Our Story

In 2006, after the death of their teammate and friend, Kendra Payne, the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Triathlon Team changed the name of their annual triathlon to Kendra’s Race. The race has been held every year since then and each year the UCSB triathlon team generously donates a portion of the entrance fees to the Kendra Chiota Payne Memorial Fund.

The 2026 Kendra's Race consists of a Collegiate Sprint Race, Age Group Sprint, 5k Fun Run, and Triathlon Relay.

About the course:

*Course maps are at the bottom menu of this page*

The swim will start at Campus Point. Athletes will swim out 200m, take a left, swim for another 400m, take another left, and swim 200m back in to shore. They will then head up a flight of wooden steps to the transition area on Anacapa Lawn.

The bike will consist of two laps of a circuit consisting of some relatively technical sections of bike path followed by more open sections on Los Carneros, Hollister, and Fairview. Athletes will head out on Lagoon Road before making a left turn into campus and zig-zagging their way through on the bike path. They will then take a left onto the bike path parallel to Los Carneros Road before taking another left turn onto Hollister Avenue which will lead to a left turn onto Fairview Avenue. Racers will then make a series of left turns back onto the Obern Bike path before continuing straight back into campus to begin lap 2. At the end of lap 2, racers will make a left turn back onto Lagoon Road before heading into transition 2.

The run course consists of a 1 loop run over a rolling 5k course. It follows the UCSB lagoon and consists of paved and hard-packed trails. Racers will leave transition and run down to the lagoon. They will run on the trail system on the bluffs before dropping down to the lagoon where they will pass an aid station. Runners will continue along the lagoon to the turn around point. After turning around, runners will follow nearly the same route back before sprinting to the finish in lot 6.

Race Weekend Schedule:

Saturday:

1-6 pm: packet pickup at Goleta Trek - 320 S Kellogg Ave, Goleta, CA 93117, United States

Sunday:

6:15 am: Transition area and race-day packet pickup/same day registration opens (Anacapa Lawn)

7:30 am: Same day registration and packet pickup close

*Please make sure to bring a valid photo ID and have your USAT Membership number ready*

7:45 am: Transition area closes

8:00 am: Men's Collegiate Race Start

8:10 am: Women's Collegiate Race Start

8:20 am: Open Sprint Race Start & Sprint Relay Race Start

8:40 am: 5k Fun Run Start

10:30 am: Award Ceremony

10:45 am: Transition area opens for equipment retrieval

Race Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this race, please contact our race directors at kendrasracecommittee@gmail.com

Kendra Chiota Payne Foundation:

To learn more about the foundation and its mission to promote youth participation in sports, feel free to visit kendrachiotapayne.com

Donations to the foundation can also be made here