Rock 'n' Roll San Diego

Rock 'n' Roll San Diego

Rock 'n' Roll San Diego

( 68 reviews )
97% of reviewers recommend this race
  • San Diego,
    California,
    United States
  • June
  • 3 miles/5K, 5 miles/8K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Jenny

San Diego, California, United States
36 10
2015
"Rock n Roll San Diego 1/2 Marathon "
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Jenny 's thoughts:

This is my third time running Rock n' Roll San Diego and first time as a San Diego resident. I had a great race.

Expo: Rock n'Roll knows how to put on an expo. It was held in the convention center downtown by the harbor. Super easy to get to and very spacious with lots going on.

It didn't take any time at all to get our bibs, we got our race shirts. They have women's specific shirts by Brooks, however they do run small so keep that in mind when selecting a size. I did notice this year they had a booth where you could exchange your shirt, so if it doesn't fit that is an option.

Brooks is the shoe/clothing sponsor for Rock n'Roll, they had their Run Happy Island again, where you could do a foot analysis, ride the shoe bull, play games and win prices.

There was lots to do at the expo, we got our Maui Jim's cleaned, had some Suja samples, bought some new Altra shoes.

Since we would be driving to the race and my fiance had sprained his ankle the week before, we didn't want to have to walk back up to Balboa Park after the race to get our car. We purchased the parking pass & shuttle passes for the morning. It was $15 for the parking pass & one shuttle pass & then $5 for each additional shuttle pass. We were told parking was available starting at 3:30a and and the shuttles would run until 5:30am.

This is the only area that I really was disappointed with. We made it to the parking area just before 5am got parked and walked to the shuttle line that was so so long. There weren't very many buses waiting to take people in and in the whole time we walked to the end of the line, no one really moved so by the time we got there we made the executive decision to walk the 2 miles to Balboa Park.

Balboa Park is set up really well with lots and lots of port-a-potties, UPS trucks for gear drop, VIP area for elite athletes and those who paid extra to have private bathrooms & food. I saw Desi Linden warming up. That was pretty cool.

The marathon started at 6:15am and then the half would start around 6:50am. I was able to watch the start of the marathon, go to the port-a-potties, drop off my bag and get to my corral with time to spare.

The half marathon goes thru the city of San Diego, starting from Balboa Park, going thru various neighborhoods of the city before coming back to the other side of the park and heading downtown where we would finish the race by Petco Park.

It's a moderately hilly course for someone use to running on flat spaces. I wouldn't call it very hilly. It was a nice overcast day which isn't pretty but it's nice to run in. The best part is that there is a nice downhill at the finish. That rarely happens ;).

Water stations were well staffed & filled, there was gatorade at some of the stations, but not all. One station with GU Shots.

In the last section of the race they had a fun, Meb zone in the last part of the race, with all these huge Meb heads.

After finishing the race, you are given your medal, the opportunity for post race photos and some post race treats. I got a bottle of water, a bottle of Gatorade, chocolate milk, a banana, Dole Pineapple dippers, Dole fruit, pretzel and dried cranberries. They also had Power Bars, but I'm not a big fan so I left them for others.

Post Race, it was pretty chaotic, so many people. The trucks with the gear were just outside the runner area. I felt like it was a bit more crowded this year in that area.

We went to the post race concert for the first time, this year O.A.K. performed inside Petco Park, where we got full bottles of Suja juice, our favorite :), a free photo from Toyota and got to enjoy the concert sitting in the outfield. This is also where you would pick up your medal for running the 5k & either the marathon or half marathon and your medals for running multiple Rock n'Roll events.

Overall, this is one of my favorite events and I'm glad I had the opportunity to run it again. You can read my full post on my blog...http://runny-legs.com/2015/06/rock-n-roll-san-diego-race-recap-2015/

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