By Annie Wuhe annual Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, part of the Rock and Roll Marathon Series, was run on Sunday with a full 26.2-mile course that finished at SeaWorld San Diego. Richard Limo was the winner of the men's elite race, completing the marathon at a little over two hours, with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 58 seconds. Yulia Gromova was the winner of the women's race, finishing in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 42 seconds.
Limo was a former 5,000 meter world champion who hails from Kenya, according to the official Rock and Roll Marathon series website. This was his first marathon victory of his career. After reaching the finish line, he came to a complete stop. Limo said, “It was very important to me. This was my first marathon win and I wanted to take a very good picture. This is wonderful.”
For Gromova, this is her third win in a row. She was ahead at mile 17 and remained at the top until she crossed the finish line.
The Rock n Roll Marathon takes place in various cities in the nation, which features live bands performing at every mile of the race. There is also a post-race concert, which was headlined by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy this year.
The band was immensely popular during the 90s. “The seven-man group arrived on the scene in 1993, forging a massively successful fusion of classic American sounds including jazz, swing, Dixieland, and big-band music,” according to the marathon website. Their music has appeared in movies and television shows and includes hits like "Go Daddy-O" and “You & Me and the Bottle Makes Three (Tonight)." Their albums have sold over two million copies.
The marathon had its inaugural run in San Diego in 1998. Since then, the marathon has remained popular with runners in the city. Around 30,000 runners participated in the marathon this past Sunday, the marathon's official site reported.
This year, there was a new course for the marathon in San Diego, passing by such scenic areas like Mission Bay Park and the city waterfront. This year was also the first time the event included a half-marathon. Sergio Gonzalez of Oceanside, California won the half-marathon in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 18 seconds.
Both the full marathon and the half-marathon will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
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