The Rock ‘n Roll Marathon Series made its way to the streets of San Antonio in 2008. The course took runners on a tour of the city’s landmarks, past the Tower of the Americas, the Alamo, Mission Concepcion and more. City Manager Sheryl Sculley, a marathoner herself, saw the impact a destination marathon could have on a community from her days of working with the Rock ‘n’ Roll series
in Phoenix. She was instrumental in bringing the series to San Antonio.
The inaugural event was a massive hit, with 30,000 runners taking part. The sea of people in the San Antonio streets was the largest marathon/half marathon race in Texas history, a record that stood until recently. In total, the event contributed more than $22 million to the San Antonio economy.
It wasn’t just the size of the race that excelled, however. Some of the world’s fastest long-distance runners led the charge towards the finish line. Melissa White, a World Half Marathon Championships qualifier, won the women’s half marathon in 1:13:05, while Brian Sell, an Olympian in 2008, won the men’s half marathon in 1:02:50 The marathon brought out similar star power, as Meschack Kirwa of Kenya won the men’s marathon in 2:14:36 and Nuta Olaru, an Olympian in 2004 for Romania, won the women’s marathon in 2:28:54.
The Rock ‘n Roll Marathon Series, now called the Rock ‘n Roll Running Series, has become the premium running event in San Antonio. Held annually for more than 15 years, runners line up in front of City Hall every December for a unique tour of the Alamo City. This year, the race will kick off again on December 8, 2024.