SAN DIEGO Rock ‘n Roll Marathon

Bones Tamez

It all started Friday, June 1, 2001. Rolly and I waited for Phyllis and Mary to show up at Lindbergh airport.  We got the hotel and hit the bars. Amazingly Rolly and I roughed it out and did not drink. Saturday came around, and Phyllis and Mary were pretty lit. We had a hard time getting them out of Coronado Island and I have no idea why we went back to the bars in San
Diego.  Again, Rolly and I were the designated drivers. The girls were talking non-sense.

Sunday, 0400.  4 alarms go off and a wake-up.  We are at the starting line by 6:00 am.  We get in our corrals and wait for the start.  The first 10 miles were nice, all pumped up.  We kept a good pace.  Mile 13.1, on our way to complete under 4 hours.  Mile 15, Rolly's leg is about to bust open.  The broken man takes the pain and urges me to push forward.  Our support crew was along the way cheering us on.  Mile 20, I was doing well, Rolly was no where in site.  Mile 23, my feet are about to fall off.  Those 3 miles made all the difference. Mile 25.5, I'm on the side of the road squeezing my feet to make sure they are there.  A voice, "Manuel". IT WAS ROLLY.  The guy got me out of the gutter and made me push forward onto the Marine Recruit Depot. We completed the run together in 4:35.

Numbers 6800 and 6808 enjoyed a few hot Guinness beers Mary snuck into the base. We hit the Jacuzzi and with case, left to Tijuana about 5.  We winded up in a club dancing like fools and made it back to San Diego to redeem ourselves at the bars where we stayed dry.

For any runners, the Rock-n-Roll marathon was fun. Lots of hills and it's the downhill that gets you.  It was a break running on a straight surface.  Overall, I give it two thumbs up.  The San Diego crowd was nice and the bands along the way made it entertaining except the lady around mile 16 ring a cowbell in your ear.