Posted: April 21, 2006

Athletics: Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon Course Unveiled

Inaugural footrace promises a flat, fast and entertaining course for runners and walkers

SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 19, 2006) -- The inaugural running of the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon promises a flat, fast and entertaining course for runners and walkers, event organizer Elite Racing, Inc. announced, as the course was unveiled for the first time today. Approximately 15,000 runner and walkers are expected for the musical event that will showcase Silicon Valley's capital when it debuts Sun., Oct. 8, 2006.

"The Bay Area has a strong running community and October has ideal conditions for running in this region," said Tim Murphy, founder and CEO of Elite Racing. "This is a world class course that will attract elite athletes and will provide a fun-filled tour of some of San Jose’s newest features and most historic sites."

Registration for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon is going strong with nearly 3,000 participants already entered. A sister event, the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, is approaching its sixth anniversary in September and it sells out annually with more than 20,000 runners and walkers. Based on those numbers and the current popularity of the half marathon (13.1 miles), organizers expect the San Jose event to reach capacity early.

The half marathon starts on Santa Clara Street near San Pedro Square with an invitational wheelchair race at 7:55 a.m., followed by the elite men and women, and runners and walkers at 8:00 a.m.

From the half marathon start, which proceeds east along Santa Clara through downtown and past San Jose City Hall, the course turns left onto 11th Street towards Japantown beginning the first of two loops in the course. It zigs west on Jackson Street and then zags north up 4th Street before it takes two quick turns at East Hedding Street to run south on 2nd Street back towards downtown. After a short swing west on Bassett, participants will proceed thru mile four on San Pedro before passing thru historic San Pedro Square.

Passing under the arch of San Pedro Square, the course turns west on Santa Clara, back where it started, passing the HP Pavilion where the evening's post-race concert will be held. Along The Alameda the course reaches mile six just before its second loop with a turn southwest down University Avenue. The course hits mile seven just before it turns north on Washington Street and then swings west on Newhall Street and south, thru mile eight along North Monroe Street. Near the corner of West Hedding and Bascom Ave, the course turns south towards Emory before a northeast approach to the Municipal Rose Garden.

Tag and Save Tag and save this article to your Del.icio.us favourites. What is Del.icio.us?

As the course rounds the Rose Garden, a horseshoe is made as it turns down Dana Avenue, where racers pass Lincoln High School before mile 10 at the corner of Shasta Avenue. Here, the course turns towards Park Avenue where it points northwest before once again meeting up with Emory and heading towards The Alameda and the home stretch. As the course turns on to The Alameda back towards downtown, the finish line is near. Just after the corner of The Alameda and Race Street, the course hits mile 12 where the elite athletes will begin their kick. After passing over a section of Guadalupe River Park, the course swoops in towards the finish along Almaden Blvd. Mile 13 is located near the corner of Almaden Blvd. and Park Avenue where the course turns along the final straightaway to the finish line at Plaza de Cesar Chavez next to the Tech Museum of Innovation. The plaza will be the location of the finish line village where participants can cool down in the beer garden, enjoy a variety of refreshments and listen to live music at the finish line festival.

In addition to rousing music along each mile of the Rock 'n' Roll course, local high school cheerleading squads will line the route, cheering on participants while competing for cash and prizes in the Spirit on the Course competition. The inaugural event concludes with an evening concert at the HP Pavilion, free to all participants and featuring a major rock 'n' roll headliner.

The half marathon will draw elite runners from around the world vying for a cash purse of $80,000, the largest half marathon prize purse west of the Mississippi. The event will be televised both locally and nationally. A free two-day "Health and Fitness Expo," open to the public, will be held October 6 and 7 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and will feature the latest health and nutrition information with a variety of products for sample and sale.

The Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon is the fifth in a series of musical running events created by Elite Racing. The movement began in 1998 with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, an event that has become one of the most popular marathons in the country and annually closes out at 20,000 entrants.

For more information on the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon or to register online, visit www.RnRsj.co or contact Elite Racing, Inc. at 5452 Oberlin Dr., San Diego, CA 92121 or call 800/311-1255.

Comment on this story.

Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest