Marathon #7: San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon, 1998

Inaugural Course

The Competitor group began with its first ever Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego on June 21, 1998. It had a record-breaking inaugural headcount of roughly 18,000 participants, with the promise of live band performances at every mile. We had a huge contingent from our local running group running the full, and one 5 person relay team, which included my husband of 3 weeks, Toby Linder! For me, this was a good way to show off my "hometown" to my new husband and to get the opportunity to run a marathon in familiar territory.  We knew the Competitor group was biting off more than they could chew with their ridiculous headcount, so right away we knew to dial down our expectations of an organized race, and in my mind I knew I wanted to "enjoy the day", so no PR or Boston qualifying goals.

There were four of us who planned on running together, Me, Amy Jacoby, Kathy, and Nancy Scholberg (from our relay team Texas Roadkill).  We all wore the same outfit, Texas flag shorts and matching jog bras. Before the race start, which was delayed by over 40 minutes, I got separated from them and wandered about the corrals until I heard my name being chanted over and over in the distance. When I finally found them, the surrounding people started clapping and cheering. I'll never forget that ridiculous moment! It was already about 65 degrees, and the June gloom marine layer was already long gone. I assumed (correctly) that the water stops would be utter chaos, so I actually carried my own bottle for most of the race. Some water stops were either under-staffed or were quickly running out of supplies. The four of us only remained together until about mile 7 or so. Amy and I fell back as it continued to heat up. At this point the course was just hideous, as it ran along Sea World Drive out in the middle of nowhere. It also became obvious that there would be very little in the way of musical entertainment on the course as promised, but this did not surprise me. Still, as we approached the Mission Bay area the scenery improved. Somewhere around mile 14 or so Amy dropped off, but then I ran into Kathy and Nancy again. I can't recall how long we stayed together, if at all, but I do know Toby handed me a full water bottle somewhere along this stretch. From the beginning he was my hero!

The husband, 3 weeks in...

At around miles 18-19 we entered the on-ramp to the Pacific Highway (no I am not kidding), and exited near the Naval Training Center and actually ran inside the center for a bit. From there were ended up on North Harbor Drive, which was just stunning to run along. We actually ran along Harbor Drive all the way back into downtown San Diego, where the finish line was. The only glitch was at some point we had to run up (and then down) a make-shift plywood bridge, which isn't normally a big deal, but it proved difficult at miles 22-23. The finish was absolute chaos, but we were all able to find one another eventually.  (Times: Kathy 3:51, me: 3:58, Nancy: 4:03, and Amy: 4:12. Not bad for such a hot mess).

The first of many finish line photos with Kathy

Later that evening we ventured over to the cove (That's La Jolla Cove to you non San Diegans) with snacks and champagne to watch the sun set. A spectacular ending to a crazy day!

For what it matters, the course we ran in 1998 was never again replicated, and I believe it took them several years to dial in a course they felt satisfied with.  I like the map they have for 2015, and with a May race date, even better. Still, I'm glad we ran it and can tell people we were there when the Rock and Roll series began.