Come Sunday morning streets surrounding downtown will once again fill up with runners of all stripes as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon returns to San Diego, so here’s a quick look at what to expect – and how to get around the race course if need be.
More than a race
The main event, of course, is the full marathon – a 7-hour affair that begins at Sixth Avenue and Quince Street at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday and winds through town before reaching the finish line at Ash and Union streets. There’s also the four-hour half-marathon starting at the same time, and a one-hour 5K.
But leading up to that, there’s a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the San Diego Convention Center (111 W. Harbor Drive) beginning at noon Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday; participants are required to attend to pick up their race-day packets, while also having the chance to explore the accompanying trade show.
Traffic closures
With so many runners hitting the roads, that means drivers will face detours and road closures, with the area around Sixth Avenue from both Kalmia Street to Redwood Street and Redwood to University Avenue – in other words, near the full marathon’s starting line – closing as early as 2 a.m. Sunday.
Major streets in areas like North Park, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, Old Town and around Mission Bay will also face closures during the day. You can see all of the road closures listed here, and a full course map for the marathon here.
If you plan to use public transportation on race day, your commute will very likely also be affected. MTS San Diego has published a list of affected stops here.
Rockin’ around the block(s)
And then, of course, there is what makes this marathon – and the spinoffs it has brought to other cities – stand out: live music along the route. The headliners are Bruno Mars tribute band Uptown Funk and 2000s cover group Y2K2K! But they’re far from the only acts involved.
As participants – make their way through the course, they’ll get to hear plenty of music – and more. Spectators can enjoy the acts too, including:
- The rockabilly band Blame Betty at the 3.8-mile mark.
- A car show presented by Diego Style Car Club around 6 miles into the course for both the half- and full marathons.
- El Mariachi Nueva Tradicion at 7.7 miles.
- A “Rock ‘n’ Roll Drag Show” at 9.8 miles in (1.5 for the half-marathon)
- The Mo’Rhythm School of Percussion bringing steel drum rhythms at just under 12 miles into the full marathon.
- Alt-rockers The Naked I and solo rock vocalist Vanouhi will play at the 21.3-mile mark.
