S.A. marathon stop leaps to December date

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The Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon, which has battled heat issues on its dates the past three years, will be moved to Dec. 8 effective next year.

Josh Furlow, senior vice president for operations for the Competitor Group, which oversees the event, confirmed the date change. The San Antonio stop had originally been set for Nov. 17 in 2013.

"You can never guess what Mother Nature can deal us, but it will help to shift a couple of weeks later into the month of December," Furlow said by phone from the organization's offices in San Diego.

The distance race celebrated its fifth anniversary on San Antonio streets Nov. 11, with more than 21,000 runners, cyclists and wheelchair racers taking part. Temperatures, however, climbed into the 80s by midday.

In 2010, runner Jorge Fernandez, completing his half marathon in temperatures in the mid-70s, collapsed shortly after the finish line and died. An autopsy later determined he likely had suffered from heat stroke.

The top group takes off as 25,000 runners participate in the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. San Antonio's Jose Munoz won the marathon with a time of 2:27:51. The top group takes off as 25,000 runners participate in the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. San Antonio's Jose Munoz won the marathon with a time of 2:27:51. Photo: Jerry Lara, Jerry Lara/Express-News Photo: Jerry Lara, Jerry Lara/Express-News Image 1 of / 212 Caption Close S.A. marathon stop leaps to December date 1 / 212 Back to Gallery

City manager Sheryl Sculley, a spearhead in bringing the competition to San Antonio, and assistant city manager Ed Belmares, charged with working with the Competitor Group on the event, met last week to discuss potential changes.

“We had looked, and the average difference in temperature between those dates was 11 degrees,” Belmares said of moving the race from November to early December. “It’s an average, of course, and it’s hard to tell. But every year, we just try to make the race better.”

Because of expected construction in and around downtown next year, the 26.2- and 13.1-mile routes will undergo some notable changes to be determined, Belmares said.

Officials with the Competitor Group will arrive in San Antonio today for meetings with city officials on course changes for 2013. They will also examine how last month's race unfolded operationally.

The date change may or may not have a major impact on temperatures. It was 66 degrees at 6 a.m. on Dec. 8 last week, with temperatures climbing to 77 later in the day.

"We looked at a couple of date options," Furlow said, stressing that Dec. 8 was the best option in coordinating available dates for the Convention Center, Alamodome, hotels and other city operations.

The Competitor Group, which was recently sold to private equity group Calera Capital, also announced that a special discount of $20 — its largest of the year — will be offered today for runners wishing to sign up for the 2013 Rock 'n' Roll stop. Information can be found at runrocknroll.competitor.com.

roliver@express-news.net

Twitter: @RichardCOliver