Half Marathon Comes To Palm Desert

Palm Desert and Indian Wells will host a half marathon on New Year’s Eve, as part of the “Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon” series.

The Competitor Group, which is putting on the event, chose Palm Desert because of its prime location.

“We believed it was a fantastic destination that people would want to travel to,’’ said Dana Allen, vice president with the Competitor Group, which puts on similar events in San Diego, Nashville, Portland, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas and Miami Beach.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens in Indian Wells and will wind through parts of Palm Desert before returning to its starting point, according to the event website.

The Palm Desert City Council approved the event at its Thursday meeting, as well as $54,000 for police services for traffic control.

The group is working closely with local police and city planners to make sure no residents are locked in for more than a few hours at a time.