The Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon is a fun, high-energy race done right. Outside of Disney events, it’s hard to find many other races with this level of atmosphere and support.

Expo / pick-up:
-The expo at the San Diego Convention Center was well-organized with plentiful, designated bib and shirt pick-up stations, as well as a start-corral adjustment table. I appreciated the vaccine/negative test check at the entrance. So many of us race because of health, and it’s nice that they took this seriously. I also loved the clear pick-up bags we got. They’re so handy for carrying all your race and expo goodies, and necessary for gear drop at the longer races. I don’t understand why some races try to cheap out by not giving these bags. Like most big expos, there’s a spacious area for race weekend merch and the primary shoe sponsor (Brooks this year). My favorite pieces of merch were the 5k/Half/Marathon shirts with all the racers’ names printed on them in alphabetical order—the catch being that you had to have registered for the races at least 60 days early. I wish I’d registered earlier, and this neat little perk is something the Rock ‘n’ Roll organizers should advertise more! The San Diego version of the Rock ‘n’ Roll running events is apparently the original, and the expo set up a neat display of all the medal designs throughout the years, as well as all the bonus medals you can earn for completing multiple Rock ‘n’ Roll races. They’re so bling-tastic and do a good job of appealing to all the medal-collecting completionists out there :-)

Parking:
-Convention center parking for the expo was unfortunately $20. I tried finding cheaper alternatives, but couldn’t find anything more reasonable. For race day, I went with the race-recommended Spot Hero app, and found $20 parking that was a few blocks from the finish line, but a bit farther from the start line. It wasn’t a big deal because so many other runners were also making the same trek to the start line, so every few blocks this long parade of runners would grow.

Pre-race:
-The start line begins at 6th Ave and Quince St, but once you get close to 6th Ave and Laurel St/the El Prado Bridge, the music starts kicking in and the port-a-potty lines emerge (hallelujah!). Gear check was a breeze—remember to bring the clear bags and zip ties from the expo. Just like the 5k from the previous day, runners were divided into multiple corrals—at least 25 corrals, marked by giant guitar picks (get it? Rock and roll?). One implementation I really admired was the staggered corral starts. Most races will release entire corrals are released at once. Then you’re expected to cross the start line on your own timing, and end up navigating a congested, slow-mo stampede from the start? The Rock ‘n’ Roll organizers solved this issue by releasing runners in each corral in 5-sec mini-waves, signaled by countdown lights and horns. This way, you can launch out of the start line into a more wide-open road! I hope this practice becomes more commonplace.

Course:
-The Half Marathon course primarily winds around Balboa Park, through North Park, Normal Heights, and East San Diego, then back to Balboa and Downtown. I think the elevation change can be best described as gentle rolling hills, with a few bigger hills sprinkled throughout—nothing too extreme. The first “big” hill was around mile 3. It thinned the crowds a bit, but I think it came early enough in the course that I felt fresh enough to speed through. The hills before and after mile 10, right as you re-enter the northeast corner of Balboa Park, caught me a bit off guard. They weren’t huge by any means, but tired legs at that point made them a chore! The good news? It’s all pretty much downhill (literally) from that point on! You zoom south through Balboa towards downtown—and with the downhill slope combined with the mental momentum of knowing you’re in the final stretch, it makes for an exciting finish.

Scenery/Weather/Support:
-With a name like “Rock ‘n’ Roll” in the event name, you’d think that music would be important to the race. And you’d be right! There’s plenty of on-course entertainment, including multiple bands and DJs, a drag show, a Johnny Cash tribute, cheer squads, a Ron Burgundy impersonator (I almost slowed down to hear more jokes), and a pretty nifty disco tunnel around mile 12! Water support was strong throughout the course. I think there were port-a-potties, but I was too locked-in to notice. Weather-wise, it was a cool and cloudy day, but not as overcast as it was for the previous day’s 5k, and not cloudy enough to dampen the overall energy of the race.

Post-race:
-Once you cross the finish-line, grab your finisher medal and a great selection of refreshments: water, banana, multiple brands of granola bars, a fresh cookie, chips (salt is an underrated part of recovery!), Gatorade, fruit snacks, and more. You definitely won’t go hungry. Runners are funneled several blocks down Ash St towards the waterfront finish festival. I have to say the finish festival is one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen. There’s an alphabetized family reunion area, gear pick-up, food trucks, photo opportunities, merchandising, Remix Challenge medal pick-up (if you did the 5k), medal engraving, and pick-up plenty of space to cool-down and stretch. All this while music blasts to keep you on your feet if you need. It’s a really festive mood, and the sights are great too because you’re just along the water with several ships sitting in the harbor.

Swag:
-The Half Marathon was a dark blue tech shirt, with multiple San Diego neighborhood signs highlighted in yellow and orange. It’s not as eye-catching as the 5k shirt, but it’s still very nice. The Half Marathon medal is a round replica of the North Park sign in light-blue, with a bright orange ribbon attached. It’s only slightly larger than the 5k medal, which is something I hope they change in the future. If you run the 5k as well, then you’ll get your hands on a Remix Challenge medal: the medal features a record that actually slides in and out of its sleeve! Way cool. Both medals have an outlined area on the back for engraving if you want to record your time or celebrate a PR.

Bottom-line:
-This was my first Rock ‘n’ Roll running weekend, and I had a really great time. The race was well-produced, and full of little details (guitar pick corral signs, corral mini-waves, on-course entertainment, a disco tunnel, an expansive finish line festival, etc.) that set it apart. Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego’s got a great energy that really makes you want to run it again.