Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon

I liked the wave starts. Each wave starts and 2:30 later the next wave starts. Large field with plenty of hydration stops and spectators. Upbeat happy atmosphere.

Rolling hills with a steep hill around mile 10. The downhill sections are difficult because of the camber and grade. Some hills before the big climb up 163. Adjust the pace to make it up the hill strong. 2.9 miles that’s almost all downhill to the finish.

If you can park along Harbor drive near Ash street you’ll be close to the finish line. A little over a mile to the starting line.

This is a very challenging marathon and definitely not a course I’d recommend if your main goal is chasing a PR or running your fastest time. At the same time, it’s also not one of those scenic destination marathons where the views alone make the effort worth it.

The first half of the race is great because you share the course with the half marathon—good energy, spectators, and a fun city atmosphere. But once the marathon splits off, the experience changes completely. You spend almost 20 km running on a mostly empty road with very little crowd support, and mentally that section becomes really tough.

The biggest surprise (or punishment) is around kilometer 36: there’s a long climb of almost 2 km that feels absolutely brutal that late in the race. It changes the race completely.

That said, the organization was excellent. Start corrals were well managed, logistics felt smooth, and hydration stations were consistently available with both water and electrolytes. Crowd support inside the city was strong and made the first half really enjoyable.

Personally, I came here looking for a PR and I actually achieved it—and qualified for Boston—which makes me incredibly happy. At the same time, I left feeling a little frustrated because I ran a really strong race on a course that is objectively difficult and not built for fast times. It leaves you wondering what could’ve happened on a flatter course.

The post-race experience was also really fun: concert, drinks, good atmosphere, and a nice way to celebrate after suffering.

Don’t underestimate this course. Be conservative early even if you feel amazing in the city section because the second half is a completely different race. Save energy for the final 10 km and especially for the climb around km 36. Hydrate well and mentally prepare for long stretches without much crowd support.

If your goal is to enjoy the event, atmosphere, and have a more fun experience overall, I’d strongly consider doing the half marathon instead of the full marathon.

Organization and race logistics were one of the highlights. Arrival and corrals felt efficient. Hydration was reliable throughout the course. My biggest recommendation is to stay relatively close to the start or use race transportation if available—saving energy before this course matters more than usual. Also plan something after the race because the finish area atmosphere is worth staying for.

Stay in downtown or park outside of downtown

As a California native, I chose R&R SD as my Boston qualifying race due for its convenience and familiar weather. I stayed at hotel near Little Italy was walking distance to starting and finish lines. R&R SD is a well-organized event with a great atmosphere.

The first 12 miles of the course takes you through different neighborhoods. There were many twists and turns. You need to practice cornering and be mindful of uneven surfaces. Most people talk about the big dreadful hills at mile 21.5, but the hill near mile 4 was an unpleasant surprise. Although it was short, the hill was relatively steep and get congested easily. Not only the infamous hill at HWY 167 is long (~1.5 miles) and steep (~6% gradient), the road banks to one side, making it very challenging to run. It is important to maintain a relaxing, comfortable pace at as you ascend. It's best to do a few long hill repeats to get your body ready for this climb.

I will forever have double feelings for this Marathon. It is San Diego, and temperature was great. Rock n Roll organization makes it all worth it, but the course is not what you would think for San Diego.

To start, this Marathon is listed as downhill but the up hills are so steep and most of them long that the downhill part doesn't matter at all. Don't underestimate the rolling hills on the first half, and the 2 miles long hill around Mile 20.

The Pacer groups were amazing, the course support, abundance of food, hydration, salt and Biofreeze at stations were surely appreciated.

I'm not sure if I would ever recommend this race to anyone wanting a PR, but if you would like to experience a Rock n Roll series, and for the love of San Diego... Then this is your race.

Pace yourself on the first Half with the rolling hills, save your legs to the Highway to Hill at mile 20.
Plenty of restrooms, Stations were great, and the crowd is amazing.

Perfect weather, plenty of places to visit, plenty of choices of restaurants. What's not to like?

Be ready for hills.

Shuttles to the start would be nice.

Its hard to beat San Diego weather. I've run this marathon several times and the course has changed multiple times. This year a couple short steep hills up and down were added. Too many quick turns and coupling the 1/2 with full proved a bit troubling the first 3 miles. Lots of pot holes and the 163 freeway uphill never disappoints as "challenging" at mile 22.

If you are more on the serious side. Try to get in the first couple corrals at the start. This races attracts many many fun runner 1/2's and the crowds get deep first 3 miles, lots of weaving to get around people. Also lots of turns, do yourself a favor and cut the apex as much as possible.

Get a ride to drop you off at the start. Parking very limited unless you want to walk up several long hills before you race

I enjoyed running the san diego marathon this year. Water stops and aid tent filled with gels, vaseline and bio freeze, ice bags found every 3 miles. The running course changed mile 22.5 was the hill in the canyon, changing the decent from the top of the hill made for short run to the finish line. Less freeway running that in past years but the heat pouring off of the concrete was uncomfortabe. Staff, water, gatoraide was plentifull. Its a tough running course last 13 miles but its my forite race to run.

At start of race lots of pace setters were available for you to run with. First 10 miles fairly flat then the hills begin and the final climb to mile 23. Race day temperature started out 60 degrees then spikedup 20 degrees making the last 13 miles tough. Alot of runners had no water bottle or hydro vest on or food with them and lots of runners dropped out of the race after mile 16, hot, no clouds, heat from the highway concrete. Running on left side of roadways helped to decrease the heat your body felt while running.

I stayed at gaslamp plaza hotel, small room but had microwave, refridge, high ceilings, great roof top deck overlooked the bay, and convention center. I arrived for early check in, I took bus from airport to broadway and 6th street, its 2.50 cents one way bus ticket.

Communication with runners has been TERRIBLE. They take 3-4 weeks to respond, IF you even get a response. They will not offer refunds or deferrals even though I originally signed up for a summer 2020 race that they have moved to fall 2021. I will NEVER sign up for another rock n roll race again.

San Diego is home away from home for me so I was fairly biased in favor of this race from the beginning. The expo was terrific, as is to be expected from a Rock-n-Roll event, there were plenty of vendors to talk to and lots of good information. I didn't have any issues with parking at the expo, it was a pain to pay $15 to park at the convention center but most big city events are going to gouge you on parking, especially if it's in a downtown area.

I used the shuttle system to get to the starting line, which meant standing in a long line at 5AM but it moved fast and was way better than fighting for a parking spot. The biggest problem pre-race was way too slow of corral releases which meant that a lot of people spent over 30 minutes slowly shuffling towards the start line. This wasn't a huge problem, but when you're fired up and ready to get going, that's a long time to shuffle around after the starting gun has been fired.

I loved this race, love the city, and really appreciated how well run the event was from start to finish. In typical Rock-n-Roll fashion, there were plenty of opportunities to be separated from your money and the event has a very corporate feel to it at times. But, I would highly recommend this event and hope to be able to run it again in the future.

The course itself could have used some more water front views but the section in Mission Bay was great. It was a big out and back but it was along the ocean so it was a great view. I liked the neighborhoods we ran through and thought it was a good mix of houses and eclectic local shops and restaurants. Fan support in those areas was great, plenty of cheering people and you could definitely feel the support. About the massive hill on Highway 163 from mile 22 to 24 that everyone talks about in regards to this race.

I honestly don't mind a race throwing a big challenge in the later miles, I run a lot of hills in training so I don't mind them that much. My issue with this stretch is that running on a highway is just not a lot of fun, especially that late in the race when you're dog tired and need all the distractions you can get. Once you get over the novelty of running on a closed highway, it's a long slow climb that never seems to end with very little scenery and no fan support because you're on the highway. All that being said, once you reach the top it's all downhill to the finish.

This marathon was very well organized and had a lot of crowd support. There was lots of water and Gatorade on the course.

The course was nice, but not fantastic. Mile 22 to 25 was on the highway which was uphill. This was boring and mentally very tough. I didn't know anything about the course so it came as a surprise. I should have learned about the course beforehand. Once we got off the highway there was people everywhere and we started going downhill! Very nice finish. It was a bit of a walk to the after party and area where you picked up your jackets, but it was good to walk a little after!

The expo was nice. My husband was looking for a printed map so he'd know where to find us, but we couldn't find one. If you want a paper map, make sure to print one at home.

Overall it was a nice marathon. The volunteers and the crowds were amazing!

They also dedicated an entire street to remembering those that lost their lives in the military. They had hundreds of pictures, it was very touching and reminded us that the marathon isn't really that much of a struggle compared to what many people have been through.

Be prepared for the long hill at mile 22!

Not very many porta potties at the start, so get there early!

Print out a map ahead of time if you think your family will need one.

There were many Airbnb and VRBO choices within a mile of both the start and finish. Many are very economical.

The expo was very well run. I was kind of disappointed about the music - this was my first Rock 'n Roll run, so I was expecting plenty of music to be on the course. Instead, there were only a handful of bands, and the headliner band at the finish wrapped up early, so you would have had to run about a 3:45 marathon to catch any of it (assuming you started with one of the forward corrals). Also, for a city the size of San Diego, I was expecting more spectators cheering along the course. There were many stretches that were completely deserted. Given the price of travel, lodging, and generally being in San Diego, and weighing that against the experience, I don't think I'll do this one again.

The course begins with some rolling hills, and I paced to conserve energy for the big hill, which I expected at mile 23. Instead, it felt like the uphill portion began at around mile 19, with a steady uphill to the freeway at about mile 22. It drops onto the highway, and there's a steep hill all the way to around mile 24. So save plenty of gas for that last hill.

Definitely would recommend staying in a hotel near the finish line. I also got the pre-race VIP package mainly for the private porta-potty access, but if you don't make it to the start line at the exact moment the race starts, it takes about 30 minutes for all the corrals to pass, so you won't miss anything.

I did like to run close to the beach, nice weather, nice organization.

I did not like the couple of miles on the highway to finish... it was a bit steep and too hot for the finish.

He volunteers, the route, the basements, the organization are very good.

The weather is very humid so take a lot of water during the race.

Stay in a hotel in the middle of the star linet and finish line. at both places you arrive walking before and after the run.