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Ken Schofield of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., stretches his calves while playing a game on his cell phone before the start of the inaugural Cleveland Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.
(Lynn Ischay / The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Just when Aaron Apathy was lagging, as the effects of the final torturous hill of Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Half Marathon were still hitting him, he found a new source of pep.
Apathy turned a corner near Mile 11 and came face-to-face with not only scores of runners passing him in the opposite direction, but a force energized by a Cleveland original – DJ Kishka.
The fake-bearded, Polka-loving music spinner belted out the Polish tunes in a way that made everyone in his vicinity of the Ohio City-Tremont border break into grins. Runners not in contention flexed their muscles and whooped and hollered.
And Apathy found enough of a kick to help him cruise to the victory in the city's inaugural 13.1-mile race, completing it in 1:12:44.
The first Rock 'n' Roll race run in the birthplace of rock 'n' roll began outside the doors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and continued through the streets of downtown Cleveland with rock bands and spirit teams stationed throughout the course.
But DJ Kishka, who has become a cult Cleveland favorite, was perhaps the most entertaining as his classic accordion Polka music reverberated throughout the area.
In all, there were 22 bands spread throughout the course, and local cheerleading squads who urged on runners as they competed for the race's top spirit award.
Westlake's Aaron Apathy faced no competition as he crossed the Lorain Carnegie Bridge on his way to winning the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Half Marathon.
"It picks you up," said Apathy, a 28-year-old from Westlake. "Especially after you've been in no-man's land for a while."
Apathy cruised to the victory even though he's in the tapering stages of training for the Columbus Marathon. On the women's side, Kelly Green of Burton topped the standings in 1:23:20.
Green admitted that the final kick of the race – after climbing a hill up from Clark Fields in Tremont – added to the difficulty amid the humidity.
"The last three miles were definitely tough," said Green, who'd hoped to finish between 1:20 and 1:23. "I felt strong and then at mile 10, that strong uphill took a little out of me."
Race organizers did their best to encourage runners with a series of humorous signs stationed up that hill and another leading from the West Bank of the Flats to W. 25th. "The faster you run, the faster it's done," read one sign, while another at the top proclaimed in large capital letters, "WTF? (Where's The Finish?)"
At the finish line in Public Square, runners and spectators were treated to a post-race concert headlined by Gavin DeGraw.
It was the first time the race series has come to the home of rock 'n' roll since its inception, and response to becoming one of 32 cities to host a Rock 'n' Roll race was supportive.
"It was a good experience, well-marked and fun," Apathy said. "I enjoyed it. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone."