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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 401 to 411]
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K. W. from NH
(12/9/2007)
"Not what was promised" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Both my boyfriend and I came to Vegas to run the full marathon. He was able to get in the sub-4-hour marathon and did run a sub-4-hour marathon. I was about 2 minutes back from the start line. It was hard to get a parking spot, hard to find a bathroom without a long wait beforehand, and hard to work through the corral line. I suggest either running as Elvis or getting married if you want a good spot in the corrals. There should have been water on both sides of the road on the Strip; I missed the first 3 mile markers and water. I never saw the promised Santa/Elvis that was supposed to be calling split times at all the miles. The bands were few and far between, with a lot "on break." The best part for me was the Hash House Harriers adult beverage stop! After you leave the Strip, you are running in sketchy areas, with little crowd support. And since most people feel the need to run with iPods, etc., even though the USATF bans them, I couldn't strike up a conversation with anyone on route. Running down the industrial drive for the last 3 miles was just the kick in the pants to an urban, boring course. Thank you to the volunteers who took time out of their day to hand out water; it was appreciated even if there weren't enough at some of the stops to keep up with the runners. The post-race food was dismal, and the 2 showgirls to photo-op with gave me a funny look since I was probably one of the few girls that actually took a picture with them. It was hard catching up with the half-marathon walkers in the final 3 miles as well - thanks for having a separate finish line for the two races. The people that were handing out sweat bags were very confused as it was a huge pile with no organization. As for the person that commented that they did not get their jacket back that they deposited on course, do you not understand the concept of a throwaway shirt/jacket? At most races you are not going to get anything back that you left on the course! Thankfully we don't have to run another in the state of NV on the 50 states quest. For $90, the shirt and medal could both use improvement. | |
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R. M. from South East Lower Michigan
(12/9/2007)
"What a VEGAS Experience" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 OK, the GOOD: The course was perfect! Beautiful scenery with the mountains, the sunrise, the wide open starting line and wide open roads during the race! I need to applaud all the police and traffic control personnel for the wonderful job they did!! The food after the race was good and those cookies were AWESOME!!!! The BAD: Suggestion to the race director for those of us who ran into the walkers of the half marathon, maybe divide the road to keep the walkers to one side and the runners to the other! Playing Dodge-A-Walker is not fun after nearly 26.2 miles and when you are dang near a PR!!! As for people who came to watch the finish, they were not allowed in to the finish area (spectators area) or near the big-screen TV. Kind of a bummer that they did not get to see me finish! Loved the Vegas medal! Loved the expo set up!!! Neat new chip timing - thought that was interesting! Technology is wonderful!!! I would give this race a must-do for anyone! Maybe it will be a top race in the USA soon! Just get everyone in the City of Las Vegas on board, and I am sure it will happen! Thank you for a fabulous race! | |
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brent hatch from st francis, mn
(12/9/2007)
"This is a smoking-fast course" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The Las Vegas Marathon was awesome. Personally I ran a very conservative race to make sure I ran a Boston qualifier for 2009. I have leukemia, and I don't run many races, so I started slowly because I know there is a fine line between running a great race and falling on your face. After running the race and having to much left in me at the end, I wish I had gone out faster because it is a flat course with smooth road surfaces. Since there is so much hotel space, it is a convenient and cheap place to run. It is easy to get to the start line. You don't even need a rental car. I stayed for five days for less money than it cost for one day when I ran in Chicago, and it is a flatter course. There are not a lot of spectators, but give this race time and people will see what a convenient place this is to run. I have qualified several times for NY, but it is a logistical nightmare to find an affordable room that is proximal to the expo and start line. I would recommend this race for anyone who wants to run a PB and then drink a few beers after. | |
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Tom Tramaglini from New Jersey
(12/8/2007)
"A good Sunday long run with lots of people..." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This marathon was enjoyable. The highlight of the race is the beginning where you run down the Strip - good crowd support. This was my 11th marathon - a good course to recover on from other fall marathons (flat and fast). The last two mile were tough... not much crowd support (lots of walkers from the half and pavement was pretty beaten up from construction). Great volunteers and plentiful water stops. I met the course director, who was working hard - he really cared - and stopped his rigorous schedule to answer our questions. I also met Chris Devine at the EXPO - great attitude and friendly. I will run more of Devine races, which are always well organized. The half marathon issue would have been taken care of with appropriate signage. The only person yelling which way to go was a policeman. Overall, I would run this race again. If one wants lots of course support, pony up for NY or Chicago. If one who loves running wants a fair marathon, this is a good one for you. I will be back. | |
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c. t. from New Mexico
(12/8/2007)
"It's a fun event" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Other than being overpriced for the ugly t-shirt (at least it's a technical one), I love this race. You get to run down the Strip with 208 Elvis impersonators. Elvis sings the national anthem. We saw the Blue Man Group and a variety of other bands along the way. There were plenty of water stops and porta-potties on the marathon course. The chances of having cool, dry weather at that time of year are good. I don't like a lot of crowds, so the minimal crowd support is perfect as far as I am concerned. As far as other people commenting on this forum about losing clothes.... Who in their right mind would leave an $80 jacket along a course in a big city? Bring something to throw away. And it's not the race management's fault if some moron stops in front of you to take a picture. | |
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K. F. from Midwest
(12/8/2007)
"Exciting start and finish" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've read some of the comments from elite runners and that's too bad they had such difficulties. But for the average runner like me, this was a great race. I only ran the half but it was fun and I was surprised by the number of people up so early and cheering the runners on. The start of the race was exciting with the fireworks and music. The finish was exciting with crowds of people cheering us in. The volunteers were EXCEPTIONAL. THANK YOU!!! I did hear some runners had to pour their own water during the half, however, after about mile 5.... Thanks also to Georgio's restaurant for offering a discount to runners for our carb feed the night before. The after party at Tao was FANTASTIC! I did feel the walkers made things difficult for runners both at the beginning of the run and at the end. Three hours into the race, they were walking in full lines/groups across the road and the marathoners were coming in full speed. I kept thinking someone was going to blow out a knee trying to dodge the walkers. Not sure how to fix that, but it's definitely dangerous and anticlimactic for a full marathoner to be running sub-three hours and have to share the finish line with 1/2 marathon walkers. All in all, a very enjoyable run. I'll do it again! | |
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D. M. from Canton, MI
(12/7/2007)
"I was that speedy Elvis!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Loved this race. Set a PR and a was part of the world record. The Great Santa Run the day before is a must. Our own Elvi coral made the start a breeze. We left right with the 3-4 hour coral. Viva Las Vegas! The only down was the mix with the half walkers at the end. Can't imagine how anyone missed the half turn. | |
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P. M. from Los Angeles, CA
(12/7/2007)
"Far surpassed low expectations" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I didn't expect much after reading the many negative comments in here, but I was pleasantly surprised almost across the board. The start could use some more organization and/or corrals. I never saw a corral or pace sign indicating where I should go, although I may have missed them because I did not arrive "early, early, early" - as the organizers strongly suggested. But once I crossed the start line, I did not have much of an issue getting around walkers or slower joggers. It was cool running down the Strip, and I thought the entertainment was terrific.... Fireworks at the start, Blue Man Group, Elvis impersonators, hula dancers, young boys playing Beatles tunes, etc. The volunteers were plentiful and really supportive (thank you!) and I was never wanting for water/Gatorade. Special shout out to the 20 or so firemen who lined up outside their firehouse around mile 8 to offer support and encouragement! That was just awesome and really inspiring! My only serious complaint is the lack of signage for where the half and full marathons split. There was just one guy shouting, "Half, left... full, straight," and I had to slow down to make sure I'd heard him correctly. I can see why many people missed their turn-off. They absolutely need to fix this. It's not a huge investment of money and effort to post a couple of arrow signs saying "HALF" and "FULL." Minor complaints: The course gets kind of tedious after the downtown area; there's just not a lot to see or look forward to. And the camber of the roads from about mile 8 to 18 occasionally made it challenging to find a flat groove. I also wasn't thrilled with breathing in some car exhaust from the nearby freeway around mile 24. It wasn't horrendous, but I'd prefer a route not so close to I-15 during the last few miles. All things considered, I thought a pretty damn good job was done by Las Vegas and Devine. I would definitely run this race again. | |
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J. H. from SLC, Utah
(12/6/2007)
"A Pleasant Surprise" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Like others, I was hesitant after reading last year's reviews. However, I have to say everything went fairly smoothly considering the size of the event. There were bathrooms all throughout the course with no line. There was a great number of aid stations and lots of spots with clusters of fans. I loved the personalized bibs. I did not notice any confusion with the half- and full-marathon split. The miles markers were very visible and accurate. This was my seventh marathon this year, and I thought over all it was good, and I would recommend it. Yes, there is not much to see after the Strip, but you have to know this going in as the Strip is only a few miles long and that is where all of the attractions are located. The only real issue I have is with the start. It took me 17 minutes to cross the start line, and there was a lot of congestion. I think if they were to start the races off-set, that would eliminate a lot of the issues there, but overall, a thumbs up to Las Vegas. | |
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K. L. from New York, NY
(12/6/2007)
"Great job with room for improvement" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Based on all of the negative comments I read about last year's marathon, I was pleasantly surprised with this year's race. Overall, I had a great experience. Here are the pros and cons of the race: 1) Weather was perfect. 2) Port-a-potties were plentiful. There were many port-a-potties throughout the course (at some points, every 1/4 mile or so), and there were never more than a few people waiting on line (and no lines in the latter miles). 3) Expo had many booths and lots of free goodies. The goody bag (which is a nylon backpack) is also a nice touch and souvenir. 4) Start line location - having the race start at the Mandalay Bay is definitely convenient, especially with the plentiful bathrooms throughout the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Convention Center. 5) Volunteers were enthusiastic and very supportive. The cheerleading squads were a nice touch and definitely motivated me. Having my name on the bib also helped. I agree that there could have been more volunteers at the aid stations, but let's all remember that we should all be thankful to anyone who's willing to wake up early on a chilly Sunday morning to volunteer for strangers! Perhaps the organizers can provide incentives to attract more volunteers, such as free t-shirts and food. 6) Finish line was efficient and had plenty of food and volunteers. This is definitely much better than the NYC Marathon finish-line experience. 7) Course is flat. It was also nice to have the downhill portions after mile 20. Miles 24-26 were a bit rolling, but still relatively flat. Definitely a good course to go for a PR. 8) Timing device - I liked the new timing device, which is much more convenient than having to return a chip after the race. Also seemed like this new timing device is just as accurate as the ChampionChip, so other marathons and races should considering using it. Cons: 1) Half-marathon/marathon split signage - I agree that there could have been better signage. However, there was a police officer directing runners the appropriate direction, so I still think 99% of the runners were able find the correct route. Also, if you use some common sense (and looked at the course map), you would realize that you should turn left (and back towards the start) if you're a half-marathoner. 2) Start line corrals - it was a bit chaotic at the start, especially with runners creating openings in the chain-linked fences. It would be helpful to have corrals organized by pace/mile signs, so that runners could organize themselves appropriately. Overall, I would highly recommend the LV Marathon. Plus, you can treat yourselves to some great shows and all-you-can-eat buffets (I recommend the Palms) to celebrate your accomplishment! |
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