San Diego Marathon 2015: Rock N Roll Route, Course Map, Times, Event Details
It's not yet officially summer, so large swaths of Southern California are not quite yet a harrowing place to be outside during the day, making late March a fine time for the 2015 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in America's Finest City.
The full and half marathons start off bright and early Sunday morning. Weather.com is forecasting a high of 72 degrees with no chance of precipitation and light winds—excellent conditions for a day of long-distance running.
With a famous elite runner joining the field, tons of auxiliary festivities and plenty of neighborhoods set to be swarmed by thousands of runners, there's a decent amount of info to sift through. Here's a rundown of the must-know details for the 2015 edition of the race.
Route
The marathon starts at Sixth and Quince at Balboa Park, winds its way toward downtown and the Gaslamp Quarter, turns north and heads all the way up to Mission Bay along the 5 Freeway, then east along the San Diego River before finally heading back south and hitting the finish line at Petco Park.
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Course Map
An interactive course map can be found here. Competitor.com also has a PDF version of the marathon and a video detailing the route.
Times
| May 30 | Saturday 5K | 7 a.m. | 1 hour |
| May 31 | Half Marathon | 6:50 a.m. | 4 hours |
| May 31 | Marathon | 6:15 a.m. | 7 hours |
Event Details
According to U-T San Diego's Nina Garin, approximately 30,000 people are set to run through various San Diego neighborhoods on Sunday. She also detailed some of the other events runners and onlookers can enjoy in the city as part of the festivities.
"There will be a 5K race along Sixth Avenue at 7 a.m. Saturday ($55 registration)," Garin writes. "Finally, the rock band O.A.R. will perform at Petco Park from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Sunday. The concert is free and open to the general public."
While a whole town's worth of people will hit the pavement for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and half marathon, there are two competitors who are worth singling out among the masses.
The first is Meb Keflezighi, winner of the emotional 2014 Boston Marathon and eight-place finisher in Beantown this year. A San Diego native, he will take part in the half marathon on Sunday. Per Ken Stone of the Times of San Diego, the half marathon serves as the USATF Masters Half Marathon National Championships.
Keflezighi is honored to to run this Masters event in his hometown. "Since my recovery from the Boston Marathon has gone well, I’ve decided to race," he told Stone. "I am looking forward to my first competition as a masters athlete and know I am very fortunate to run my first masters race in my hometown of San Diego," he said, via Stone.
Keflezighi running a half marathon will be an impressive sight, but not nearly as impressive as a woman twice his age running twice the distance. Ninety-two-year-old Harriette Thompson will attempt to make history on May 31, per Theoden Janes of the Charlotte Observer:
"On Sunday, Thompson will be at the starting line of the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, an event she has conquered 15 times over the past 16 years as a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’sTeam In Training program. If she reaches the finish, she will become the oldest woman to ever complete a 26.2-mile race.
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Thompson's willingness, let alone her ability, to take part in such a grueling event at her age is astonishing. She's truly a unique human being and will no doubt garner a great deal of attention on Sunday.
No matter her failure or success, Thompson will be one of many striving for new goals in San Diego, making the day well worth the energy spent for all involved.
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