The Semana Nautica Summer Sports Festival began in the 1930s when Santa Barbara residents organized sporting activities with visiting Navy seamen. The fun and games caught on with the locals, who have made it an annual happening – the 76th edition officially begins this week.
The longest running event is the 15-Kilometer Run, contested every July 4 since 1955. The 9.3-mile race starts at 8 a.m. Thursday near San Marcos High School. Watch out for runners crossing Hollister Avenue before they finish in front of the school.
Semana Nautica will continue through July 14. Other events this weekend include an age-group swim meet, one- and three-mile ocean swims, a biathlon and a tennis tournament. Information: semananautica.com.
It’s a busy week for the Santa Barbara Foresters at UCSB’s Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. They take a four-game winning streak into today’s (Wednesday, July 3) game against the Santa Paula Halos. The next three days, they play in the Rawlings California Cup on their home diamond. The winner of that round-robin series will face the survivor of a similar series in San Luis Obispo for the championship on Sunday.
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, July 3
Baseball – Santa Paula Halos at Santa Barbara Foresters, UCSB Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, 5 p.m.
Running / swimming – Nite Moves Summer Sunset Series (1k swim, 5k run), Leadbetter Beach, 6 p.m. Continues every Wednesday through August 28. runsantabarbara.com.
Thursday, July 4
Baseball – Rawlings California Cup: MLB Academy at Santa Barbara Foresters, UCSB Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, 4 p.m.
Friday, July 5
Baseball – Rawlings California Cup: Team Becovich at Santa Barbara Foresters, UCSB Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, 4 p.m.
Swimming – Reef & Run Summer Swim Night (500m, 1k, 1-mile), East Beach Bath House, 5:30 p.m. sbrunning.org .
Saturday, July 6
Baseball – Rawlings California Cup: Conejo Oaks at Santa Barbara Foresters, UCSB Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, 4 p.m.
Boxing – Primo Boxing Club Fight for the Youth, Page Youth Center, 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 7
Polo – El Encanto Polo Classic at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, 1 p.m.
Baseball – Rawlings California Cup Championship: North vs. South winners, UCSB Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, July 9
Baseball – San Luis Obispo Blues at Santa Barbara Foresters, UCSB Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, 5 p.m.
RUNNING, WALKING, CYCLING
Information for most events: sbrunning.org.
JULY: 13 – American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Ellwood School. ascevents.org. 14 – Chuck’s 6-mile Beach Run, Leadbetter Beach. (687-4417). 21 – Goleta Beach Triathlon. goletabeachtriathlon.com.
AUGUST: 15 – Westmonster 5K, Westmont College. 18 – McConnell’s Endurance Events, Goleta Beach. 24 – Santa Barbara Triathlon, long course. 25 – Santa Barbara Triathlon, sprint course.
SEPTEMBER: 1 – Pier to Peak Half Marathon, Stearns Wharf to La Cumbre Peak. runsantabarbara.com. 15 – Goleta Education Foundation 4-Miler, Lake Los Carneros. 28 – Elings Park Terrain Series 5K. 29 – Carpinteria Triathlon, Carpinteria Beach.
OCTOBER: 6 – Carpinteria Kiwanis Big Avocado 5K Run, Carpinteria Bluffs. 13 – Cancer Center of Santa Barbara 5K Walk/Run and 10K Run. 19 – Santa Barbara Century bicycle ride (100 miles, 100K, 34 miles), Leadbetter Beach. santabarbaracentury.org.
20 – Fall Cross County Classic, 5 miles, Lake Los Carneros.