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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 311 to 321]
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E. R. from North Dakota
(12/28/2008)
"Not impressed for first half-marathon" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I read the hype of the Las Vegas Marathon in July and decided to sign up and buy tickets early. I spoke to several people at the start line that said 2007 had entertainment along the course and the website said there would also be live entertainment. I'm severely disappointed. Every mile I kept looking for something and the only thing I saw was a high school band?? Are you serious? So much for that promise. We were able to be in the first 100 for the pasta feast, and thank goodness, because after we went through, the people who sat at our table got noodles with no sauce. If the tickets were prepaid, how were they not prepared for that many people? The mile marker signs were hard to see and everyone missed them. I had on a GPS running watch and I lost count of how many times people asked me for the distance. The line for a massage was out the tent, and wrapping around the finish line when I got there. I grabbed a cookie and was told they were out of thermal blankets. I guess for my first half-marathon, I was expecting more organization and more show since they talked it up so much on the website. I'd love to run Las Vegas again, but don't promise more than you can provide. | |
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The Coug from Washington State
(12/27/2008)
"High entry fee. Low-quality race." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The 2008 Las Vegas Marathon was a low-quality race, just like the race shirt they handed out. I can confirm the problems that have previously been mentioned. The start was slow and congested. I don't know how all of those walkers got up to the front. Common sense would tell them to proceed to the end of the line. The best part of the course is the Strip. The rest of it becomes uninteresting and more boring with each passing mile. The final miles behind the casinos were the worst. Spectators were far and few between. There was no gel at the designated station. There was little food at the finish. When a runner pays a high entry fee for a marathon, he should expect more than fireworks at the start. To be fair, not everything was negative. Water stations were well staffed, and there were ample porta-potties on the course. Complaining about this race seems moot since it will be under new race management next year. The combination of Las Vegas and a Rock 'N' Roll Marathon will certainly lure many runners in 2009, but I don't see strong interest in the community to make this a top-flight event. | |
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nick spicuzza from San Diego, Ca
(12/23/2008)
"dodging walkers the last two miles" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Ran a PR. Got third in my division and still haven't got the award for it. When I asked where to pick it up, nobody knew. I can't even find a way to contact Devine. Over the last two miles, I ran into about 5 walkers who didn't know that I was coming up behind them. Maybe they should have made two lanes further back not just for the last 400 meters. It was my 7th marathon and it's the worst one. But I did PR. | |
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E. R. from NJ
(12/21/2008)
"Good race for making a vacation, but otherwise..." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Not every city is NYC or Chicago where you get 26.2 miles of stimulation from crowds and scenery. In fact, races like these are more the exception than the norm. With that said, the organizers of the LV Marathon did what they could to give you as much at the start and end as possible, but unless you want to run back and forth on the Strip 6-7 times, then sorry, but you have to hit some of the less interesting parts of the area. This is a mostly flat course but has some deceiving inclines that you don't realize... miles 8-18 are basically all "uphill," and while they looks and feels flat, it takes a couple of seconds off of your pace and you have to factor that in. Crowd support is GREAT where you would normally find people, but when you leave the strip it thins out big time. If you like actually running or walking for the sport of it, and don't need to have distractions like bands or people along the way, you'll be fine. Every water station I hit had at least 15 people handing out water or Gatorade. I did notice the gel station but I skipped it because I come prepared. A word of advice to any marathoner is that other than water, you should NEVER expect the race to provide you with something you find vital to your run. Not sure where others were looking, but not only were the mile markers painted onto the street, but they were accompanied by 12-foot-tall red banners with the mile numbers printed in large, white font. There were also green banners for 10K, 20K, 30K, etc. My only complaint is that I believe a few were out of place, as I know my pace was constant and folks running with GPS confirmed the same. This screwed up my pacing because I still thought I needed to slow or speed up.... The starting corral was a bit tough to deal with. There was a great deal of congestion at the start but if runners would do the right thing and line up the way they were supposed to, then people would not have to blame the race for this. If you run a 12-minute mile, you have every right to be out there as much as anyone, but just not in the front! As far as the t-shirt and medal go, I can't believe that this is the first thing people are whining about when they write a review. It's a basic cotton t-shirt and the medal is on par with almost every medal I've gotten in any race. It doesn't make the race better or worse because the medal doesn't have flashing lights going around it. This is why this course is a great fit for a Rock and Roll Marathon, a series that I do my best to avoid unless running with a charity. The course is boring enough to stick a band every mile so people forget how boring it is, and they can pump all of their sponsors' money into three-pound, colorful finisher's medals. People make me laugh if they think that Elite is going to come in here and do a much better job with organization, because they're known for bling, not organization. The only reasons I would not return for this race are because there are several December marathons that I'd like to run, and frankly I've been to Vegas enough times that I am sort of sick of it. But I have no regrets about running this race and think it's worth the experience. If you want to head out with a couple of friends, run the race, and have a nice couple of days after; you can't ask for much more than this. | |
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V. C. from Los Angeles, CA
(12/20/2008)
"Shocked at bad 2008 race experience" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I ran the Las Vegas half in both 2007 and 2008 and have to say I'm shocked at how BAD the 2008 experience was. I feel like it was night-and-day between the two years. I feel terrible for anyone who ran this 2008 marathon as their first one. In 2008, the shirt was a disappointment (cotton, not tech), the entertainment on the course was nearly unnoticeable and the aid stations were severely lacking. A good friend and others who ran the full marathon reported there was no gel during the entire course. That's awful, especially when I know a lot of runners often rely on that for a race. And, it seems they must have run out of thermal blankets at the end because my friend didn't even get one, and her friends were wrapped in what looked like cut-open plastic garbage bags. Also, when another friend who also ran the half and I went to cheer them on at Mile 20, it was heart-breaking to hear how grateful the runners were to have SOME spectators at that point. A lot of people told us how they sincerely appreciated our support. Having run three full marathons myself, I know how it helps, but I was moved by the genuine gratitude expressed by the runners in this race. One would think a crazy-fun place like Las Vegas could round up some "cheerleaders" and place them strategically on the course. I know the economy is bad, but this race seemed to have lacked key essentials for a good race. Too bad. And now, my credibility is shot since I talked up this race so much from my 2007 experience. So sad. | |
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m. m. from Ohio
(12/20/2008)
"Badly organized. 'Nuff said." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 My 12th marathon, and my first negative review of a marathon, ever! I would not run this race again. First: Did not even see mile marker until mile 8. Mile markers were small signs at water stops; there were no road markings. No time corrals; it took a lot of time to get on pace while stuck in a crowd. This caused me to speed up to try and get back on pace, and I paid for it later. One water stop had no one passing out water, and we picked it off the table ourselves. Very little crowd support. Cheesy medal, bad shirt, expensive entry fee. If this is Las Vegas, count me out. | |
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M. S. from Atlanta, Georgia
(12/18/2008)
"Vegas can do better" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 This was my 3rd marathon and I thought it was poorly organized. The pasta dinner kept running out of food... and where were the Cirque performers? Before the race, the hotel bathroom floors were soaked with urine from the Saturday night partiers; Mandalay Bay sponsored the race... couldn't they have put a mop in the bathroom about 4 just to make sure it didn't look like Bourbon Street? The race in the beginning was very exciting but then I had to get past the strollers and the walkers. Once past the wedding chapel, the scenery and the supporters were pretty scarce. The drink stations... with 20K runners, do you think they might have been more prepared? I actually had to stand and wait for them to pour water? And the Gatorade and power gels that were promised? | |
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Z. B. from Vallejo, California
(12/17/2008)
"Not enough bang for the buck" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Nice, even, flat course, and the beginning was awesome - Robin Leach and fireworks, baby! You have to love that. However, the organization was rather lackluster. No corrals at the start line, a poorly marked course, and a crappy T-shirt. I think they spent all of our money on fireworks and forgot to take care of the runners. Granted it is a relatively new race, so if they get their act together and work the kinks out I might run it again. All in all, it's a great idea with flawed execution. | |
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A. O. from US
(12/17/2008)
"Not bad - worth doing once" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I agree with many other comments - I think the start was poorly organized, as I weaved through walkers and half-marathon runners. While the first three miles were pleasant to see (fireworks, the Strip, etc.), I found it hard to see the pretty things as I was focused on weaving around people, baby strollers, etc. Fireworks were a fun and nice touch though. I thought the course was not the most exciting, BUT it was nearly totally blocked off from traffic, which is rare and a nice surprise. I'll take the slightly boring course in exchange for not having to dodge cars. After the half turnoff point, the running crowd thinned down perfectly as well. I thought there was plenty of food and drink and bring my own gel so had no issues. I agree about the t-shirt, but the traffic control made up for it in my book. Spectators were not too bad - a decent number, given the lackluster course. Another thing I saw more of than normal was race photographers - not a necessity, but a somewhat pleasant surprise (I guess). Definitely more of them on the course than normal as well. Also, host hotel (Mandalay Bay I think was the host) was attentive to runners' needs, or at least mine. Overall, I enjoyed this marathon, especially after the I got around the walkers and the half marathon turnoff point! A little more attention to detail will help make this better. | |
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D. S. from Tucson, AZ
(12/17/2008)
"For the entry fee and Vegas, I expected more." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 The t-shirt was a big disappointment, the medal was okay, and while there was not much of a finish line celebration, fireworks at the start were great. |
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