Rock ’n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon brings the noise
The musically unique 13.1-mile race is known for being flat, fast and fun
Runners explode from the starting line of the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon on Sunday in San Jose.
A high-energy — and high-decibel — event took over downtown San Jose on Sunday morning.
The annual Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon featured live bands stationed along the route and drew a decidedly upbeat crowd of parents, couples, co-workers, friends and family members, who showed up bright and early to tackle 13.1 miles of streets.
Runners said the half-marathon route — which snaked around the downtown core, through Japantown, across the Guadalupe River, and through the Municipal Rose Garden before ending near Plaza de César Chávez — is flat, fast and perfect for setting personal records.
“I love it,” Georgina Logan, 42, of Pleasanton said after finishing the race. She and a partner from her local running club were drinking frosty beers from Michelob, the main sponsor of the event. The musical route, she said, “is unique and it’s motivating, and it’s a way to break up the monotony of the miles.”
Rick De Los Angeles, a bass
player in the band Math Class, was getting ready to take the stage in the late morning near Almaden Boulevard and Post Street, the last stage before the finish. He said their group loves playing at the race, and not just because they get paid.
“It’s just a fun event,” he said. He said taking the stage around 10 a.m. is best in his view, because some of the later runners who don’t take the race too seriously tend to engage with the music more, and dress up in “tutus and Elvis costumes.”
Landon Thompson from San Diego said he’s run in several Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon events in different states, and came up to San Jose to run this race with a co-worker who invited him.
Shirtless and covered in sweat at the finish line, he said he was feeling good about his run, having set a personal record, and fed off the energy of the event.
“It’s the bands, it’s the people, it’s electric,” he said.
Besides stages with live music along the route, Plaza de César Chávez hosted the main stage, where runners could mingle and listen to music from more bands, including the headliner, MarchFourth.
Whether it be for fitness, to meet personal goals, or just chasing a feeling of achievement, people run in the event for many reasons.
For Katie Turner and Anna Mojica, both of Bakersfield, they came for an exhilarating escape.
“This is our only break from our kids,” Turner said. The pair were using this race as a tune-up for a future full marathon.
Sid Vaughn, of Boulder, Colorado, set the fastest time for men running the half-marathon Sunday, finishing in one hour, three minutes and 35 seconds, according to the event organizer’s initial results. Meagan Krifchin of Bellmore, New York, finished top among women, with a time of one hour, 12 minutes and 49 seconds.
Carrie Arbuckle, of San Jose, grabbed a bottle of water after finishing the race for the second time in two years and echoed the sentiments of others on the musical route.
“That’s a good vibe,” she said.