Locals dominate inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
The winners of the both the 1/2 marathon and full 26.2-mile course were from the Triangle in the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Raleigh Sunday morning.
Posted — UpdatedRunning a 6:31 pace, Heidi Bretscher was the first woman to cross, in third place overall. She set a personal best with the 2:49:46.
Meanwhile, finishers of the 1/2 marathon are flooding across the finish line at Fayetteville and East Davie streets.
Michelle Renee Langan won the women's half marathon.
In the 26.2-mile marathon, Paul Himberger, 28, of Durham, had finished 10K by 8 a.m. and was running at a 5:40 per mile pace.
"Everybody's completely pumped up," said Laura, who was on site to root for her brother. "The music is incredible and the energy is incredible."
Elsewhere, a man planned to run the complete marathon while dribbling two basketballs.
Organizers said some traffic tie-ups were to be expected in the race's inaugural year in Raleigh. They learn about traffic patterns on race day in every city, a spokesman said, and will improve in subsequent years.
Some who pre-paid for spots in downtown decks were being turned away as crowds built.
Map: Race routes, bands
The marathon begins and ends in the heart of downtown Raleigh, and runners will wind their way east to Chavis Park, north through the Oakwood neighborhood before making a turn to the west. The course passes William Peace University and Cameron Village.
Runners of the half marathon make the turn on the campus of North Carolina State University and head back to the start/finish line. Those who choose to run the full 26.2-mile marathon continue west on Hillsborough Street and past PNC Arena before circling back downtown.
With more than 12,000 runners registered to participate and dozens of bands performing along the route, road closures are expected to make a major impact on traffic flow.
Roads will be closed starting at 6 a.m. April 13 and will be opened to traffic after runners have cleared the area, most by 10 a.m. Race organizers said they expect all roads to be open after 4 p.m.
Roads closed
The area of the start/finish line – South Salisbury and Fayetteville streets in downtown Raleigh – will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday, April 12, while crews set up to welcome the expected race spectators.
South Salisbury Street from South Street to West Hargett Street
South McDowell Street from West South Street to West Jones Street
North Blount Street from East North Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard and from Delway Street to East Peace Street
Martin Luther King Boulevard from Blount Street to Chavis Way
Chavis Way from MLK to East Davie Street
West Hargett Street from South Dawson Street to Fayetteville Street
West Jones Street from North McDowell Street to North Wilmington Street
Bloodworth Street from East Davie Street to Oakwood Avenue
Brookside Drive from Watuaga Street to Glascock Street
Glascock Street from Brookside Drive to Wake Forest Road
Wake Forest Road from Glascock Street to Mordecai Drive
Peace Street from North Blount Street to West Johnson/Bellwood Drive
Clark Avenue from West Johnson/Bellwood Drive to Gardner Street
Hillsborough Street from Gorman Street to Pullen Road; westbound lanes of Hillsborough Street will be closed Gorman Street to Blue Ridge Road
Blue Ridge Road from Hillsborough Street to Trinity Road
Trinity Road from Blue Ridge Road to Edwards Mill Road
Edwards Mill Road from Trinity Road to Reedy Creek Road
Reedy Creek Road at Edwards Mill Road
Pullen Road from Hillsborough Street to Western Boulevard
Western Boulevard from Pullen Road to Hunt Drive
West Lenoir Street from South Saunders Street to South Boylan Avenue
South Saunders Street from Lake Wheeler Road to Lenoir Street
Getting around
In many places, the marathon will only take over half the roadway, allowing traffic to flow in limited lanes.
The following major roads will remain open on race day:
Capital Boulevard north and south
Eastbound lanes of Clark/Peace Avenue from Horne Street to North Blount Street
Eastbound lanes of Hillsborough Street from Blue Ridge Road to Gorman Street
Westbound lanes of Western Boulevard; eastbound Western Boulevard between Hunt Drive and MLK
Eastbound lanes of Martin Luther King Boulevard
Southbound Blue Ridge Road
Eastbound Trinity Road
Southbound Edwards Mill Road
Crossing guards will also be stationed along the course to allow cross traffic when it is safe to do so.
Transit to see delays, detours
The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon will also see changes to regular service on Capital Area Transit on both Saturday, April 12, and race day, Sunday, April 13.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 8063 and 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 8063 and 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stop 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 9165 and 8343.
Outbound – The route will miss stop 9023.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 8063 and 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 8063 and 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 9165 and 8343.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 8063 and 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 9203, 9476, 9477, 9776, 9777, 9742, and 8908.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 8661, 8662, 9662, 8063, and 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stop 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss stop 9203.
Inbound – The route will miss stops 9165 and 8343.
The R-Line will not service the Raleigh Convention Center. The bus will use the Memorial Auditorium stop instead. The route will miss stops 9916 and 9900.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8049, 8050, 8051, 8052, 8053, 8054, 9328, 9473, 9442, 9471, 9788, 9789, and 9790 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8062, 9662, 8063, and 8064.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8063 and 8064 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8270, 8271, 8272, 8273, 8274, 8276, 8277, 8278, 8280, 8282, 1201, 9483, 1703, 8063, and 8064 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8270, 8271, 8272, 8273, 8274, 8276, 8277, 8278, 8063, and 8064 stops
Inbound – Regular route. There will be no missed stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 9165 and 8343 stops
Inbound – The route will miss the 8165 and 8343 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8566, 8567, 9612, 8568, 8569, 8559, 8570, 8422, 9165, and 8343 stops.
Inbound – There will be no stops on North Carolina State University’s campus. The route will miss the 8566, 8567, 9612, 8568, 8569, 8559, 8570, 8422, 9165, and 8343 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8588, 9407, 8601, 8597, 8598, 8888, 8599, 8273, 8274, 8276, 9010, 9171, 9487, 8863, 9302, 9303, 9304, 8608, 8610, 9174, 8058, 8059, 8061, 8062, 9662, 8063, and 8064 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8588, 9407, 8601, 8597, 8598, 8888, 8599, 8273, 8274, 8276, 9010, 9171, 9487, 8063, and 8064 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 8654, 8655, 8656, 8657, 8658, 8659, 8660, 8661, 8662, 9662, 8063, and 8064 stops.
Inbound – The route will miss the 9563, 9464, 8522, 9147, 9151, 9454, 9453, 8061, 8062, 9662, 8063, and 8064 stops.
The route will miss the 9913, 9914, 9916, 9900, and 9901 stops
The route will miss the 9900 and 9901 stops.
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