No more MCSO depot marathon finshes...

I was finally able to find out why the RNR San Diego will no longer finish at the MCSO recruiting depot. Basically the depot is going to undergo renovations which will make it impossible to end the races there. The future course is supposed to be unveiled by the day after the marathon this year. Guesses are that the race will finish at Qualcom (or whatever it is called) in the future. Here is an article I found about it.

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon to end MCRD run
By Don Norcross Union-Tribune Staff Writer

2:00 a.m. March 19, 2009

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon will no longer finish at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot after this year's race on May 31 because of impending barracks expansion at the base.

A decision has not been made about where the race will finish beginning in 2010, although Qualcomm Stadium has been mentioned as a possibility.

“We don't have that many options,” said Kari Logan, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon event manager. “Not every neighborhood can host 20,000 participants.”

MCRD has served as the race's finish since 2001. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon started in 1998.

Logan said the finish is “pretty vital. That's where everything culminates. We need to determine where the finish is, then determine the rest of the course.”

Logan said race officials are hoping to maintain the core of the 26.2-mile course, which starts in Balboa Park, heads downtown, continues on state Route 163, goes west on Friars Road and loops Mission Bay.

“We have a beautiful city and love to showcase it,” she said.

Logan said organizers hope to determine the 2010 course by June 1, 2009.

In a change to this year's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, 400 four-person relay teams will be allowed to enter the race. The participants must run distances ranging from 4.9 miles to 8 miles. The cost is $300 per team.

Logan said entries for this year's race are down “a little bit” and that the relay is a way to increase participation.

She said the concept is also a way for non-marathoners to be exposed to the 26.2-mile experience.

“It's like a test drive,” she said. “So many people are intimidated by the marathon. This way they can see how fun the running experience can be.”

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