H-E-B employee wins Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio marathon

Jose Munoz wins race in 2:27:51

An H-E-B employee from San Antonio won the 5th annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on Sunday.

Jose Munoz, a cashier at the grocery store off Interstate 10 and DeZavala road, crossed the finish line with a time of 2:27:51.

Munoz said the warm weather concerned him at first.

"Basically, coach told me, 'Get ready, because it's going to be hot,'" Munoz said.

Munoz said his coach told him to take it easy and pace himself, but the runner knew he was going to have make a move sooner or later.

"By Mile 14 or 15, I told myself, 'You know what? If I'm going to take the lead, this might be it."

Munoz said the marathon victory was the second in his career. He said he won a race in Illinois a couple of years ago.

The El Paso-area native said he started running in the sixth grade in a charity run and then joined track and field in seventh grade and never looked back.

"I just got into it, he said. "My best friend was in there and I didn't know what to do after school. I love what I do. I enjoy it."

Munoz said he moved to San Antonio about five years ago.

"I call this home, now. The people are good. I love it. There's so much do to here."

Stanley Biwott, a Kenyan native, won the men's half-marathon and a 35-year-old woman from Dallas won the women's half-marathon.

An estimated 25,000 runners participated in the race, with many of them out and about in the downtown area as early as 5 a.m.