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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 271 to 281]
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D. G. from Cornwall England
(12/10/2009)
"Freezing cold" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Rubbish t-shirt considering the entrance fees. They had Celine Dion singing all 15 verses of "God Bless America" in her fur coat whilst we froze to death waiting for her to get on with it at 6 a.m. The organizers only had to really close one road - The Strip - for about two hours, so it was no big deal to organize. Never managed to get warm again and suffered muscle injuries early on as a result. No spectators out in the suburbs except for the die-hard few and the families; miles 11 - 24 had few medical facilities available to runners. The isotonic drink was puke-worthy and most of it was left un-drunk throughout the course. Wrong month of the year and too early in the morning ! | |
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Deb Miller from Virginia, USA
(12/9/2009)
"Best marathon of 10!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Maybe it shined so brightly because San Antonio was so tarnished; but, this marathon had the best of everything of the ten full and dozens of half's I have done - including international ones (right up there with Stockholm '03!) What I liked best is that I did not have to jockey for position and stop/go with overcrowding and too many turns. This race had runners spaced out so that we could each get our stride early and keep it! Lots of eye candy, and a smooth route! | |
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w. b. from usa
(12/9/2009)
"Great first half, but wouldn't do the full again." (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 They really cater to the half marathon, but at about Mile 7, the full marathoners left the Strip and ran boring, nondescript back-street suburbs for the remaining 19 miles. The "live bands" got pretty sparse for the full as well. This company went too commercial and had a predatory atmosphere from the crowded expo, trying to take advantage of our last-minute needs with inflated prices to wanting an extra $40 per plate for the pasta party (on top of the $150 registration). I'm not a runner so that I can help race directors and pros with sponsors drive Hummers. I won't be doing this one again. Finally, I think they need to reevaluate their course certification because several people with Garmins read the course as actually 26.5 miles. P.s. At least slice up the oranges for the runners at the finish line rather than just plopping a box of whole oranges on a stand and walking away. | |
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G. P. from Tremont, IL
(12/9/2009)
"Awesome Race" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I thought this was an awesome race. So many bands along the route. So many running Elvi, and it's just cool to run on the Vegas Strip. Also a nice, heavy finisher's medal. My only complaint was the distance. My GPS (and many others) recorded the distance as 26.45 miles. Seems like a big flaw for a big race. | |
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Allen Babaran from Belmont California
(12/9/2009)
"Great Organization!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I read that the previous marathon had been a disappointment given the exiting organizer, but the new organizers really did an excellent job with the 2009 race. It was a real treat to span the entire length of the Strip. On the other hand, the run through the burbs was a bit boring, despite the background. The fans were out in decent numbers - some were drunk from the night before (it is Vegas, after all) - and it was great having cheerleaders here and there. Thanks, girls! :) Replenishment was plentiful too with stations being present (seemingly) every mile and a half! The GU stations provided more than enough to store for the last few miles. The markers were fantastic, the split between the half and full was well marked, and each mile marker had a timer clock (which was really useful since I didn't have any on me). The medal was comparably good to my Chicago, SF and Alaska medals. The technical shirt is the best of all the ones I've gotten, but the goody bag had standard throwaways (including dog food - whaaa?). As for the expo itself, having it in a casino hotel, while expected, was a kind of a pain, since it was pretty much a maze. But once you got there, the pickup packet was easy and everything you needed was there. Overall, this beats out the only other 20,000+ race I've done handily. I'll do this again once I've completed the 50 state goal. :) | |
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S. K. from Naples, FL
(12/9/2009)
"New and improved" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was the first Rock 'n' Roll Vegas, which replaced the Las Vegas Marathon. Elite Racing brought much needed organization to this race. Pros: 1. Fantastic course up and down the Strip. Fast marathon course. 2. Good organization for an inaugural race and much better organization than in previous years. 3. The number of marathoners is relatively small. Once the marathon route leaves the Strip, there is a lot of running room. Cons: 1. Getting to the start line was difficult. The Strip was closed to traffic prior to the race. 2. Runners were not staying in their assigned corrals. I spent the first few miles passing joggers and walkers. 3. There were not bands at every mile as advertised and even fewer cheer squads. Course entertainment is geared to the half marathoners. Finish line festival was weak. 4. After you left the Strip, crowd support disappeared. Community interest was the weakest of all the Rock 'n' Roll cities that I've run in. | |
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K. Y. from Chicago, IL
(12/8/2009)
"Las Vegas Half Marathon... and yeah, sure, maratho" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I really like the idea of running on the Strip, and it was probably the most amazing part about this race. However, to really enjoy all of the strip, and this event, you should really just run the half. It seems this event is catered much more so to the half marathoners than those doing the full deal. The full course takes off and has a lack of scenery and crowd support. Photographers scale the first 6 miles but disappear after. It is cool that after you leave the Strip you run out to the mountains, then see the Strip on the way back, but I'm not much of a fan of an out-and-back course. The last mile of the course is not at all scenic, and you run behind Mandalay Bay. Also, the most aggressive hills on this mostly-flat course were within mile 24... ouch. There are some steady inclines prior to then as well. The half is completely flat though. The expo was decent. The website is a little illusive in revealing the race start time, which you'd think would be an obviously displayed detail. There was no start or finish area map provided in any of the materials given out. My family also had a hard time finding the finish line for the marathoners, which was quite hidden, and they were watching the halfers finish for quite a while before realizing we were in a different area. The band at the finish was good. Bands along the course were fairly sparse. The start line had a wave release that provided for a lot of running space. Also the majority of the course had several lanes of roads closed, which was really nice. The medal was a good, heavy medal, as Rock 'n' Roll medals usually are. The shirt is a nice tech tee by Sugoi. Water and Cytomax were abundant throughout the course, although Cytomax isn't the most delicious race beverage (it tastes like milk mixed with Gatorade). Overall, it was a decent race, fun to have done, but I probably won't be back, unless I'm running a half. | |
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B. K. from Boston, MA
(12/8/2009)
"Has potential, but needs lots of work" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 As a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, I expected lots of music and I was sorely disappointed. I don't think there was music every mile, and the quality of the music was weak. At least the cheer squads were good. I read this morning that there was a big spectacle at the start. But the start was in such disarray that most people seemed to be scurrying to their corrals, only vaguely aware that there was anything going on beyond the fireworks and the singing of the national anthem. How about loudspeakers so we get into position sooner, then Jumbo-trons (like Disney World) so we can see the show at the start line from all corrals? Running down the Strip was fun. The second half of the full marathon was pretty (as long as you looked straight ahead towards the mountains - to the right or left was pretty mundane), but got boring. Because everything was so flat and straight, I felt like I was running forever and never getting anywhere. For a supposedly walker-friendly race, they packed up the water tables pretty quickly (less than a 6-hour marathon pace). The finish line area was poorly laid out. There was very little food. P.F. Changs had a tent and said they would be there until 2, but when I came by around 12:45, they were packing up (and staff were eating the leftover food). Overall the Strip and the desert provide some great running scenery, and I know that Elite Racing is capable of putting together a better race than this. But as it was this year, I can't recommend it. | |
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W. M. from St. Paul, MN
(12/8/2009)
"Great Fun - Save the Tigers!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This race was mostly fantastic. Complaints first: There was no map of the starting area included with the race number and materials. Getting to the start was tough. With 28,000 people trying to find the bag-check in this HUGE area, it would have been really nice to not have to rely on word of mouth from other runners to know which direction to go. It was very crowded, and even though I showed up 45 minutes pre-race, I barely got to my corral before the race started. Second: Why put those two poor, white tigers in tiny cages right next to the blaring speakers at the start? I felt so sorry for those poor animals! That was really cruel, and did nothing to enhance the race. I could also have lived without "Sweet Home Alabama," which I was subjected to twice in 13.1 miles. That's country - not rock and roll. Good stuff: The medal was great. The volunteers were fantastic. There was always water or Cytomax when you needed it. The fireworks at the beginning were fun. The phased (1,000 at a time) start worked well - I was never crowded while running. The Elvi were fun. There were spectators encouraging you almost the whole length of the exciting, dead-flat half-marathon course. Two of the bands played Judas Priest covers ("You've Got Another Thing Coming" and "Living After Midnight") - and I love Priest. I stumbled on this event by accident (first heard about it when I landed in town on the Friday afternoon before, and still came within four minutes of my PR) and I'm really glad I signed up for it. Thank you for holding 500 spaces for walk-up runners! It made for an unforgettable Vegas trip for me and 499 other folks who probably would have missed it. | |
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P. G. from Simi Valley, CA
(12/7/2009)
"There needs to be more race support." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The expo was great, with a lot of good vendors. As far as the race goes, it was a problem getting to the corrals. Then there was no control of the corrals. Many walkers and very slow joggers started in the first few corrals. The beginning of the race was very crowded. Add to that the fact that you could not hear the announcers. I was in corral 7 and I still am not sure if the national anthem was even sung. I guess the fireworks signaled the beginning of the race. The course support was good on the HALF marathon part of the course. It was also exciting running on the Strip. The course was not very well supported after the split. In fact, some of the water stops had only a few people; you had to grab the water cups off of the table. The course itself was flat, as represented, although I must say that I couldn't wait to see something other than that mountain! I liked the mostly downhill finish. |
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