California half marathoners return from race to find their cars gone

The 13.1-mile San Diego-Tijuana Binational Half Marathon took place on Sunday, with runners going from the San Ysidro district of San Diego over the border to Tijuana, Mexico. Upon returning for their cars, however, runners found that their cars had been towed away to the Western Towing impound yard.

Many runners said that they had followed the parking directions listed on the event’s official website, which stated, “For your convenience, Las Américas Premium Outlets will allow you to leave your car parked there on race day without the risk of being towed. This convenient option allows you to park at the race start area and enjoy the event with peace of mind.”

Speaking with KUSI, Bernice Diaz said that she and her sister had parked in the Las Americas Premium Lot and the car was towed. “We get there. and there’s no car. I was like, ‘Where is my car?’ I was not the only one: all these people are part of it, which is unfortunate.” Her sister added, “It’s scary.”

Runner Alex Rodriguez said that he had been directed by race personnel to park at San Ysidro Village, which was not listed as a designated parking area on the race website.

“The team for Binational was instructing us to park in a parking lot,” said Rodriguez. “When we got back, our car was gone. 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.”

In a statement, the Binational Race Team said, “No Binational Race staff members were assigned to direct or manage vehicle traffic or parking within or outside Las Americas Premium Outlets.”

Those whose cars were towed said they had to pay hundreds of dollars to get their cars back. Runner Connie Mendoza, who drove from Los Angeles for the race, said her car was also towed.

“I have sent emails, I sent messages on IG, I’ve tried call no one answers. Who’s going to give our money back?” She said.

The Binational Race Team said, “All reported towing incidents occurred at the San Ysidro Village parking lot, near Ross and Popeyes. This is a separate property that was not designated or communicated by Binational Race as an authorized parking location. Our official parking options were Las Americas Premium Outlets and Baja-Mex Ped West Parking.”