An estimated 11,800 runners and walkers descended on downtown San Jose yesterday for the second annual Rock n Roll San Jose Half Marathon. But this isn’t an ordinary marathon… it’s a rock n roll marathon, so of course it had music…. Lots of music. Elite racing’s general manager Elizabeth O’Brien and her team selected 16 Bay Area bands - including a punk band, a Stanford Band alumni marching band and Ozomatli to accompany participants.
In the men’s division McDonald Ondara of Kenya held off Tanzania’s John Yuda to win in 1 hour, 1 minute, 11 seconds. Magdalene Makunzi (also of Kenya) dominated the women’s division with a winning time of 1:09:11.
American Khalid Khannouchi, who’s set the world record twice and won the Chicago Marathon four times, ran San Jose as a tune up for next month’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in New York for the men’s marathon - and to test his foot - which has plagued his efforts to qualify in the past. He completed the race in a disappointing 1:05:04. “It was a great day for the race,” Khannouchi said. “But, this is not what I expected. I thought I would run 1:03:00.”
JT Service, San Jose local and another US Olympic marathon contender, won the San Jose resident prize with a time of 1:07:28.
Men’s Results
McDonald Ondara 1:01:11
John Yuda 1:01:13
Hillary Kipchumba 1:01:32
Tom Nyariki 1:02:17
Charles Munyeki 1:02:58
Women’s Results
Magdalene Makunzi 1:09:58
Megumi Oshima 1:11:14
Everlyne Lagat 1:11:35
Rose Kosgei 1:12:42
Caroline Cheptanui 1:12:49
