Thousands of participants and spectators lined the streets of San Diego Sunday for the 2024 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon, an annual race that begins at Balboa Park and winds its way through 26.2 or 13.1 miles through San Diego.
More than 30,000 registered participants from 49 states and 48 countries joined the races — a 20% increase over 2023’s crowd size. Most of that growth was due to a 21% increase in marathoners, with a total of nearly 8,000 registered marathon participants.
The marathon winners were Rene Ortiz of Rioverde, Mexico, on the men’s side with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, 42 seconds, and Dakota Bliler of Scottsdale, Arizona, winning the women’s race with a time of 2:52:31.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego is the only race I’ve ever repeated because I love it so much,” said Bliler, who placed second in the women’s marathon last year and returned this year for the win.
“I love running here because people are so kind and encouraging, and always cheering me on along the course. I train a lot in the heat, living in Scottsdale, so it was also nice weather out there today, and I didn’t even break a sweat until mile 10.”
San Diego resident Lisa Goodin came in first place in the womens’ half-marathon with an overall time of 1:15:42, and Ayrton Ledesma of Azusa took top place among the men’s half-marathon, coming in with a time of 1:03:42.
Dozens of “Legacy Runners” also turned up — people who have participated in the marathon distance every year since the inaugural race in 1998.
The race held a moment of silence for Legacy Runner and San Diego Track Club coach Bill Aaron, who died just three weeks before the race. The race also held a moment of silence for the passing of local legend and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, now an international phenomenon, began in San Diego in 1998, drawing nearly 20,000 marathon participants to the first event and setting a record as the largest debut marathon in U.S. history.
More information on upcoming events and where to register for races can be found here.
