Runners who crossed into Mexico for a half marathon returned to California to find their cars gone. Some say they followed parking directions from event staff, only to spend hundreds of dollars to get their vehicles back.
The Binational Half Marathon began in San Ysidro on Sunday, October 25, and continued into Tijuana. Afterward, dozens of participants accused the race team of poor organization, FOX 5 San Diego reported, as runners lined up outside Western Towing.
Parking guidance on the Binational Race website offered a clear assurance: runners could leave their vehicles at Las Américas Premium Outlets “without the risk of being towed.” It also listed a nearby paid parking option.
The race team’s response put the disputed tows at a different shopping center, one it said was never approved for race parking. That conflicts with one runner’s account of where she left her car and with another’s claim that race personnel directed him into an unauthorized lot.
Two Parking Options
The official instructions list Las Américas Premium Outlets at 4211 Camino de la Plaza as a place to park at the race’s starting area. The second option, Baja-Mex Ped West Parking at 4575 Camino de la Plaza, offered participants a $12 race-day rate if they showed their bib at the entrance.
San Ysidro Village, the shopping center near Ross and Popeyes, does not appear among those options. Both the precise lot and the identity of anyone giving parking directions matter to the runners’ complaints.
Bernice Diaz told FOX 5 that she and her sister parked at Las Américas and that her car was towed. Alex Rodriguez described a different experience: he said race personnel sent him to San Ysidro Village, near Popeyes, where his car was later towed.
“They told us it was our fault, but it’s not our fault when the official people of Binational Half Marathon instructed us to park there,” Rodriguez told the station.
Conflicting Accounts
In its statement to FOX 5, the Binational Race Team denied assigning staff to handle parking at the outlets: “No Binational Race staff members were assigned to direct or manage vehicle traffic or parking within or outside Las Americas Premium Outlets.”
The team also said every reported towing incident occurred at San Ysidro Village, a separate property that it had not designated or communicated as an authorized parking location. It identified Las Américas and Baja-Mex Ped West Parking as its official options.
That response does not settle Diaz’s account that her vehicle was removed from Las Américas. Nor does it establish who, if anyone, gave Rodriguez directions at the other shopping center.
Connie Mendoza, who drove from Los Angeles for the race, told FOX 5 that she had tried emails, Instagram messages, and calls without getting an answer. “Who’s going to give our money back?” she asked.
Other Race Days
At October’s Twin Cities Marathon, runners also returned to towed cars; one reported paying $399 to recover hers, according to Runner’s World.
The owner of that former Sears parking lot, Rondo Community Land Trust, said it had not known the property was being used for marathon parking or that cars were being towed. In a statement published by Bring Me The News, the nonprofit said it received no financial benefit from towing fees and would end its relationship with the towing company.
Houston’s Watermelon Dash produced another parking dispute on August 8. Nearly 20 runners had vehicles towed from a lot they believed was approved for event parking, KHOU reported in September. Participants were still seeking answers more than a month later.
Houston Running Co. offered merchandise and passes for future races. One participant told the station, “we all denied the offer,” citing fears of another tow.