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Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.3 
Organization 2.7 
Spectators 2.8
Number of comments: 736 [displaying comments 261 to 271]
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G. B. from Las Vegas, NV
(12/13/2009)
"Disastrous Traffic and Corrals" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This was a local marathon for me and thankfully I had my wife to drop me off. But, I did not know dropping me off would be so far from the start line. Traffic on I15 at the Russell exit was way backed up and barely moving. As the clock was ticking towards the start time, I saw more and more runners bailing out of their vehicles and walking from the highway off-ramp to the start line. I did this as well and noticed many people driving themselves who could not do this and wondered how long it took them to get to the start line. Not a great way to start a marathon. The corrals were a disaster. Even if someone was checking corral entry, which they weren't, it would not have mattered, as when you signed up, you could indicate whatever finish time you wanted without proof required. The first several miles involved weaving around so many slow runners and walkers. I could not believe people were in the early corrals were walking. What a mess! The course was too crowded until we split off from the half marathoners. At the start of the race, I heard the announcer say that there were 29,000 participants. Looking at the posted finish results, I suspect there were only 8,000 marathoners. So, why start them all at the same time? Why not start the marathon at 6 a.m. and the half at 8 a.m.? That would eliminate a lot of the problems. If you draw up the course map on MapMyRun, you will see that there is about 500 feet in elevation change from the low-point around mile 6 to the high-point around mile 20. The hills are not rolling, but you will find a long, steady incline to 20, and a decline to the finish line, excluding the track and highway overpass in the last couple of miles. The volunteers handing out drinks were the highlight of the event. They were super-friendly, efficient and encouraging. The Cyto drink was inconsistently mixed. The two GU stations were stocked quite well when I passed them. This was my first R'n'R. I was looking forward to finally running one. But, the bands really did not make much of a difference. Sure, for the minute you went by they were nice. But, that was a small fraction of the overall time. I don't think the premium you pay in price for an R'n'R is worth it. As for the scenery of the course, I didn't really take in the Strip, as I was dodging slow runners and walkers. I have run on the Strip many times, and I think being up on the sidewalk, very early in the morning, when the drunks from the previous night are still out, is more entertaining than the marathon was. Once we split off from the halfers, we were just running on city streets without anything to note. Having the finish line hidden from view as you approached made the usual inspiration absent. I like the shirt. | |
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D. B. from 29 Palms, CA
(12/12/2009)
"Another quality Rock 'N' Roll race!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race was awesome, from the first-rate expo, to the shirt, the fireworks, Celine Dion, and the sharp finisher's medal and support at the end. I stayed across the interstate from the Strip, within a five-minute walk to the start. The route was flat and scenic, a tour of Las Vegas. I will be back again next year. | |
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W. C. from NY
(12/12/2009)
"Great late-season marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is the best choice for a late-season marathon. Although I agree with comments about the corrals, walkers, and half marathoners, do not let them deter you from running this marathon. The only thing I would not recommend is the Mandalay Bay (host hotel). | |
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M. H. from North Carolina
(12/12/2009)
"Good organization, OK course" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Well organized race, fun expo, neat start. Pretty good tech race shirt. It was cold at the start but I have run much colder ones, so I was prepared. Support was good, with lots of water stations. Mile markers did seem to be off; I paid more attention to my GPS. Cheerleaders were encouraging. Elvi were cool. There were showgirls at the finish for pictures. Course was unremarkable after the first 10 miles on the Strip. They put all of the hills (mostly bridges) on the marathon course. I think it is hard for most marathons to find 26 miles of good scenery. Bands were OK. Some quit very early, while others seemed to be taking a break when we came by. They put the suicide genre band near mile 20 (appropriate). Always take online ratings with a grain of salt; there are always people who are rarely satisfied. | |
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N. W. from Illinois
(12/11/2009)
"Can't wait to run it again!!! Awesome marathon!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 They did a fantastic job with organization, the course was great, the shirts were awesome, and the medal was heavy and beautiful. Running on the Strip is always an incredible experience. It's SO much fun. Just watch out for the lane reflectors on the roadway. Treasure Island had their volcano show going as I ran by; it was awesome and a welcomed burst of warmth. The Strip being part of the course is what makes this race. The starting line was very high-energy, with the band playing and the fireworks and the Jumbo-trons showing the start. I'm still smiling. The only (slight) glitch was that the sound system kicked out just as the national anthem was about to be sung, so it was only heard by the people way at the front of the start. Nothing is perfect. True, crowd support was sparse along the course, but there were actually a LOT more people than I thought there would be out cheering, so it was great in my book. And yes, people were not being honorable with their placing in the start corral. I started in corral 8, and I passed many walkers within the first mile (are you kidding me?), and very slow joggers within the first couple of miles. That was pretty ridiculous. The only way to prevent that would be to have people stationed at each corral entry checking numbers. It seemed like the bands weren't every mile after the halfway point, but hey, it was better than nothing. And they were good too! There were plenty of aid stations, plenty of water, and the volunteers were great. I liked that the last six miles or so of marathon course were straight and you could see the Mandalay Bay (finish); it was kind of rolling hills over the two bridges. Very pretty. I just wish races (in general) wouldn't hide the finish line around a corner. I want to see it from far away - like a mile back would be great. Something for inspiration instead of having to wonder, "Where's the finish? I can't hold this (perceived) sprint any longer - where IS the finish?" I thought the expo was great. Lots of vendors. It was very crowded but that's pretty normal. Lots of helpful and happy volunteers. And I liked all of the hype with the e-mails beforehand. At some races, once you enter you never hear from them them again. It was exciting every time I received a well-timed e-mail from the race organizers. I looked forward to them and it helped spur excitement. I can't wait another 12 months before I get to run this race again. This 2009 run was my 20th marathon, and definitely one of my top five favorites. | |
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S. T. from Menlo, GA
(12/11/2009)
"A Wonderful Experience" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Rock and Roll did a great job organizing this race. The course was great and I had a blast the entire time. The slight incline from miles 8 to 20 was hardly noticeable and a PR is definitely a possibility here. I was disappointed with my 3:56 time but still ejnoyed the atmosphere and race experience. This is now THE choice for a Nevada marathon. | |
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M. B. from Canada
(12/10/2009)
"Corral Chaos" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 While the overall race organization was great, the corral assignments were obviously ignored by some participants. Passing walkers at the half-mile mark? Are you kidding me? Fan support was minimal, but that's what I expected in Vegas. Enjoyed the bands and had fun chatting with my friends and fellow runners. | |
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d. b. from Ontario, Canada
(12/10/2009)
"Fantastic marathon" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 An amazing marathon. The start line entertainment was the "Blues Brothers." Running the entire Vegas Strip was great - what a sight. Water stations were every mile on both sides of the road, which made access very easy. The crowds were plentiful for the full marathon, including live bands and cheer-leading squads. The course is flat, with only two very small overpasses. The inish line was good, with incredible post activities. Nice, heavy finisher's medal. | |
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M. H. from Mexico
(12/10/2009)
"Boring, with the worst technology ever" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Once you leave the Strip (mile 10) this is the most boring marathon I have ever run. The technology is very bad. The times at the mile markers were not synchronized with the time differences of more than 20 minutes. The flexible chips did not work and I know of three runners (including me) who have no times registered. Scary, because I don't know many runners that run this one. Regarding tracking, if you are an international runner, you won't receive the message due to your international cell number. No mail is sent to your Blackberry. This is like running a marathon 15 years ago. | |
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J. K. from Lincoln, NE
(12/10/2009)
"Nice course, blah race." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 OK, I was awestruck by running down the Strip and it was a very fast course (even if I wasn't). This was my first "Rock-n-Roll" race. I was completely under-whelmed by the on-course entertainment. Poor quality bands that were way too loud; it was almost painful to run by the speakers (and I'm not some 70-year-old with hearing aids). The Cyto-max was inconsistent between aid stations, tasted horrible, and didn't seem to work, as I cramped up something fierce anyway - even though I hydrated and drank sports drink at stops like I normally would. And there were hardly any spectators once we left the Strip. I crossed NV off my 50 state list, but this wouldn't be a repeat race for me. I couldn't believe the costs for add-ons like the pasta dinner ($35?? Child, please!), and even $5 to have a text message sent with progress reports (beyond the first one). Think I will stick with locally organized races. |
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