Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

This was my first half marathon and it was terrible! I don’t think you can have a successful race with 44,000 people! It was way too many people! As another racer said it was poorly run and organized. The marathoners and half marathoners were running the same course. Most of the halfers tried to stay to the side but there were many that didn’t or couldnt because there were too many people! When I was done it took me 90 minutes to get from my the secure zone to my car! Ridiculous! They should cut off the number of people at a reasonable number. My run tracker said I ran over 14 miles and it was all because I was weaving in and out of people! Craziness. I wouldnt do this race again unless there are less people

Lets get the good stuff out of the way first because this was probably one of the few bright spots for the night. Although they ran out of these to many finishers of the half marathon those of us who did receive one of these saw it change from this (
) to this (
) once the lights went off. Yup, pretty cool!
The third time was not the charm for the 2011 edition of the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon and ½. In fact is was near catastrophe with issues of overcrowding and public health concerns which sent hundreds of participants to nearby hospitals suffering from severe cramping and vomiting. We witnessed this first hand when a member of our running group fell ill after the race with the exact same symptoms. Luckily she avoided a trip to the hospital as we understand local hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of participants admitted in the hours following the race.
So now the big question is, «What happened?»
I’ve personally run in over 20 Rock n Roll marathon events, and this was by far their worst production ever. Could it be true what people out there are saying? Could it be that the race organizers are only in it for the money? Could it be that they are trying to grow their brand too big too quickly? For the sake of the thousands of runners who take part in their events I hope not.
In one year this race grew from a maximum field of 28,000 participants to 44,000 participants, and before the event even took place they were already talking about expanding that to 60,000 in 2012. In one year the race organizers grew from 19 races all held in U.S. cities to 28 races held in the U.S., Canada and 5 other countries.
This race seemed destined for failure long before I even crossed the start line. The building holding the gear check was overcrowded and participants had trouble getting to and getting out of the building because the number of entryways was in no way adequate for the number of participants registered for the event. As the start of the race grew closer the patience level of many of the participants dropped lower as many exhorted to pushing and shoving in trying to get to where they were going. The worst part yet is there were no race officials present to restore order. It was complete chaos.
For most races in the Rock n Roll marathon series a wave start is implemented in order to reduce overcrowding along the course. Corrals of 1000 participants each are grouped together based on their projected finishing time allowing the faster runners to start ahead of the slower runners and the walkers. The corral system for this event was so congested and so poorly planned out that participants couldn’t even get into the corrals they were assigned to. Many participants just started wherever they could leaving faster runners trapped behind walkers and slower runners.
When I approached the very first water station and saw that they were nearly out of water I knew this race was in trouble. I carry two pints of vitamin-​enriched water on my belt when I run so I rarely stop for water which ended up being a saving grace for me as many of the stricken athletes pointed out after the race that it was the metallic tasting water pumped directly from fire hydrants without the permission of the Las Vegas Fire Department that led to their cramps and vomiting.
I can’t help but to think lawsuits are not far behind.
In the end I managed to weave my way around slower runners and even slower walkers and it only took me 20 minutes more which I thought was remarkable considering the congestion I fought through throughout the course.
Will I return for a 4^th? I’ll have to think long and hard before I try this again! I hope they get their act together.

I came to run on the Strip based on the recommendation of a good friend. I was expecting a world class event.
But …
This was easily one of the most poorly managed running events I’ve ever taken part in … anywhere! Prior to the race the race organizers kept touting how they were going to make this race their grand event, their largest and greatest race among their 20 race Rock n Roll series. The race sold out with 44,000 people up from 28,000 the previous year. They switched from a day event to a night event.
Then came race night.
This was …
An epic failure!
It was poorly organized even before the starting gun went off. Participants who needed to check in their sweats and gear for storage during the race had to enter into one of the Mandalay Bay convention halls. If they could get into the hall that was. Participants trying to enter into the main building clashed head on with participants trying to leave the building. This created one massive standstill with tightly packed people pushing and shoving trying to get where they were going.
Luckily we had a friend that wasn’t running who agreed to check our gear in once the area became more civilized.
Continued chaos …
They wanted runners into their assigned corrals prior to the start of the race, but there are corrals on both sides of the Strip and the idiot organizers have metal gates blocking passage to the opposite side of the Strip. Did those morons really think we had wings and we could have just lifted off and ended up on the other side of the Strip? Most people just crammed into any corral that gave them access, and that would be the ultimate downfall for this event.
Once the race started …
We found ourselves shoving and weaving our way through a sea of walkers. They are those 250 to 300 pound behemoths who move side by side in a relatively slow manner. A proper race corraling system would have had these gentle giants starting behind individuals who were more likely to run in this race rather than walk. This along with areas of bottle neck along the entire course made for a very upsetting night.
Poisoned water …
Most of us experienced distance runners carry our own fluids and we take a mouthful with some energy gels as we need it. One of my dear friends running in her first half marathon relied on the water given out along the course, and after the race she paid for it dearly when she cramped up and began vomiting violently. We later found out through the news media that scores of runners reacted the same way after consuming water pumped directly from fire hydrants into garbage cans then scooped up in cups by volunteers some without gloves! The fire department even commented that nobody with the race organizers informed them they were going to do this.
In the days that have passed I’m still reading major complaints on Facebook and people calling for a boycott of this race organizer and of this race. I can’t find any blame in that, and having experienced the debacle that took place I totally understand.
Shame on you, Rock n Roll Las Vegas!

What? Inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll ½ Marathon in Las Vegas? I get to run on the strip? I’m soooo there!
I was super gung ho about it until I realized that it would be around 30 degrees plus the wind chill factor!
The fitness expo in the Mandalay Bay convention center was quite large, but I wasn’t able to go until Saturday afternoon, and a lot of the vendors ran out of freebies. I guess that’s a good thing, so I wouldn’t have to try to stuff it all in my suitcase. But I did get a few samples of MGD… free beer is always a plus!
The race itself started at Mandalay Bay at 6am. My friends and I stayed at Monte Carlo, so I had to wake up at 3am to get ready and leave the hotel by 5am to walk to the start (4 people with one bathroom = no good)! It was pretty damn cold! I was a popsicle by the time I got to the start area.
The corrals seemed so unorganized. I think there were at least 29 corrals, but nobody was around to check our bib numbers. There weren’t any gates or ropes to separate the corrals either, so we just ended up cutting into a lower corral. We were trying to bunch up with people for body heat!
When 6:15 rolled around, we heard the fireworks go off, and people started cheering… the race was starting! Or so we thought. There were so many people that they let people go in waves. The group I was in didn’t cross the start line until 6:45!!!
In the end, it ended up being a fun race. It was pretty cool to be able to run on the strip. You get to see people heading back to their hotels after a long night of partying… walk of shame! There were bands along the strip, but I was too busy thinking of my freezing body parts that I didn’t really pay attention to them. I was very happy when I reached the end! I got my medal, free food from P.F. Chang’s, and my free can of MGD beer!
I think the race could’ve been more organized in the beginning, but in the end, I still enjoyed my experience on the strip. I think I’ll give it another shot next year, but now I know to bundle up and wear more layers!

This was the coldest run I have ever done, including ones I have done in the rain in SF. This was also the largest run I’ve ever participated in. Having done the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll the past three years, I expected a little more organization.
For instance, there were no signs in Mandalay Bay pointing to where the expo was, where the spaghetti dinner was being held, or where to get to the start line. I guess they just expected the out of town runners to automatically know where everything was located.
With so many people it was hard to get to my starting corral before the gun went off. But that didn’t really matter since it took me nearly 40 minutes before I even crossed the start line. Other than that, the support along the course was great.
It was fun to run on the strip and see all the new hotels which were not there 5 years ago. There were quite a few running Elvis as well as people renewing their vows in the run through wedding ceremony. Plus the course was nice and flat. It’s just too bad it was so cold, otherwise I would have enjoyed it even more. It was so cold I didn’t stay for the post-​race activities and concert.
Just a tip, try to get to Las Vegas on Friday to pick up your race packet, because the expo was insane on Saturday. Either that or try to get there early Saturday.

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.

One of the best races I’ve run so far! Why?
1. Because it’s flat!
And there’s nothing like freezing temps to make you run faster to get it over with. Except of course, when you turn your foot on a rock at mile ONE like I did! Unbelievably I still finished the race. Never mind that my foot NOW looks like the HULK’s foot breaking out of a shoe. :(Ow. If it were hilly, I’m not sure that I would have made it.
2. Really well organized. From registration, packet pick-​up, to the finish line, I was really impressed.
3. Scenic. At times it was almost like watching television while on a treadmill with all those jumbotrons out there on the strip. Heh.
4. While I didn’t partake in the Elvis costumes or the run-​thru wedding vows, I loved seeing all the participants that did. You couldn’t help but cheer them on!
5. Decent goodie bags. Sure it had its share of fliers, but a box of Mac and Cheese? Come on! Doggie treats for my pooch I left at home and free Gu? Cool!
6. Nice Medal! You could knock someone out with that thing. The heft of it around your neck reminds you that you rightfully earned that sucker.
For next year — definitely get to the Expo on Friday at all cost. Saturday was a zoo! Bring warmer clothing for the entire trip, not just for the race! Oh! And stay until Monday because the hotel wouldn’t give us late check out, which meant instead of enjoying our beer, gorging on PF Changs or basking in the warmth of victory with fellow runners… I had to hobble back to the room and check out!
Possible race improvements — Great bands, but would have loved more music to keep us going. Then again, for the bands that were out there I don’t know how they kept playing in those temps. Kudos.

I have a LOVE/​HATE relationship with this experience. One thing’s for sure: running a half marathon is definitely a one night stand situation for me. Literally, what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Eff’ you, ½ marathon that started at 5:15 a.m.
Blow me, record freezing temps of 30 degrees.
Eat shit & die, waiting in taxi lines for hours. and still​.in the freezing cold!
Eff’ yo mama, that this event was held in a town that never sleeps, so you go out the night prior to drink, giving yourself a curfew you know you can’t/won’t keep, and then have to wake up at 4 a.m. just to get there in time at 5:00 a.m. to run 13.1 miles in the blistering cold.
Top of all that, I paid $ 104 to subject myself to these harsh conditions. What drugs did I accidentally ingest to make such ill thought out decisions?
Okay, okay, sorry so cynical. It’s just that me+freezing+waking up at the crack of dawn+cold+running+cold is a recipe for disaster. Don’t get me wrong, I am so stoked that I gave running a half a chance and that I completed it (official time 2:04:11), but when you combine all of these things I really just don’t like, it just makes me want to stab myself in the eye.
Words of advice according to my experience:
*You MUST like running: I hate anything repetitious. Running, spinning, whatever. I can do it, but I just don’t LIKE to do it. I thought running through the strip and seeing all the flashy scenery would make this run more entertaining. Nope. BORING. I felt like this at mile 3 and I had 10.1 more to go. All I could think about was how fucking cold I was. So, note to yourself: If you don’t like running, doing it in a flashy environment will not make it any funner. Especially when you have so much ground to cover before you finish. So just don’t do it, unless you wanna do like me and just do it so you know you’re capable.
*Using your sports bra to stow shit: BAD idea. I put a packet of «GU» in there, and ended up with cuts on the cleavage and a skinned patch in the middle of my chest. Apparently I was too damn NUMB to realize this while running, and only noticed it when I went to take a shower and looked down to see WTF was stinging the shit outta my chest!
*Sweatproof earbuds & a good playlist: You know those annoying techno songs you hear at the gym? Yeah, use those. You’ll need it to keep you distracted. Go to your happy place. And make a playlist of at least 2 hours long, saving the super duper rage hits for the end to keep you motivated. When I was «training» (mine consisted of just two 10 mile runs the weekends prior to this race-​not much training, lol!) in sunny, warm, Santa Monica along the coast, my earbuds shorted at mile 7 of 10. My motivation to continue went limp. Not cause I was tired, but because I was BORED! Make sure this does not happen to you and invest in some good, sweatproof ear buds. Make sure to test them out prior to the race. Also, a good sweatband will help keep the «sports» variety from falling out (the kind that have the hook that wraps around your ear).
*Run with a buddy: I ran this shit solo because I had to pee and split up from my friend, so I didn’t know that they weren’t checking on which wave you were assigned to, and therefore technically I could have ran with her. It would have probably improved my time, because running with someone you know is much more motivating than running solo.
I liked the medal, all the giveaways, and the fact that the event itself was very well ran/​organized. Now that I’m back home, I’m sick with a nasty cold… just a little souvenir from my rock n’ roll half marathon experience. That mutha fucker…

ring, ring…
me: hello.
hotel: good morning mr h. this is your 5am wake up call. and the current weather condition is 34 degrees.
me: oh, thank you. what? WHAT DID SHE SAY?!
OMG! COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD! this event was sooo COLD. it was so cold i believe my nipples could have cut glass. i’m not use to running in this type of weather. i’m spoiled. i live in santa monica and my coldest run has been in the low to mid 50 degrees. the cold weather made this run tough.
outside of the weather, this was another great event by the group that manages the rock n roll running series. as usual, the staff and support was awesome. the expo was great and easy to get through.
i ran the half marathon because i am too lazy to train for a full marathon. my one day a week training schedule does not permit me to run any further without causing some serious injuries to myself. the half marathon course was flat and ran pretty much up and down the las vegas strip. it was really cool running up and down the strip seeing all the hotels. look there’s the mandalay bay, mgm, the new city center, paris…6 miles later at mile 8 or 9 we ran through an area that was «old school.» all motels, shops and some strip clubs with signs offering a recession/​economic stimulas package of $ 10 lap dances and/​or trade in your old dvd for a new one. funny stuff.
even though this was my worst half marathon run i still had a great time. a BIG THANK YOU goes out to the support, medic and bands for making it easier for me to put one foot in front of another for 13.1 miles. THANK YOU and i will see you in arizona next month!