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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 341 to 351]
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G. G. from Iowa
(12/12/2008)
"About what I expected..." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I went in with moderate expectations due to the mixed reviews... and it was about what I expected. There were several nice surprises: Ample porta-potties, fireworks at the start, wedding cake at the water stop near the run through wedding chapel, and lots of entertaining runners dressed up like Elvis. This race and the people running in it have a lot of character!! There were a few disappointments: Very difficult to get into the start area, several of the mile markers seemed to be OFF, water stops were sometimes organized and sometimes not, the Power Gel promised at mile 19 was nowhere to be found, and shirts and medals seemed to be an afterthought, even compared with previous years.... I would highly recommend this race for the "fun" factor. It is a great one to go do and not really care about your time - plus you are in Vegas!! While the course itself isn't particularly difficult, I still think it is a difficult one to go for a PR due to the congestion at the start until the half/full split and because of the early start time. Between travel and the early time, I was exhausted before I even started. I'm guessing it only will get improved with the new ownership next year! | |
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c. j. from Nebraska
(12/12/2008)
"A couple issues but... FUN and FLAT" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Running down the Strip with a spectacular firework show was FANTASTIC! We ran the 1/2 this year and I was disappointed with a couple of things: 1. Pasta Party: $35 for marginal food, and we had to wait for pasta sauce. Rude waitstaff. We missed the Cirque performers because they were done by 5:30. (?) 2. No gel, as noted: not sure if they ran out or they did not have it on the 1/2 marathon course. 3. NO spectators past the Strip: Last year, the Blue Man Group was on the course. Not this year. 4. No Gatorade after the first couple of stops? 5. We had to weave around a LOT of people for the first couple of miles. Vegas is still a GREAT destination, the weather was PERFECT and it was a FLAT run! I look forward to the improvements next year! | |
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J. M. from US
(12/12/2008)
"Improved but still needs work" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran the marathon in '05 and '06. Skipped last year because things were bad. Better this year but the start is unorganized in terms of lining up. Also why do walkers line-up in front and then walk 4-5 across? As to the half, it had a nice, flat course; unfortunately, it was not well-marked and I really did not see markers between 4-10 miles. Better organization at the finish, but they ran out of wraps. We did the pasta party, which was okay. The shirt was pretty weak for what you pay, but as hard as it is to believe, it was an improvement over the '06 marathon shirt. | |
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K. G. from Temecula, CA
(12/12/2008)
"This run should be better in 2009" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I'm delighted that Devine Racing will no longer be responsible for this marathon. Running down the Strip at 6:00 a.m. was a blast; however, once you got off the Strip, the tour of the greater Clark County region was pretty bland. There were a few dedicated supporters along the route, but nothing like the major marathons. This marathon needs more supporters, more music along the route, and accurate reporting of pit stops as well. Gatorade was not available at every other mile as promised, and no sign of the power shots advertised at mile 19. (Thankfully, due to my past experience with Devine Racing and the disappointing marathons they organize, I went completely prepared and had enough shots of my own to make it through. Devine tends to do a lot of false advertising, I've discovered.) Anyway, my biggest complaint about this run was the finish line "festival" (where "festival" is indeed used very loosely). There was no food. I just ran 26 miles, and found myself being welcomed to a finish line of milk and generic cookies... they were yucky Hydrox knock-off Oreos. Ick!!! Where was the beer garden? This is Vegas?!?! Anyway, I digress. The course was pretty easy and relatively flat. I looking forward to running this next year and seeing how well the crowd/music/fun improves with the Rock and Roll crowd in charge. | |
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M. A. from IA
(12/11/2008)
"Awesome race. Shortcuts on everything else" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran the 2008 Half. The expo was well done; however, the t-shirt that came with the race packet was a JOKE. A plain T-shirt that said, "Las Vegas Half Marathon" on it. That's it. (The marathon shirt had the same set up.) No sponsors. No date of event. Not even long-sleeved. After paying upwards of $100 for a half-marathon, the kind of shirt I expected... was available for purchase for around $30 at the expo. The beginning of the race running up the strip was awesome. The fireworks were awesome. The added effect of Running Elvises all over was hilarious! After the race left the Strip, the course got a little boring, but the smatterings of spectators were enthusiastic. The ending was great. Pluses: Running the Strip Expo Fireworks Elvises everywhere Nice finisher medal Negatives: Lame race shirt. Overpriced entry fee Poorly set up water stops Lack of Gatorade at water stops | |
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B. M. from Kansas City, MO
(12/11/2008)
"Flat course, perfect weather!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had a great experience during the actual race. I ran a PR, which was a bonus. The crowd to start the race was a little hectic. I started somewhat towards the front but still passed a bunch of walkers and people who were running very slow. I felt that the free shirt was a little weak since it didn't even have the date of the race printed on it. I did buy a shirt at the expo that had the course map on the back and the date listed. But I am not going to let the shirt determine my overall experience. Flat course, great weather, and a finisher's picture with Elvis... what more could you ask for? | |
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M. T. from Denver
(12/11/2008)
"Great to run the Strip, but all else was lacking" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The t-shirts where very cheap considering the cost of entry; they ran out of certain sizes early Sunday afternoon. Running the Strip was great; but running this race once is enough for me. Some of the mile markers where way off (2 mile marks where off by about .2). Water/Gatorade stations were good; however, race info said they would have Power Gel at mile 19 and instead they had Clif Shot at mile 18. (I had done all of my training with Power Gel.) Fast course, but a little boring after mile 7 and very little spectator turnout. (This city is not much into running and doesn't care to come out and support.) Some of the early half-marathoners had few people to cheer them at the finish. Good one-time marathon, but way too expensive for what you get. They didn't even have pacers or minute-per-mile signs at the start, so many slow runners started way in front - what a mess. Lastly, cheap finisher medals for both races. Will not be back next year, but I will always remember running the strip. | |
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D. P. from Austin, Texas
(12/11/2008)
"Great Start..." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This race had a lot of pros and cons to it. First off, the course: running down the Strip a 6 a.m. in the dark with it all lit up was one of the coolest running experiences ever. However, the rest of the course was completely forgettable, even downright boring; in fact, the cab drivers told us they would not venture into most of the areas they were running us through.... The organization was ok. The start area needs desperate help, as it was insanely congested to try and get into the corral. There were no pace signs, and walkers started up at the front, creating havoc for those behind them. On the course, the organization was great, and the course was well marked. One water station was out of sports drink, but that was it; with water stops every mile and sports drink every other mile, that was not an issue. The site brags about 250,000 spectators, but that is a flat out lie. I think 25 would be stretching it... there was no one out anywhere. As for the miscellaneous items, the EXPO was nice and packet pick up was smooth, with no long waits. Finisher's premium was an average medal. Basically, this race is set up as an excuse to go to Vegas and run the Strip. I would like to do it a few years, and hopefully they'll have taken the few extra steps to turn it from an average marathon to an awesome one. | |
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C. T. from Michigan
(12/10/2008)
"Strip was awesome; the rest was monotonous" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, and, overall, I really enjoyed the experience. However, I'm trying to fashion these comments in an objective manner - not from the angle of an over-enthusiastic first-timer. First, running down the Strip in the dark with fireworks was awesome! That was an experience I will always remember. However, the rest of the 19 miles was a bit mundane. During some stretches, it felt more like a training run than a race because there wasn't much entertainment or spectators. I think this will change next year when it becomes a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and there are bands every mile. My only other problem was the shirts. They were short-sleeved, cheap, cotton shirts, and they only said "the Las Vegas Marathon." It didn't even have 2008 on it. It felt like Devine had a bunch of leftover inventory that they were trying to unload before it became a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 2009. | |
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R. D. from southeast PA
(12/10/2008)
"Several aspects of this event were disappointing." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 All in all, not a bad experience. Glad it wasn't my first, as being experienced and resourceful helped at times. I never found the bag check (signs or race officials lacking?). Fun start in the dark with a great fireworks show. Surprised there weren't more spectators. Course was quite boring in a few stretches. Half-marathon should start ten minutes after. Also didn't appreciate having to compete for pavement space in the final miles with half-marathoners, who were all walking and spread across the course. Efforts were made to keep the courses separate at points early on, yet in the final miles we were forced to share the same space. At that stage, moving laterally to get past "runners" who are in a different event is unacceptable. By no means a terrible experience. I wouldn't expect to run it again, but glad to have had the experience once. Weather was perfect this year: fifties with a nice, thick cloud cover throughout. It never got hot or uncomfortable and there was little if any wind. |
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