U.S. Olympian Meb Keflezighi runs in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on June 3 in San Diego, California. Photo: Kent C. Horner/Getty Images
SAN DIEGO–The 15th annual event was a star-studded success. The half marathon event featured several notable runners including television personality Kate Gosselin, two of the six-members of the U.S. Olympic Marathon team–Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Hall, as well as California politicians Congressman Duncan Hunter and State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, among others.
Television personality Kate Gosselin finished the event with a time of 1:56:43. Dr. Andy Baldwin, an ING KiDS ROCK ambassador known for his appearance on ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ Season 10, ran the race in 1:31:25. Baldwin was participating with Team Fletcher, a group led by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, who is running for Mayor of San Diego and ran 13.1-mile race in 1:43:51. Former NFL player Tim Dwight, who played four seasons with the San Diego Chargers, completed the half in 1:56:07. Former Raising Sextuplets star Jenny Masche completed the race with her new husband Levi, with a time of 2:31:42. U.S. Congressman Duncan D. Hunter participated in the event with his wife Margret, crossing the finish line in 2:45:48. Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington participated in full costume with Competitor Magazine co-founder Bob Babbitt and the infamous contingent of Running Elvi.
Meb Keflezighi, winner of the U.S. Olympic marathon trials, appears ready for the London Games. The 37-year-old ran smoothly and effortlessly on Sunday, winning the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half-Marathon in 1:03:11, his second consecutive victory in his adopted hometown. Ryan Hall, 29, the U.S. record-holder for the half-marathon at 59:33, struggled because of plantar faciaitis in his left foot, and finished a distant second in 1:05:39. The women’s half-marathon was won by New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith in 1:08:37, a time that would have placed her seventh among the men.
More than 30,000 entrants from all 50 states and 40 countries were greeted with ideal running weather on Sunday morning. Famous for lining race routes with live bands and cheerleaders, 102 athletes have completed all 15 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons in San Diego. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon started as a simple idea—the idea of making running fun—and soon transformed San Diego into the birthplace of a global phenomenon by combining live music, elite competition, recreational running and charity fundraising into a grand entertainment event.
Since the first Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in 1998, Team In Training participants have raised $171 million in San Diego to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s blood cancer research and patient services programs.
Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego – Results
Place, Name, Age, Country, Time, Prize
Marathon
Men
1. Nixon Machichim, 29, Kenya, 2:10:03, $25,000
2. Desta Gebrehiwot, 23, Ethiopia, 2:10:14, $17,500
3. Tesfaye Sendeku, 28, Ethiopia, 2:11:18, $10,000
4. Weldon Kirui, 23, Kenya, 2:11:28, $7,500
5. Patrick Ivuti, 33, Kenya, 2:11:39, $5,000
Women
1. Alevtina Ivanova, 37, Russia, 2:27:44, $25,000
2. Meseret Legesse, 24, Ethiopia, 2:28:01, $17,500
3. Woynishet Girma, 24, Ethiopia, 2:33:59, $10,000
4. Silvia Skvortsova, 37, Russia, 2:34:10, $7,500
5. Lyudmila Biktasheva, 37, Russia, 2:34:18, $5,000
Half Marathon
Men
1. Meb Keflezighi, 37, USA, 1:03:11
2. Ryan Hall, 29, USA, 1:05:39
3. Cesar Lizano, 30, Costa Rica, 1:07:28
Women
1. Kim Smith, 30, New Zealand, 1:08:37
2. Ariana Hilborn, 31, USA, 1:15:32
3. Lindsay Tollefson, USA, 1:18:47
