Willow Glen Resident

Community

Ready, Set, Go: Willow Glen-based Garage Band is one of 14 bands playing in the upcoming Rock 'N ' Roll Half Marathon. Three other Willow Glen bands, Nu Day, Woogie Men and Local Traffic, are also performing.

San Jose gets ready to rock 'n' roll and run

By Lynn Crocker

Rock, roll and run: That's the focus of San Jose's first Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon on Oct. 8. Twenty local bands, including four based in Willow Glen, will perform on 14 stages located at mile intervals along the race course.

The Garage Band, a local favorite for more than 19 years, is led by Mary Ellen and Tom Duell. The Duells have lived in Willow Glen for 14 years and are excited about the venue.

"We play mostly corporate parties and weddings and the occasional festival, but we've never played at a rock 'n' roll marathon," Mary Ellen Duell says. "We especially enjoy events like this, where the public can come out and see the group. We have some of the best musicians in the area."

According to Duell, the band's playlist is varied and unpredictable.

"I think what has made us popular is we cover a broad range of music," she says. "During a recent performance, we went from Frank Sinatra to Led Zeppelin in just a couple of songs."

Other Willow Glen-based bands include Woogie Men, Local Traffic and Nu Day, which most recently entertained audiences at Dancin' on the Avenue.

Although the bands play different varieties of music, one thing they have in common is an aversion to the early-morning start time of the race.

"We have to get up before our bedtime," laughs Regi Rockinelli, whose Woogie Men is due to hit the stage at 7:45 a.m. "Runners are used to getting up early, but it's us rock 'n' rollers who will have a tough time."

Duell admits members of her band jumped at the chance to perform in the event, but grumbled a little once they learned about the morning call time.

"We have to be on site by 7 a.m.," she says. "For those of us who have kids, it's not a big deal, but for the others it's going to be to harder."

While rock and fitness seem like an unlikely combination, the marriage of the two has been met with great success in other parts of the country, where Rock 'N' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon events have been taking place since 1998.

Tim Murphy, a former hospital supply salesman and avid runner, organized the first Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in San Diego in an attempt to create a more energized experience for participants. To increase the fun along the course, Murphy positioned rock bands at stages along every mile of the course, added hundreds of local cheerleaders and finished the day with a major headliner concert as a reward for all participants.

Today Murphy's company, Elite Racing, has become the leading producer of musical marathons and half marathons with annual races in San Diego, Phoenix, Nashville, Virginia Beach and now San Jose.

According to Karen Storey, a member of the San Jose-based advisory group, the head count for participants is climbing.

"At last count we had around 12,000 people registered, which is a great response for the first time out."

The course can accommodate only 15,000 people, she says.

Shermin Tawni Alam, a Willow Glen resident and race participant, is ecstatic about the upcoming race.

"I am so glad we are having something like this," says Alam, who previously ran in the San Diego race. "It is a really neat experience and great for pulling the community together."

Angela Guiffre, another Willow Glen resident, will also be running in the race. Guiffre, who was born with achondroplasia (a form of dwarfism) began running
1 ¹/2 years ago.

"I was over 40 and needed to lose weight, so I started walking," she says. "After a period of time, I realized I needed to do more, so I started running."

Guiffre says she has participated in numerous 5K and10K runs, but this will be the first time she has attempted a half marathon.

"I don't care how fast I go; for me completing the entire race will be very satisfying and rewarding," she says.

The race begins at 8 a.m. on the corner of Almaden Boulevard and Santa Clara Street and ends at Cesar E. Chavez Park. The course is 13.1 miles. Because roads will be closed for four hours, the race is perfect for slower runners and walkers.

Train is headliner

Participants interested in registering for the race can still do so at the Health and Fitness Expo on Oct. 6 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Oct. 7 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the San Jose McEnry Convention Center.

Admission to the expo is free. It costs $85 to participate in the race, which includes admission to the post-race concert at the HP pavilion. Train is the headliner. Fans who do not participate in the race can purchase $25 concert tickets at www.enesj.com or at the expo.

Volunteers are still needed to staff and set up the expo, staff the starting line, water stations and finish line. All volunteers receive a free race T-shirt, goodie bag and admission to the post race concert.