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 shortcu ...

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 ru ...

event which took place in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

, 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 Running 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 w ...

which began with the

Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon is an annual marathon race held in San Diego, California. Established in 1998, it is the original race in the Rock 'n' Roll Running Series. The event includes a half marathon.Cruz, Dan (2010-06-07)Limo, Gromov ...

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 is the former American record holder in the marathon (2003-2022) and numerous road distances. Kastor held 15 American records simultaneously in ...

and

Shadrack Hoff Shadrack Hoff (born 19 May 1973) is a South African runner, twice national men's 5.000 metres champion. He was born in Vryburg. He finished sixth in 5000 metres at the 1992 World Junior Championships and also at the 2002 IAAF World Half Marath ...

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 coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

. 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 World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics. The late Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set a men's world record time of 2:00:35 on October 8, 2023, at the 2023 Chicag ...

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 as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, 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 fin ...

winner

Martin Lel Martin Kiptolo Lel (born 29 October 1978) is a Kenyan professional long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His ...

. 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 Chewanjel Masai (born 4 April 1967) is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in cross country and track races, then road races in her late career. She represented Kenya at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Her best achievements ar ...

, 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 Ne ...

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 Da
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 World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

2006
{{Hampton Roads Sports Half marathons in the United States Sports in Virginia Beach, Virginia Recurring sporting events established in 2001