The Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon and half marathon series are known for being some of the best organized and most entertaining runs in the country. This year marks the sixth time the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon has brought thousands of runners and walkers to the streets of downtown San Jose and through the Japantown and Rose Garden neighborhoods.

Although slightly cloudy, Sunday morning’s weather was perfect for running. About a dozen local bands rocked out at mile markers along the route while the neighborhood residents cheered on the contestants from their front yards.

Olympians Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor won in their divisions with times of 1:02:17 and 1:12:23. Remarkably, Kastor had given birth to her daughter only 7 months earlier.

In the men’s division, second and third place went to Giliat Ghebray, a Cal senior from Union City, at 1:03.38, and Sergio Reyes from Palmdale at 1:04.20. In the women’s division, Clara Peterson of Larkspur took second place at 1:15:23 and Brooke Wells, a Cal graduate from San Francisco, placed third at 1:16:15.