun Valley High School in Virginia, Hunter won the 2015 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.

Both winners raved about the race.

“I thought it was amazing,” Plourde said. “It’s such a good course to run. So fast, there wasn’t much wind. It’s pretty flat and downhill. And just a real top-notch organization from start to finish.”

“I loved it. It’s beautiful,” Hunter said. “It’s a smooth run. I didn’t feel like I broke my rhythm. I really enjoyed it.”

There were two bursts of light showers in the late morning. The second lasted about 20 minutes and stopped minutes before the women’s race, when the sun broke through the clouds.

Fittingly, the Carlsbad 5000 DJ played the Beatles’ song “Here Comes the Sun.”

When the sun came out, Hunter told himself, “OK, this is what everyone talks about when coming to San Diego. This is what I like.”

The event also produced two notable age-group record performances. Jacob Nur of Elk Grove, California, set a world age-group record in the men’s 70-74 division, finishing in 17:47.

In the men’s 80-84 division, Gary Ostwald, 80, of the Boulder Road Runners in Denver, set a new American record with a time of 21:28.

The race featured two of the fastest people ever to break the finishing-line tape- Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor. Keflezighi, a San Diego High School and UCLA product, remains the only male runner to win the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon and an Olympic medal.

Kastor set the women’s world 5K road record at Carlsbad in 2002. Both Keflezighi and Kastor earned Olympic marathon medals at the 2004 Athens Games – Keflezighi won silver and Kastor bronze.

Asked what makes the Carlsbad 5000 a must on runners’ to-do lists, neither talked about world or national records.

“The elites and the everyday runners hang out, and we inspire each other,” Keflezighi said. “And it’s a lot more family-oriented. You see three generations — a kid, his parents and grandparents. And people come from all over.”

Forty-five states and 15 countries were represented in the field.

“Families come together and experience the joy of a healthy lifestyle,” Kastor said.

It was left to Keflezighi to provide the quote of the day. With the streets beginning to clear of metal railings and signs, he said of the light showers, “That was champagne from the sky.”

For complete results, photos and more, visit www.Carsbad5000.com.