The Original Rock ‘n’ Roll

Runners take the streets of San Diego for 23rd edition of famous marathon

Jennifer Bustamante / Contributor / The USD Vista
Marathon runners in a crowd
Runners made their way through famous San Diego neighborhoods as they competed in the race. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Bustamante

The San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon started in 1998 in San Diego, its official birthplace. It drew hundreds of people to run through the streets of San Diego with fun musical performances throughout the course. The Rock ‘n’ Roll franchise expanded from San Diego to other parts of the country, and eventually internationally. Today the event is hosted in 18 cities around the world, including Madrid, Spain and Liverpool, England.

This year, the Heineken 0.0 Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series San Diego took place on Sunday, Oct. 24,  bringing together athletes from all over the world, as well as locals. The highlights of this event are the musical performances that happen throughout the race, which end with a concert and beer garden at the County Building Waterfront Park. 

Man playing the guitar on the sidelines of a street marathon
One of the unique features of this race is the musical acts that are sprinkled throughout the course.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Bustamante

This event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and was scheduled to return on its normal date in June 2021, but was pushed out until October. The event administrators implemented operational plans consistent with local community guidelines and requirements, including the State of California’s policy for mega-events. Based on these requirements, all participants were required to provide proof of full vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the race. 

The race begins at Balboa Park and finishes in Downtown San Diego, which means San Diegans had to take into consideration road closures during the race. Most road closures and detours were in effect between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. At 5:30 a.m., police and event personnel implemented a soft closure along the entire race route. Streets reopened on a rolling basis as soon as the last participant had passed and all course support materials were removed. Communities affected included Mission Bay, Hillcrest and of course Downtown San Diego. 

Jeff Devlin for the men’s (30-34) division ranked first overall with a time of 2:41:45 and Sammy Groce for the women’s (25-29) division came in first for her group with a time of 2:50:30. Groce placed 8th overall.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll franchise plans to return to San Diego for its 2022 event at its normal timing in June 2022. Athletes can begin to register now.

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