Course of the Force is a yearly event wherein a 120-mile relay race involving an Olympic-style baton reshaped as a Lightsaber travels along the California coast. The relay race comes along with an entourage of actors, such as Ashley Eckstein from the Star Wars: Clone Wars Animated Series, and an actual Lightsaber from the Star Wars (1977) movie. The path begins in Marin County’s Skywalker Ranch, then makes a pit stop at Santa Monica Pier, and ultimately ends at San Diego, just in time for the yearly Comic-Con event.

Since its inception last year, members of the general public are invited to participate in the relay, wherein runners will travel from Santa Monica to San Diego in quarter-mile increments. Handing off the lightsaber relay to the next runner will cost runners $500, but 100% of the relay registration proceeds benefit the Greater Los Angeles, Orange County/Inland Empire, and San Diego chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

My family and I are fans of the Star Wars franchise, so we attended this event during its brief Santa Monica visit. We did not join in on the actual relay, but we did cheer the participants on when they finally arrived, along with the chariot-like cart cradling the beloved Lightsaber.

We also received photo opportunities with some of our beloved Star Wars characters.

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Course of the Force
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