Zappos.com Rock and Roll Las Vegas Marathon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Robert P.
Bainbridge Island, WA

  (06-07-2011)

"Running this marathon was a love/hate relationship. I loved the first half on the Strip, but hated the second half of the marathon course when it left the Strip.
The finish area was chaotic with all of people gathering for the post race concert.
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Staci G.
santa ana, CA

  (12-08-2010)

"The best race I have ever run. Course, fans, runners and organization are hands down - the best every. I have run AZ RnR, and tons of other smaller races - nothing compare to the energy this day. "

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2010

Kelly e.
campbell, CA

  (03-24-2010)

"What a fun race. The expo was well done with race course previews and a lot of vendors to explore. This turned out to be a good thing as the weather forecast for race day was to be exceptionally cold so I was able to buy some cold weather gear as I wasn't expecting below freezing temps in Las Vegas.

Race morning dawned early and chilly -- about 31 degrees. I was happy to have coffee and snacks available before the race. We lined up in corrals and the start was staged as there were over 28,000 participants in total. I had a good experience with this as I was in corral three so the course did not seem crowded or clogged and I had plenty of access to fluids and restrooms on the course. I did hear that those in the later corrals had some issues with people starting early, clogging up the course and running out of support/fluids.

The course is flat and fast and while not especially "scenic" it is exciting to be along the strip with the sight of the casinos and lots of spectators. The pre-race fireworks and excitement helped energize the early morning crowd.

After the finish, there was a nice array of food, drink, massage and had I been able to handle the cold, the live band was really good. I had to go inside however after listening to the band for a couple of songs. T-shirts were nice -- tech fabric and the finisher medals were heavy and impressive. All-in-all a very nice race."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Tanya R.
San Jose, CA

  (03-11-2010)

"This was the first time for this event to be an RnR race and to be held On the Strip in Vegas. I loved the energy of the location and the view for runners as you ran up and down the strip was *great*- nice way to get great views of the "fun" parts of Vegas.

Note, this is a HUGE event with thousands and thousands of participants, and as such, there is a pretty long wait for the later "waves" to get started. Because it was SOOOO cold that weekend, many of us waited inside the hotel while they started the race and while our "waves" were waiting for our start. Also, I think they were also short on volunteers to staff some of the water stations, especially toward the end of the course. The weather also made some of the water stations a little treacherous, as the water froze (!) on the pavement.

The medal was fantastic looking and the crowds along the strip were very supportive. All in all, a fun experience."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Sukhraj B.
Lake Forest, CA

  (02-19-2010)

"Some people go to Vegas to play, I go to run marathons.

Las Vegas is the perfect place for a marathon. Not only is it the entertainment and wedding capital of the world, everything about it makes you want to empty your wallet and go home broke. I understand this very well and I still love it.

Last Sunday was the inaugural event for the Rock 'n' Roll series. I did the half marathon that went up and down the strip. This is the flattest course and ideal for beginners and quite possibly the most scenic. It was made more enjoyable by the running Elvi and the run-thru weddings. Yes, people actually got married on the course. Why you would want to is anyone's business but whatever floats your boat.

It was sponsored by Team Challenge and Zappo's and was probably the most poorly organized event of the series but I still loved it. The roadies/volunteers ran out of water and endurance drinks early, there weren't any med tents that I could see, the expo was hard to locate at Mandalay Bay, and since there was no supervision several people cut the course early but they just cheated themselves.

We ran into several drunk people stumbling out of casinos late only to find 30,000 people running up and down the strip. Overall, it was a great first inaugural event and I loved the photo op at the end with a show girl. That was pretty neat."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Freddy B.
Los Angeles, CA

  (01-20-2010)

"So right out of the gate maybe 0.4 miles into it, we are bunched up with some walkers in front of us. As I try to pass thru, I accidentally step on someone’s foot and roll my ankle – result in a high ankle sprain with some ligament damage which I had no idea I had until I finished the race.
The really cold weather actually helped me with my busted ankle.
The course is pretty simple; pretty much an out and back.
It being Vegas and all, and I share this story with everyone; the funniest group of crowd supporters had posters with THE HANGOVER saying.
I thought that it was the funniest thing…
One had, “Are you running from the tiger in the bathroom”
Another, “Don’t stop looking for baby Carlos keep going”
And the last one I was able to catch, “I’ll check the roof, you go to Mandalay Bay”

I digress,
Running on the strip was pretty cool, they actually shut it down.
I can't say it enough it was really cold for my taste. (I’m an L.A guy)
Not until I got to the finish line and stopped, did I really get to feel the pain of my foot.
My wife parked @ the MGM so that was the longest walk EVER.

The real highlight of the weekend for me was watching my son the previous day completed his first “marathon” apart of the Kids Rock Ls Vegas. My 5 yr old son earned his first of many medals. Nothing after that could have spoiled my weekend, not even my busted ankle.
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

naomi n.
san mateo, CA

  (12-08-2009)

"The course was supposed to be flat and fast, which yes, it was. But there was a large number of walkers, who somehow ended up in front of runners. They made it really difficult to get off to a good start.

It was freezing cold - 33 and breezy.

I thought the course support was ok, but definitely not as good as other RnR races.

The swag bag had weird stuff in it - olive oil and balsalmic vinegar? Mac and cheese? Dog treats?

For more details pls visit my race report at http://tinyurl.com/yhc4fmr."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

del .
,

  (12-07-2009)

"Mistake #1. Check the weather! If it's gonna be cold, dress appropriately. Gu turns into cement, be prepared for that too.
Mistake #2. If you're going to spend Saturday drinking it up in Vegas, know where the porta pottys are on the course. Personally, there weren't nearly enough. Bring wipes. And antibacterial stuff. And have fun trying not to have an accident as you run for 2 hours.
Mistake #3. Go to your correct corral. Don't just go to #22 cause you're too lazy to walk up to the front, you'll get a 33 minute delay to your start. This delay will haunt the rest of your run as supplies will be limited by the time you get there.
Personal Mope #1. No one put a medal on me, I had to pick one up from a box on a table still wrapped in plastic. The ribbon immediately came unsewn. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Dave A.
Las Vegas, NV

  (12-07-2009)

"Traffic was a little bad and we got there about an hour and a half before the 6:15 start time. Just in case ... the traffic was bad. For those allowing less time it must have been pretty challanging. That being said, getting there an hour and a half early was great. We dodged the traffic bullet and could leisurely get to the start. Since it was so early and Very cold (34 degrees at the start, 27 with the wind chill) the time allowed us to warm up and to hit the port a potties three times. We brought throw away clothes and chemical hand warmers which made the wait quite bearable. It was a cold run. We got lucky that there was no wind on race day. I hear it can really blow during the race. I live in NW Las Vegas and I've experienced some strong 20 mile winds up there but it's usually not as bad down by the strip. Be sure to bring gloves and a hat to run in and really consider running in pants. Aid stations were plentiful, had both Cytomax and water and were fairly well manned. After the race there was bananas, pretzels, chips, cytomax, water, etc. They were quick with the space blankets too which helped.

The only real downer, and it was big was the poorly organized start.

This is my second Rock and Roll, having also ran last June in Seattle where the start was executed perfectly. Vegas was a disaster.

At the Seattle R&R they had the corrals well manned and ropes between each to keep the groups separate and to make it more difficult for slower people to jump the line and start in front of faster runners. With over 20,000 runners it's really necessary. If you haven't raced in a large event it's amazing how many people are running. Streets are only so wide. A few slow runners are no big deal but too many in front end up roadblocking the entire crowd.

Because the corrals in Vegas were under manned and weren't separated by even a rope, those who wanted to could walk forward before the race and start with the faster runners. Given there were 27,000 participants and it seems like a third were anxious walkers the start was a bogged down nightmare. I spent the first two miles dodging selfcentered jerks who just HAD to start in front of their assigned areas. It was REALLY discouraging. I've been training hard and was shooting for 2:00 for the half which works out to about a 9:00 minute pace. The walkers slowed the first mile down to 11.5/mile and I had to spend the next five miles playing catch up. I'd have loved to have those two minutes and the wasted energy back around mile 12.

Races are always a little bogged at the beginning but that's why they wave start, to keep people expecting slower paces, and certainly walking behind the faster runners.

It's especially discouraging since the organizer clearly knows how to run things properly.

I sent an email to Rock and Roll under their "Contact us" heading. I'll let you know if I hear anything back. Hopefully we'll hear they're going to correct the problem.



Good luck and have fun out there.

"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Thomas T.
Newcastle, WA

  (10-15-2009)

"The year I ran this marathon (on Dec 7)happened to fall on the weekend where the highly anticipated fight between Dela Hoya vs. Pacquiao was held (Dec. 6). In addition, the world's top rodeo cowboys and cowgirls also came to the Sin City to compete at the National Finals Rodeo, which was held from Dec. 4-13. Vegas was festive and crowded with Christmas decor everywhere.

I arrived on Friday morning and checked into Luxor at the discounted rate offered to marathon participants and picked up my race packet at the Expo in the nearby Convention Center of Mandalay Bay.

The marathon kicked off in front of Mandalay Bay at the south end of the Strip at 6:07 a.m. with more than 15,000 half and full marathon runners taking to the road. The first 5 miles or so was on the Strip. Then the course traveled directly through the exciting Fremont Street Experience before looping through Las Vegas and Clark County and finishing back at Mandalay Bay.

It was incredible and a lot of fun running through the Strip with each skyscraper uniquely illuminated with bright and colorful neon lights and fireworks decorating the early morning sky. I had never seen so many Elvis impersonators/runners and newly weds ("running brides"?) in my life; it was surreal (there were reportedly 178 "running Elvi"). Another cool sight on the course was at mile marker 5.5—soon-to-be-married couples were married by a running reverend through a wedding chapel! Only in Vegas, baby.

The lack of corrals for a staggered start was a surprise and it caused a huge bunching up at the Start. It was a challenge maneuvering through walkers and half marathoners, but hey, I was not in any hurry and wanted to test my legs for the first several miles. Time flew by when you're having a good time, entertained by many interesting and energetic characters/runners.

But, the fun/distractions soon dissipated, the crowd long gone, and suddenly, it became work. Hard work. We're now running through not-so-nice areas and mostly residential and business communities. I found myself surveying the surrounding mountains and the blue-gray sky. When I lost my concentration a couple times and slowed down, the sight of a fat Elvis or a male runner dressed as a Showgirl passing by me would provide motivation to regroup and regain my pace.

"Lotta people come to Vegas to lose... I didn't". – Rocky Balboa

Neither did Pacquiao. He won the fight against Dela Hoya."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008

shelly c.
redwood city, CA

  (07-11-2009)

"Not yet a RnR..BUT well organized and lots of fun! I will say the course is UGLY though...BUT it's Vegas! The strip was fun to run on under the fireworks. AND heck Robin Leach started the race! Back again for the full this year for sure!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008