Participants and spectators are encouraged to take transit for a quicker commute
San Diego – The 2023 edition of the world-famous Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon festivities will be held this upcoming Saturday and Sunday and are expected to attract tens of thousands of competitors and spectators. Because of this, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is encouraging attendees to utilize the Trolley to avoid long traffic wait times and parking hassles. Spectators will be able to follow both the 5k race on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday at viewing locations located near various Trolley stations.
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon- June 4th at 7:00 a.m.
To access the race from the Trolley's Green Line from Santee, El Cajon, SDSU, Mission Valley, or Old Town, or from the UC San Diego Blue Line from University City or Morena Blvd. stations:
- County Center/Little Italy Station which provides a nice warm-up 1.6-mile walk to the start line.
From the Trolley's Orange Line from El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, or southeast San Diego, or the UC San Diego Blue Line from South Bay stations:
- Fifth Avenue Station which also provides a nice warm-up 1.4-mile walk to the start line.
Note: There will be no free shuttle to the Start Line this year.
Pre-Race:
- Green Line: Green Line trains depart each station every 30 minutes starting about 5:00am.
- UC San Diego Blue Line: Blue Line trains depart each station every 15 minutes throughout the day beginning at 4:34am from San Ysidro, and every 15 minutes throughout the day beginning at 5:03am from UTC. Riders can also use the Santa Fe Depot and County Center/Little Italy stations.
- Orange Line: Orange Line trains depart each station every 30 minutes beginning at 5:15am from El Cajon, transitioning to every 15 minutes mid-morning.
Post-Race:
- Green Line: 15 minutes from downtown through SDSU, every 30 minutes beyond.
- Orange Line: 15 minutes from downtown through Courthouse Station.
- Blue Line: 15 minutes from downtown through County Center/Little Italy Station.
- For those that would like to gather at the finish line, the County Center/Little Italy Station (Blue Line and Green Line) is next to all the festivities at the Waterfront Park.
Attendees are able to park for free at dozens of MTS transit centers, and ride the Trolley directly to the various viewing locations.
PRO TIP: One of the best stations to park and ride at for this event is the Old Town Transit Center, which is a 10-minute ride to the finish line festivities near the County Center/Little Italy Station.
Buy Your Transit Fare with PRONTO:
- For the fastest service: Use your phone as your Trolley pass with the PRONTO app
- Riders can also load money to a PRONTO Card in advance online at RidePRONTO.com, or at any Trolley ticket machine. MTS does not recommend race goers buy one-way paper tickets, due to crowding post-race at ticket machines for return-trips. Whenever possible, load $5 to a PRONTO Card, which covers a round-trip. PRONTO cards are available at all ticket machines (one-time $2 fee).
- Don’t forget to tap! Riders must tap or scan PRONTO on a station validator before they board the train.
Kids ride free! Take advantage of the MTS Youth Opportunity Pass or Family Weekends (two kids 12 and under ride free with a paying adult, no PRONTO card needed)
For additional information, please visit the MTS Rock n Roll Marathon webpage.
About MTS
The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) operates more than 100 bus routes and three Trolley lines in 10 cities and unincorporated areas of San Diego. MTS is a leader in advancing initiatives to create a greener, cleaner and better-connected transit system in San Diego. Each weekday more than 200,000 passenger trips are taken throughout the MTS system taking people to work, school, health appointments and other essential trips. In FY 2022, MTS made more than 57 million riders. For service schedule updates, news, alerts and more information on how you can use public transportation, go to www.sdmts.com.
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