Running News Daily

2021 Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon has been postponed again

After being postponed in 2020 before being officially cancelled altogether, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon has met the same fate in 2021.

Race officials announced on Wednesday that the event, which was originally scheduled for April 24-25, has been moved to the fall due to COVID-19 risks. A likely target date for the rescheduled event could be Nov. 20-21, the same date the event was rescheduled for last year.

The race, which starts on Lower Broadway and wraps up near Nissan Stadium, usually draws about 30,000 participants and has a $40 million economic impact, according to Nashville Sports Council President and CEO Scott Ramsey.

“While this is a disappointing way to start the year, officials from Rock ‘n’ Roll and the City of Nashville feel confident the event will be better positioned for a strong return,” an official statement from the marathon read.

“Based on Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville utilizing Nissan Stadium as a key venue for the event, the new Fall 2021 race date is dependent on the Tennessee Titans home schedule and thus will be confirmed and communicated as soon as the NFL schedule is available for us to work through with host city officials and stakeholders.”

The race may be scaled down to accommodate local health and safety guidelines. All participants registered for the 2021 race will be receiving an email with further details. Hendersonville’s Scott Wietecha has won the race each of the last seven years.

The 2020 St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon & 1/2 Marathon has been moved to Nov. 21

The 21st annual race originally was scheduled for April 25. It was postponed on March 18 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials released this statement Tuesday:

"We appreciate the continued patience of our participants since our last update. Over the past weeks we have worked diligently with various host city partners to determine potential options and secure a new race date. After assessing all event scenarios, we are pleased to share the 2020 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, has been rescheduled for November 21, 2020."

All registered participants of the event will receive an email with further information. The marathon and half marathon annually draw about 30,000 participants along with more than 20,000 spectators.

The starting line is on Lower Broadway, and the finish line is at Nissan Stadium for both races. 

Hendersonville's Scott Wietecha has won the last seven Nashville marathons.

Scott Wietecha won the St. Jude Rock and Roll Marathon for the seventh time

Scott Wietecha was greeted at the finish line by his family as he won the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon for the seventh straight year.

Wietecha’s wife handed him his medal after finishing the race in 2 hours, 34 minutes.

“You always want to win because people are rooting for you and it’s so much pressure,” Wietecha said after the race. “Any time I can get it done and win. I got 12 more months I can relax.”

More than 30,000 people ran the race. Organizers estimate more than $2 million was raised for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Last year Wietecha got pushed late because he had to take a bathroom break between miles 18 and 19.

This year he chose to slow down because he thought he had a more comfortable lead than he actually did.

"Someone told me I had about a three-minute lead so I said, 'Umm, three minutes, I can kind of chill,'" Wietecha said. "And then I was feeling sorry for myself because of all the hills; I hate hills and these hills were brutal."

Not long after that Wietecha was told Wilson was closing in on him and only about 20 seconds back.

Wietecha did not panic. The slower pace had helped him regain his energy and he had plenty left for the final two miles.

Six-time winner Scott Wietecha won´t let injury get in the way from going for seventh straight Nashville marathon win

It's not as difficult to predict the winner of the 20th annual St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon, which will take place two days later also downtown on the third day of the draft.

Six-time winner Scott Wietecha missed several key weeks of training with an injury but said he recovered just in time to go for his seventh consecutive win in the 26.2-mile race that winds its way through the city before finishing at Nissan Stadium.

Wietecha, 37, has been so dominant in the race that he won last year even after taking a late bathroom break.

His six wins have come by an average of more than nine minutes. 

But he has never missed as much training as he did this year after suffering tendinitis in his ankle. He had to stop running in the middle of December and didn't start back until the middle of February.

After starting back, Wietecha, who is the cross country coach at Beech, came down with the flu and then a stomach virus that cost him more training time.

"I've had five good weeks of training since all of that," Wietecha said. "I was actually in pretty good shape in the fall before the injury. I tried to do some cross training while I was hurt like underwater running at a local pool. It was helpful but it's not the same as running. So I'm still trying to catch up."

Catching up hasn't come as quickly for Wietecha as it did in the past.

"I don't know if it's age or whatever, but something I've noticed over the last few years is that it's a little bit tougher to come back," he said. "I feel like I can still get there, just not as quickly, and I have to be more careful with smaller things. I feel like if I have eight good weeks before the marathon I should be in a pretty good spot."

If he hadn't been injured Wietecha said he would be running a total of between 110-115 miles per week at this point. He is several miles under that.

"I'm still a little quite a bit behind of where I want to be," Wietecha said. "I'm hoping that I get to the day of the marathon and not be too far behind where I would've been pre-injury."