The Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon was an annual

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

event which took place in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

, United States, on the first Sunday of September between the years of 2001 and 2021. Owned and organized by the IRONMAN Group, part of Wanda Sports Holdings, the event was inaugurated in 2001 as part of the

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is a collection of road running events owned and operated by the IRONMAN Group's Competitor Group, part of Advance Publications. The series is known for lining race routes with live bands, cheerleaders and themed ...

which began with the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon three years earlier. Almost 11,000 people completed the race at the first event, over half of whom were women. The elite race attracted high calibre American and international athletes, with

Deena Drossin Deena Michelle Kastor (née Drossin; born February 14, 1973) is an American long-distance runner. She was a holder of American records in the marathon (2006-2022) and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at t ...

and Shadrack Hoff taking the first elite titles. Around 16,000 runners participated in the 2004 event. The 21.0975-kilometer (13.1-mile) course began at the Virginia Beach Convention Center within the city, moving on to follow Pacific Avenue and Atlantic Avenue towards the

oceanfront A shore or a shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In physical oceanography, a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past a ...

. The course then headed south on General Booth Boulevard, looping back north along Prosperity Road near Red Wing Lake Golf Course just after the halfway point. Passing Lake Christine, the route runs back onto General Booth Boulevard at the tenth mile. The course continued north for three miles until the finishing point in the middle of Virginia Beach Boardwalk.2012 Virginia Beach Half Marathon Course
. Competitor. Retrieved on 2012-04-23. The elite race frequently featured world class runners from East Africa and Asia. The men's race had been won by a Kenyan every year from 2002 to 2013, with champions including former

marathon world record This list is a chronological progression of record times for the marathon. World records in the marathon are now ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge set a world recor ...

holder

Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...

and

New York Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

winner Martin Lel. The men's course record of 60:42 minutes was set by James Mwangi Macharia in 2005. On the women's side, six nationalities have reached the top of the podium. These include three-time World Cross Country Champion

Edith Masai Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and va ...

, World Championships track medalist

Werknesh Kidane Werknesh Kidane (; born November 21, 1981), is an Ethiopian long distance runner from Tigray who competes in both 5000 and 10,000 metres. She has won numerous medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and represented Ethiopia at the S ...

and New York Marathon winner Adriana Fernández.

Edna Kiplagat Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat (born 15 November 1979) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the 2011 and 2013 World Champion in the marathon. She established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and N ...

became the first person to take back-to-back victories at the event in 2007. Werknesh Kidane is the women's course record holder with her time of 1:09:48 hours set in 2005. In August, 2021, it was announced that the race would be discontinued after that year. Lower registration figures and a higher percentage of runners who local residents rather than visitors traveling from afar to the event led to disfavor with the hotel owners in Virginia Beach as reservations of rooms dropped over Labor Day
Why Virginia Beach's Rock n Roll Half Marathon is Running Out Of Town

Past winners

Key: ''NOTE: Race was not held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.''

References

;Results
Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach - Virginia Beach, Virginia
Retrieved on 2012-04-23.

External links

Official website
*Race reports from IAAF
2006
{{Hampton Roads Sports Half marathons in the United States Sports in Virginia Beach, Virginia Recurring sporting events established in 2001