For more information on the marathon, hours and detours, please see San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon: What You Need to Know
With more than 20,000 runners and 100,000 spectators expected to turn out for the 25th Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon and festivities this weekend, the Metropolitan Transit System Friday encouraged use of the transit to get to and from the events.
The races begin 7 a.m. Saturday with a 5-kilometer race starting at Presidents Way and Park Boulevard and finishing at Balboa Drive and Olive Street.
The annual running series first kicked off in San Diego in 1998, the first of a now-national series. Proceeds from the races benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The course record of 2:08:33 was set in 1999 by Kenya’s Philip Tarus. In 2015, Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, completed the marathon at the age of 92 years, 65 days, becoming the oldest woman to complete a marathon.
To access the race from MTS’s Green Line trolley from Santee, El Cajon, SDSU, Mission Valley or Old Town, or from the UC San Diego Blue Line from University City or Morena Boulevard stations, MTS recommends hopping off at the Little Italy station for a 1.6-mile warmup to the starting line.
Additionally, from the Orange Line from El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, or southeast San Diego, or the UC San Diego Blue Line from South Bay stations, the Fifth Avenue Station also provides a warmup 1.4-mile walk to the start line. There will be no free shuttle from transit stops to the starting line this year, MTS officials said.
Green Line trains depart each station every 30 minutes starting at 5 a.m., Blue Line trains depart each station every 15 minutes throughout the day beginning at 4:34 a.m. from San Ysidro, and every 15 minutes throughout the day beginning at 5:03 a.m. from UTC and Orange Line trains depart each station every 30 minutes beginning at 5:15 a.m. from El Cajon, transitioning to every 15 minutes mid-morning.
On Friday and Saturday, a tied-in health expo will run at the San Diego Convention Center.
On Sunday, the marathon and half marathon begin at 6:15 a.m. with the starting line at Sixth Avenue and Quince Street at Balboa Park with a Finish Line Festival at Waterfront Park.
Spectators will be able to follow both the 5k race on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday at viewing locations located near various Trolley stations.
Post-race, Green, Blue and Orange line trains will run from downtown every 15 minutes.
Updated at 5:18 p.m. June 2, 2023
City News Service contributed to this article.
