The Nike After Dark Tour Half Marathon will shut down streets across Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Torrance on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 24. The 13.1-mile course starts and finishes at King Harbor, and the city expects about 12,000 participants.
The Redondo Beach Police Department (RBPD) issued a traffic advisory on Oct. 12 warning drivers to expect road closures, no-parking zones, lane restrictions and limited vehicle access along and near the race route. Some restrictions begin before race day.
The race starts at 5 p.m. on North Harbor Drive just south of Beryl Street, California Collective RE reported, citing the city's staff report and license agreement.
Harbor area locks down early
The biggest disruption hits King Harbor well before the starting gun. Seaside Lagoon, the race headquarters, goes to exclusive Nike use starting Saturday, Oct. 17, under a license agreement the Redondo Beach City Council approved July 7. Load-out must finish by Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Harbor Drive closes at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and does not reopen until noon Sunday, Oct. 25. That means the main road to hotels, restaurants and boat slips on the harbor's west side will be shut for roughly 36 hours.
Nike must submit an access plan for businesses on the west side of Harbor Drive, which could include intermittent road openings or shuttles, according to the license agreement.
Race-night closures spread across three cities
On Oct. 24, the rest of the race route goes to exclusive event use from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The course runs south from Harbor Drive along Catalina Avenue and The Esplanade into the Hollywood Riviera. It then loops through residential streets near Vista del Mar and Camino de la Costa before heading north through Hermosa Beach and returning to King Harbor via The Strand.
An April 14 Hermosa Beach staff report shows southbound Hermosa Avenue from Herondo Street to 10th Street closed from 4:45 to 10 p.m. and The Strand from 25th Street to North Harbor Drive closed from 5:15 to 10 p.m., California Collective RE reported. Those times come from a planning document and may not reflect the final schedule.
The RBPD said it will coordinate with the Torrance Police Department, Hermosa Beach Police Department, fire personnel and event organizers to manage traffic control and emergency access. Lt. Valdivia of the department's Community Services Unit prepared the advisory.
What drivers and residents should know
Runners have a four-hour course limit. The latest the route can be held under the city's agreement is 11 p.m.
There is no race parking at the start or finish. Nike is directing participants to shuttle lots at El Camino College, the Redondo Beach K-Line station and Harbor Gateway Transit Center, all requiring advance booking. Rideshare drop-offs go to a zone on northbound Hermosa Avenue between Lyndon Street and 2nd Street.
Nike is paying Redondo Beach a $320,000 license fee for the event and reimbursing the city for police, fire and public works services.
The city's press release directs residents to review the accompanying no-parking map and course map. Nike's community contact line is (310) 765-9016, and race details are available at afterdarktour.nike.com/en/la.
