Marathon rock 'n' on 10th birthday

By: RICK HOFF - Staff Writer | Saturday, June 2, 2007 12:27 AM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- As fast as the lead pack will run in Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, it seems as if the 10th anniversary of the 26.2-mile race has come just as quickly.

"I guess a real measure of success is when everybody says, 'Has it really been 10 years?' " Frank Shorter said Friday during the event's fitness expo at the San Diego Convention Center. "Now the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is embedded as a real landmark in San Diego, and people expect it every year."

Shorter is one of the event's co-founders, and he seems just as proud of his association with the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon as he is of the gold and silver medals he claimed for the marathon in the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games.

"I never thought I'd be standing here 30 years after the Olympics," said Shorter. "I'm very fortunate to have this be a part of my life."

Any of the race winners from the previous nine years can also consider themselves fortunate, considering the prize money and the vehicles that have been garnered by the leading elite runners.

"I wanted to come back to San Diego, because I still remember how I started my career here," said Philip Tarus, one of three former men's champions entered in this year's RnR Marathon. "This is where I ran my fastest time, and that is something I cannot forget."

Tarus, 32, of Eldoret, Kenya, still drives the two SUV's he took home for winning here in 1998 and '99, the first two years of the event. It was the 1999 race when he set the course record of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 33 seconds, a mark that still stands as the fastest marathon time run west of Mississippi River in the United States.

Despite the absence of last year's winners ---- Ambesse Tolossa of Ethiopia and Alice Chelangat of Kenya ---- another strong elite field will toe the line on Sixth Avenue for the 6:30 a.m. start.

Seven runners from the 24-man elite men's field have dipped under 2:10, including 2005 RnR Marathon champion Christopher Cheboiboch, 30. The men's winner from 2000, Belay Wolasha, 35, of Ethiopia, is also in the mix.

The fastest time coming into Sunday's race belongs to Daniel Yego, 27, of Kenya, who was clocked in 2:08:16 at Rome in 2005, and another strong contender is Feyissa Tusse, 24, of Ethiopia, who won the 2006 Country Music Marathon and the Houston Marathon in January.

The women's field is headed by Hellen Kimutai , last year's female runner-up to Chelangat. Kimutai, 29, of Kenya already has a runner-up finish in this year's Rome Marathon and brings a personal best time of 2:25:52 into the race.

The top women's time among the 14 elite females belongs to Nuta Olaru, 36, of Romania at 2:24:33. Another woman to watch will be Svetlana Pretot of France, who is making her RnR Marathon debut after placing second in the Country Music Marathon in April.

Sunday's men's and women's overall winners will receive $20,000 and a new vehicle. The RnR Marathon will pay $150,000 10 places deep.

"Everyone's pretty excited about the 10-year anniversary," said race director Tim Murphy of Elite Racing. "I think it's because the city went a few years without a marathon after the San Diego Marathon moved to Carlsbad.

"Now, no one could imagine San Diego without a marathon."

Contact staff writer Rick Hoff at (760) 740-3545 or rhoff@nctimes.com.