SAN ANTONIO – Tens of thousands of runners from all 50 states and 22 countries filled the streets of the Alamo City Sunday for the 10th Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon and half-marathon.
Runners made it downtown dark and early to get ready for what many of them have been training for months. Conditions were less than ideal for the runners; after the race started, the rain started making the course soggy and slick.
San Antonio man wins Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
Roughly 26,000 runners signed up for the race and among the crowd was an 11-year-old girl.
"I've done too many 5Ks and 10Ks to count, but I've done 18 half-marathons," Loghan Gonzales said.
She has been running since she was only 3 years old.
"It makes me happy," said Gonzales.
The child trains with her mom, who is a former elite gymnast, but Sunday was her first half-marathon without her mom by her side.
"A little bit nervous … I trust her, she knows how to pace, but I'm not ready to let her go yet," George Ashley-Gonzales said.
Gonzales finished in just under an hour and 46 minutes, meaning she ran 13.1 miles at about an eight-minute pace.
KSAT caught up with the winner of the women's half-marathon, Desiree Linden, who had some words of wisdom for her younger counterpart.
"It's awesome. When everything's clicking but you're going to go through a rough patch it’s inevitable,” she said. “Just stick with it. Just remember why you fell in love."
As for the 11-year-old, she's going to take the advice and run with it.
"I want to get into the Olympics," Gonzales said.