MAY 31, 2009 -- The Rock n Roll Marathon kicked off today at 8 a.m. The event, which attracts tens of thousands to the city, is like a Slurpee headache. It’s delicious and fun, but occasionally it makes your brain lockup. Yes, traffic gets tied up for half the day. But just relax, and be aware.
The course enters downtown from the backside of Balboa Park, via Eleventh Street. It circles around Petco Park, and the weaves west along Market Street. Runners reach Harbor Drive and go north, then east on Broadway. They exit north onto the 163 freeway, and head off for the rest of the course, which ends at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot.
My only marathon effort was 10 years ago. I barely trained. My goal was four hours. After being passed by a guy running backwards, an untold number of guys dressed like Elvis and a couple of grandmas, I stumbled across the finish line with a case of bleeding nipples, after 5 hours of discomfort.
If you have some time, check out the runners. The race makes for great people watching. There are 26 entertainment stages along the way, and 40 cheerleading squads participate. You’ll never catch me in the field again. But I love telling the story of throwing away my t-shirt mid-course, because of the nipple blood on it that made me look like I’d been shot twice in the chest.