Bridie McCarey grew up in Bay Park, and in the Rock ’n’ Roll San Diego Marathon’s salad days she often found herself viewing portions of the race.

That’ll happen when you’re influenced by your father, a former 2:13 marathoner who ran at Villanova with Eamonn Coghlan.

But McCarey never dreamed she’d hit the finishing tape as the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon’s winner.

“I grew up (Irish) dancing and never thought of myself as a runner,” said McCarey, now 28. “If somebody would have said I’d win this race, I wouldn’t have believed them.”


But the Clairemont High graduate collected $500 for winning the women’s event in 2 hours, 48 minutes, 48 seconds.

Another San Diegan, Ying Tao, took second in 2:52:58.

McCarey’s time would have been considerably faster had she not been guided off course for about three-quarters of a mile.

Her father, Kevin, a respected San Diego massage therapist, cheered her on at different spots on the course.


His best advice?

“Stay relaxed,” she said.

Busy man

Jeffrey Eggleston’s marathon win, in 2:21:18, was not particularly noteworthy because the field wasn’t competitive. Brandon Messerly finished second in 2:30:14. Eggleston’s personal best is 2:10:52.

Here’s what was eye-catching: It was Eggleston’s third marathon in 43 days.


He finished fourth in the Warsaw Marathon on April 23 and won the Lima Marathon on May 21 (in 2:15:25), followed by Sunday’s victory.

Put him on payroll

Eggleston has won eight Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon Series events, including the San Diego marathon twice. The other came in 2012.

He ran in Lima after being invited to the marathon just days before the race when another runner dropped out.

Running in San Diego was never a question for the Boulder, Colo., resident.


“I wanted to be a part of the 20th birthday,” said Eggleston, referring to the 20th Rock ’n’ Roll San Diego race. “This is a movement.”

Couch potato

Sign held by a spectator on the course on University Avenue: “You run marathons. I watch marathons on Netflix.”

Out of Africa

Tsegay Tuemay of Eritrea won the half marathon in 1 hour, 1 minute, 39 seconds. The 21-year-old’s course assessment: “It’s a nice course, but hilly.”

Tuemay used the steep downhill during the 10th mile on Upas Street to separate himself from Mexico’s Juan Luis Barrios, who placed second in 1:01:48. Barrios is a two-time Olympian in the 5,000 meters.


Hell on wheels

The first person across the marathon finish line was Tavian Bryant, a 41-year-old high school health science teacher from Lancaster. Turning a hand cycle wheelchair, Bryant finished in 1:43:52.

Paralyzed since a 1995 car accident, Bryant started riding two years ago to lose weight.

Sunday’s race was his 20th marathon.

Name dropping

Three-time Super Bowl champion and former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig ran the half in 1:52:12.


Craig ran his first marathon in San Diego in 2004 and became so smitten with the Rock ’n’ Roll brand that he became co-founder of Rock ’n’ Roll San Jose.

“Where did San Diego get all these hills?” Craig said. “I thought I was in San Francisco.”

---Boston and New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi paced half marathoners to a 1:30 finish.

Norcross is a freelance writer.