A running event that behaves like a music festival is coming to Los Angeles. Gravelanza, a new race backed by Salomon, debuts on October 3 in Griffith Park, and it's built around the idea that a race day can be as much about the crowd and the post-run party as the clock.
The setting does a lot of the work. Griffith Park sits in the Santa Monica Mountains, and its trails manage to feel genuinely wild while sitting inside one of the biggest cities in America. The course tops out at 1,625 feet, with wide views across greater LA, sage scrub, and oak woodland along the way.
The main event is a five-mile individual race on a hilly, mixed-surface loop — classic gravel running territory. Expect 864 feet of climbing on the single lap. Competitive types have options beyond the overall win: there's a Master of the Mountain prize for the fastest time on a designated segment, so you can race the climb even if the rest of the field is out of reach.
The team format is where it gets social. The Gravelanza Run Crew Battle pits mixed-gender teams of six against each other over a 1.6-mile lap, with every member's time counting toward the total. Scoring is cross-country style, and the top three teams face off in a final head-to-head race — a format designed for shouting, not solo suffering.
Around all of it sits a festival hub: live music from start to finish, a headline act playing the post-race awards, food and drink stands, tattoo artists, and a Salomon shoe charms bar. If you're in town early, the Friday, October 2 Salomon Shake Out Run is a 3.1-mile evening group run that starts at Fleet Feet in Burbank, where you can also collect your bib.
For travellers, this is a tidy excuse for an LA long weekend. Fly in, run a scenic five miler in one of the country's best urban parks, then tack on the Observatory, the Hollywood Sign trailheads, and Los Feliz's restaurants, all minutes from the start line. October is arguably LA's most reliable month weather-wise, which makes the timing smart. Registration is open now and space is limited, so if the format appeals, sign up before you book flights. Pack trail or gravel-ready shoes — the mixed surfaces and nearly 900 feet of climbing will reward them.