‘Moving Together Brings Us Together’

In just under a month, thousands of runners will race along the waterfront and downtown competing in this year’s Santa Barbara Half Marathon, presented by HOKA & UCLA 5K. The race is set to take place Sunday, November 3.

At the end of the race, all participants will receive a finisher’s medal, uniquely designed for this year’s event. Madi Manson, the selected designer for this year, took inspiration from the Santa Ynez Mountains and Santa Barbara Coast when creating the design. It features a flock of seagulls flying diagonally and incorporates sage green and sky-blue colors, which Manson chose to represent the hues of the mountain range. She wanted the design to be grounded in Santa Barbara, but still carry a universal message that would resonate with all race participants. To do this, Manson came up with the slogan, “moving together brings us together,” which borders the seagulls on the medal.

Manson is the owner and operator of Loud Flower Art Co., a shop where she sells a variety of screen-printed goods. She draws inspiration from mental health work and strives to help people navigate their feelings and emotional wellbeing through her artwork. Manson believes that the half marathon will help people build community, as they will all be going through a shared experience. “There are people who are going to be running this race who have never ran a half marathon before, or have never even thought that they could,” said Manson. By having that shared experience, she believes participants will resonate with the medal’s slogan. “I do feel really proud of the design,” she said. “I feel excited to share it with so many people. It’s pretty powerful.”

Back in 2023, the Santa Barbara Half launched an Annual Resident Artist Program to collaborate with local artists and design unique medals, as well as a custom line of T-shirts and merchandise. Manson was highly recommended as this year’s artist and was ultimately selected. She will also be curating a limited-edition capsule collection featuring sweatshirts, hats, stickers, and more, which will be available during the race weekend. 

David Monico, event director of the Santa Barbara Half Marathon, says that the art program is “a unique way to connect artists directly with thousands of people participating in a journey to their finish line.” 

[Click to enlarge] Left: Madi Manson with some of the retail items she sells at her Loud Flower Art Co. shop on Haley Street. Right: Madi Manson with the Half Marathon shirt and medal for 2024 | Photo: Clarissa Rios; Lindsay Dill

According to Monico, 40 percent of current participants are from outside Santa Barbara County. He anticipates more than 6,000 entrants for this year.

For more information about the Santa Barbara Half Marathon, see santabarbarahalf.com. For more information about Madi Manson and her art, see loudflowerartco.com.