FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Elite Racing, Inc.
Susan Reid
Audra Hoffmeyer
858/450-6510
** To view and download a color copy of the new
Rock 'n' Roll course map, visit www.rnrmarathon.com.**
New Course Unveiled for Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
Sell-out Race Celebrates Eighth Year with a New Look
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (March 16, 2005) -- The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon will
celebrate its eighth running with a scenic new course and earlier start
time when it hits the streets of San Diego on June 5, 2005. Coined the
original Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, this is the race that launched the musical
revolution in the sport of marathon running.
The new course reverses the loop around Mission Bay and spends more time
downtown, allowing the runners to not only circle around Petco Park, which
hadn't even been designed when the race debuted in 1998, but to also tour
the growing Gaslamp District, and run by the water on Harbor Drive for the
quintessential San Diego view.
In addition, the marathon will start 15 minutes earlier, at 6:30 a.m.
instead of 6:45 a.m. (with the wheelchair start at 6:25 a.m.), to further
ease traffic and road closure concerns.
"We have been working diligently with local community groups throughout San
Diego to notify residents and businesses of the course changes and how they
will impact their communities," said Tim Murphy, president and CEO of Elite
Racing and mastermind behind the musical marathon theme. "We love being
here in San Diego and are pleased that the new course will better showcase
the beautiful beach and bay communities, downtown and Gaslamp areas of the
city."
The marathon maintains its traditional start line village on the west edge
of Balboa Park, on 6th Avenue and Laurel and its finish line celebration at
the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in Point Loma. Between these two
points, at a glance, the course does not look much different.
After running up 6th Avenue, east on University Avenue and south on Park
Blvd, the course runs down 11th Avenue before a quick zag to 10th Avenue.
At the five-mile mark, the course circles Petco Park and runs up Tony Gwynn
Drive to J Street before entering the historic Gaslamp Quarter on 5th
Avenue. From there, a stretch along westbound Market Street turns onto
Harbor Drive before heading back east along Broadway between miles seven
and eight.
As always, Highway 163 provides a beautiful two-mile stretch of America’s
most scenic highway before the course turns west on Friars Road. Just
before the 14-mile mark, participants take a right turn onto Napa Street
and quick turn along Linda Vista Road to Morena Blvd., now taking the old
course counter clockwise around the Bay. The course heads north towards
Clairemont on Milton and Denver Streets before turning left on Clairemont
Drive over I-5 at mile 16, the course then turns right onto North Mission
Bay Drive to Grand Avenue. Running through the naval housing community
between Quincy and Olney Streets, the race then heads west on Pacific Beach
Drive and south on Crown Point Drive providing a new view of the Bay from
the west.
Near the 20 mile mark, runners are getting closer to the finish line as
they head south on Ingraham Street to Frontage Road before quick turns on
Friars Road and Sea World Drive transition runners to Pacific Highway and
onward towards the finish line at MCRD via Barnett Avenue.
The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego is a unique event that combines
running with entertainment. It is the fifth-largest marathon in the country
and eighth largest in the world and annually sells out with 20,000 runners
and walkers taking part each year. Televised locally and nationally, over
40 bands play live music on 26 stages and 2,000 cheerleaders compete for
the Spirit on the Course award. In addition, the event features a post-race
concert at Coors Amphitheatre highlighting a major rock 'n' roll headliner.
This highlight on the San Diego calendar is much more than runners and
music as it produces an annual total direct economic impact of $45 million
(net) while the marathon's official charity, The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society, has raised an astounding $84.6 (net) million for research and
patient services in the last seven years.
For information on the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, including race day road
closures and alternate access routes to popular weekend destinations, or to
register online, visit www.rnrmarathon.com or contact Elite Racing at (800)
311-1255. Registration for the marathon is currently $85 thru April 22,
2005.
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