The Force, the Jedi, and Comic Con Are Coming

In a galaxy very, very near, dozens of runners, celebrities and intergalactic heroes and villains will join Forces to raise $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation during the first ever Course of the Force Star Wars relay to Comic Con.

It will be hard to miss.

Starting Saturday at the Santa Monica Pier, runners—many dressed as Star Wars characters—will trek down the coast from Santa Monica to San Diego’s Comic-Con 2012 on Wednesday. Accompanied by a replica of Jabba the Hut’s sail barge, runners will head down the coast dressed as Darth Vader, Princess Leah and Jedi Knights.

“It is like an Olympic Torch relay, but instead of a torch, we use a lightsaber,” said Course of the Force spokesman Adam Harris. “Our event is a “Star Wars” tribute to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It’s a lead-up to the convention—it’s the yellow brick road to Comic Con.”

Each participant will run a quarter-mile and donate $500 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Participants include celebrities such as Glee’s Vanessa Lengies, Chuck’s Zachary Levi, Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum, ESPN’s Neil Everett and comedians Drew Carey and Chris Hardwick. There are still several openings in the relay, and participants can register online, added Harris.

“It will turn heads,” said Harris. “We’re not shutting down roads. We’ll be integrated with the traffic, but it will be hard to miss.”

At various legs of the race, the Course of the Force will stop running and start partying, with live music from Dan the Band (the band that plays in scenes from Old School and The Hangover), guest appearances, costumed characters and Star Wars and Comic Con merchandise sales.

The relay will start at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Santa Monica Pier, heading through Seal Beach down Pacific Coast Highway on Sunday afternoon on the way to the Huntington Beach Pier and ending Wednesday in San Diego. Click here for a complete schedule and route. 

Conival (celebration) schedule