S.D. Marathon Hits Its Stride After Getting Runaround

Each time Lynn Flanagan was about to pull the plug on the San Diego Marathon, she’d either answer the phone or open her mail.

“We’d get to a low point,” race director Flanagan said, “and hold a staff meeting to can it, then we’d get a note from a runner or a call saying how much they loved ‘their’ San Diego marathon. Then we’d say, ‘Let’s keep fighting.’ ”

At 7:10 a.m. Sunday, approximately 4,000 runners are expected to line up near the Oceanside Pier to run the 26.2 miles of a marathon run for the first time in North County. Few will know what a battle it was for Flanagan and her staff at In Motion, which sponsors the race, to get them there.

Flanagan, who has conducted the race the past six years, always has wanted to run the event outside San Diego, and put it closer to the ocean.

“I never felt San Diego was such a great place to have it,” she said, citing problems with the airport, traffic, permit problems and the city. “It was just a real difficult situation.”

When a new course was drafted and moved north to Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas, city managers waited until Sept. 21--the proposed course had been given to the cities for approval in July--to tell Flanagan that they were denying the race permits.

A three-week appeal process followed, and when it was clear the beach cities weren’t budging, Flanagan went farther north to Oceanside and Carlsbad. A new course was drafted and submitted. On Nov. 18, a week later, they had their marathon course.

Bill Burke, Los Angeles Marathon president, doesn’t find the problems Flanagan has faced surprising. He sold his interest of the San Diego Marathon to Flanagan when he had his fill of dealing with San Diego.

“Last year,” Burke said, “we didn’t get the (race) permit until the day before. How can that be? The city just doesn’t care. And if San Diego doesn’t care, why should those cities care?”

Burke said he had more problems dealing with San Diego than he did in dealing with 23 cities, as he did for an Orange County Centennial Committee event.

“San Diego’s reputation for being a difficult place to have an event is widespread,” he said. “They’re making all these great claims about the Super Bowl coming back. That’s them talking to themselves.”

The losses haven’t been devastating, but the race has lost enough sponsors to lighten the wallets of In Motion.

“People didn’t want to touch it,” said Jill Holleyman, event coordinator. “I mean, why give $50,000 to something you don’t even know is going to take place?”

Many apparently did not. Consequently, Flanagan is operating at 25% of the budget she had four years ago.

It also has lost elite runners who weren’t wooed by the low prize money--$2,000 for the winning man and woman--and recreational runners who simply learned of the race too late.

Ordinarily, race registration forms would be distributed in August or September, but In Motion didn’t mail out its until the second week of November.

“Most people preparing for a marathon aren’t that concerned with the course,” said San Diego’s Thom Hunt, who will be broadcasting the race live for KUSI (Ch. 51). “They just want to know where it’s going to be. That was the hassle, wondering if and where and why.”

San Diego not only had to vie for runners entered in the Honolulu Marathon, which also is Sunday, any marathons within a two-month span was competition.

“When you’re preparing for a marathon, you’re preparing months in advance,” Hunt said. “That hurt the elite field. Runners don’t want to commit if they don’t know it’s going to come off or not.”

Escondido’s Mindy Ireland, 39, is one of San Diego’s premiere marathon racers. With all the great triathletes, cyclists and runners in San Diego, she said it’s a shame the city wasn’t more cooperative.

“It’s too bad we can’t rally behind our marathon,” she said. “There are so many big corporations who could help out and bring in a tremendous field. Races like the Carlsbad 5,000, the Arturo Barrios 10K, that could happen all the time here.”

Ireland is hoping that if this race is a success, the word will spread that San Diego County can stage a major road race and local runners would take notice and stay here next year.

“That’s what I’d like to see,” Ireland said. “I was courted to other places, but I’d like to see good winning times on a good course, and it is a good course, so that they’d stay here.”

Hunt said that despite the chaos, this year’s misfortunes shouldn’t haunt the event for much into the future.

“If the logistics are handled more easily next year, everything will come right back,” he said. “Runners are very forgiving, and San Diego’s had good marathons. There is some good history here.”

SAN DIEGO MARATHON FACTS

Where: Starts and finishes near the Oceanside Pier on South Pacific and Third streets.

When: Sunday, 7:10 a.m. start for the marathon and half marathon, and both wheelchair races.

Course: Nineteen miles of the 26.2-mile race stretch across Carlsbad Boulevard, about 50 feet from the Pacific Ocean. It is the third consecutive year the course has changed. Last year’s course covered parts of Old Town, the Gaslamp Quarter and went along the boardwalk in San Diego. Palomar Airport is about the only landmark runners will see this year. Final instructions to runners include a warning that the race crosses train tracks 2.5 miles from the start/finish line, and to expect delays of 30 seconds, as the train will not stop.

Parking: Some lots near the start/finish line are available, in addition to spots at Oceanside High School (Mission Avenue) and the Oceanside Civic Center (300 N. Hill St.) Shuttle buses will leave the Sheraton Grande Torrey Pines at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Tickets, $5 roundtrip, are available during today’s Health & Fitness Expo (9 a.m.-6 p.m.) at Sheraton’s hospitality tent or Sunday beginning at 4:30 a.m.

Prize Money: $10,000 total purse, $2,000 each to top man and woman; last year’s winner’s received $5,000.

TV: Thom Hunt will broadcast for KUSI (Ch. 51) 7-10 a.m.

Entries: 4,000 are expected, although only 2,500 had registered through Thursday. Last year 1,500 signed up at the exposition.

Outlook: Elite field is sparse. Outcome could depend on late entries. Neither defending champion, Mexico’s Beatriz Martinez or Glendale’s Marie Rollins, are defending their titles.

Escondido’s Mindy Ireland, two-time winner of the Heart of San Diego Marathon with a 2:37:43 lifetime best, gives credence to the women’s race. Augustine Roja of Mexico City placed fifth at the Mexico City International Marathon and has a 2:44:00 personal record at high altitude.

On the men’s side, San Pedro’s Alfredo Rosas, winner of the 1990 Las Vegas Marathon in 2:15:28, is ranked in the top 10 in the United States in marathon running. Jose Andres, 26, ran at 2:16:00 in a race in Monterrey, Mexico two years ago and Danny Bustos of Las Vegas, N.M., ran a 2:24:00 marathon in 1988. Redcloud of El Paso, Texas, (2:21:57 personal record) makes the all-name team.

Street Delays: South Pacific from Third to Eaton; Eaton from South Pacific to Hill Street; Myers and Broadway from Cassidy to Eaton; Southbound Hill Street from Eaton to Carlsbad; Southbound Carlsbad Boulevard (entire length), streets will be closed temporarily during the race and traffic will be metered through.