byLarry Eder
PRESS RELEASE
Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon Draws Thousands to San Francisco
- San Francisco’s Chris Mocko and Elle Pishny place first, defend titles from inaugural year
- Former San Francisco 49er Roger Craig finishes 2nd annual race in 1:47:28
- Transamerica raises $7,567 for St. Jude through “Tomorrow Makers®” Chaser program
Download Images (Credit: Nils Nilsen): http://we.tl/mJb1S2Jldb
SAN FRANCISCO – April 6, 2014 – More than 10,500 runners toured the scenic streets of San Francisco at the 2nd annual Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon onSunday, April 6, 2014. The new 2014 course started at the Pacific Ocean on Great Highway, ran across two lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge and finished on Polk Street at Civic Center Plaza.
Local runner Chris Mocko led the men’s race right off the starting line, eventually breaking the tape–or rather, playing “limbo” with it–in 1 hour, 10 minutes and 28 seconds to successfully defend his title from a year ago. Elle Pishny of San Francisco also took advantage of her familiar surroundings, cruising to victory for the second straight year in 1:23:53.
“It was gorgeous out there,” Mocko said of the clear skies and temperatures in the 50s that made for near-perfect racing conditions and afforded spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz island and downtown San Francisco. “I have a love-hate with the Golden Gate. It looks a lot flatter than it is.”
Roger Craig, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers finished the half marathon in 1:47:28, running with his son Alexander. Craig helped to bring the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series to the Bay Area in 2006 with Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon.
“It was an amazing race,” said Craig. “People were having a great time out there, even on the challenging hills. When you finish a
race you want to know you earned your medal and everyone definitely did with those hills. This race is great for the area and we couldn’t have had better weather to show off the beautiful San Francisco surroundings. “
Title sponsor Transamerica raised $7,567 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through a unique “Charity Chaser” program. For every runner that “Tomorrow Makers” chaser Melody Parry Jones passed in the race, starting from the last corral, Transamerica donated one dollar to St. Jude. Jones, who finished in 1:52:48, ran strong passing more than 7,500 runners. Jones is a USATF Level 1 Certified Running Coach and currently works at Brooks as the Mid Atlantic Guru.
The new course ran through the Richmond District, the Sea Cliff neighborhood, the historic Presidio and the Marina district, followed by a back-and-forth across two-lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge. Participants also ran past Crissy Field and Fisherman’s Wharf before finishing in front of City Hall.
For more information about the Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Francisco, please visit RunRocknRoll.com.
Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon Results – April 6, 2014
Men’s Half Marathon
1. Chris Mocko , 28, San Francisco, CA, 1:10:28
2. Ivan Medina, 28, Hayward, CA, 1:13:27
3. Matt Lenehan, 22, Mountain View, CA, 1:15:11
4. Ryan Smith, 18, Berkeley, CA, 1:15:25
5. Max Haines-Stiles, 27, San Francisco, CA, 1:16:07
Women’s Half Marathon
1. Elle Pishny, 28, San Francisco, CA, 1:23:53
2. Megan Gentes, 19, Rocklin, CA, 1:28:25
3. Jen Yip, 33, San Francisco, CA, 1:30:00
4. Chloe Glare, 33, Belmont, CA, 1:29:23
5. Tatum, Del Bosco, 17, Pasadena, CA, 1:31:45
About Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Francisco
The 2nd annual Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Francisco takes place on Sunday, April 6, 2014. The half-marathon starts on the Great Highway, includes live bands performing at each mile along the route and finishes in downtown San Francisco at Civic Center Plaza. Event weekend kicks off on Friday, April 4 with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Moscone Center where participants pick up their race number and packet. The expo will feature more than one hundred running and fitness retailers, exhibits and interactive clinics. For more information, please visit RunRocknRoll.com or follow@RunRocknRoll on Twitter.
About Transamerica Direct
Transamerica Direct is the direct-to-consumer business unit of Transamerica. At Transamerica, we help our customers Transform Tomorrow®. Through Transamerica Direct, the Transamerica companies offer a wide array of life and health insurance solutions that create better tomorrows by protecting families and their dreams. Insurance products and services are issued by Transamerica Life Insurance Company, Cedar Rapids, IA, and affiliated Transamerica companies. With more than a century of experience, Transamerica has built a reputation on solid management, sound decisions and consumer confidence. For more information, visit transamerica.com, Facebook or Twitter.
