SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Thousands trickled into the Convention Center in downtown San Diego on Friday afternoon for the health expo to get ready for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, which kicks off Sunday morning.
More than 25,000 runners are expected to take part in this year's marathon, marking the 25th one in San Diego.
The annual event is a time when "legacy runners," people who have never missed a San Diego-based Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, have the opportunity to see one another.
"I get to bond with my girlfriends that I met through the legacy program," said Jesslyn Ponce-Dick, hugging her friend Dawn Gordon-Perine and sporting dozens of medals around her neck.
RELATED: LIST & MAP: Street closures this weekend around Rock 'n' Roll Marathon course route
The bling marks every single San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Ponce-Dick has participated in. Her goal is to cross the finish line alongside her now 25-year-old daughter.
"She was 6-weeks old the first time I did it. This year she gets to cross it running on her own two feet," Ponce-Dick said.
The running series includes a 5K beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday at Presidents Way & Park Blvd.
The big events, the marathon and half-marathon, start at 6:15 a.m. Sunday on Sixth Ave & Quince St at Balboa Park.
Roads will be impacted throughout San Diego at various times from Saturday through Sunday.
A list of when roads will be open and closed can be found here.
The Rock 'n' Roll marathon originated in San Diego back in 1998.
