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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 421 to 431]
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Big Al from Spencerport NY
(12/5/2007)
"much improved" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I loved the whole thing. The half/full split should have been better marked, which is why I did not give a perfect score. | |
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J. L. from Kansas City, MO
(12/5/2007)
"Las Vegas - Too Much Focus on Flash, Not Substance" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Vegas was a last-minute thought. It was my 7th for the year and I went only because I had a free air ticket. Good stuff: Glitzy distractions like Elvis guys, Blue Man Group and the 50+ couples getting married were fun. The medal was unique and well-designed. Logistics are hard to beat in Las Vegas. You fly in, take a cheap cab ride to the abundant hotels, and walk to the start.... Can't beat it. Spectators and volunteers were sparse but enthusiastic. Not many people sober enough to cheer you on at 6:00 a.m. I always thank those who volunteer at these events. I didn't see that they were provided with any jackets or shirts for their efforts. More should be done for these fine folks who get water and sweat slopped all over them. Start time: 6:00 was excellent. We had a great weather day, but the 6:00 time would provide some relief if temperatures did rise. The mile markers appeared to be off a bit, but I liked that you could see them 1/8 of a mile away. Very large flags made you feel like you were making progress. Room for improvement: WALKERS GET OUT OF THE WAY! I certainly don't want to be a running snob, but when you get to mile 24, there isn't much gas left in the tank to move sideways to avoid the 1/2 marathoners walking side-by-side in the middle of the road. A simple segregation between the 1/2 and full marathoners at the end would be nice. These same walkers also moved all the way to the front at the start. Every race has its share of people who start way too far forward. Since I am a 7:40 pace guy, I don't hang out with the 6:00 crowd. There were no corrals for various pace groups leading the novice walkers to get into the lead. Again, God bless all that even walk 13.1 miles, but get the heck out of the way of those of us that have to grind out 26.2 and don't have extra energy. The clocks were dysfunctional at the start. The split for the 1/2 and full marathon was sad. Just one poor volunteer yelling out which way to go. I saw several poor saps that followed us only to realize they were on the full marathon course and had to double back. The course is awesome for the first six miles. It doesn't get much cooler than running down the Vegas Strip in the early morning. After that, it is quite boring. The shirts were sad... unimaginative, especially for Vegas. No pace groups. Even though I sound more negative than positive, I will be back. It's freakishly interesting to run in Vegas.... The land of hedonism. | |
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K. A. from Boston
(12/5/2007)
"More of an event than a race" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 My observations in chronological order: The expo was better than most. Race morning I walked to the start and appreciated Las Vegas Blvd. being closed to traffic at 5 a.m. The starting corral was pretty well packed when I got there. Rather than any instructions, I heard Elvis songs being played. There were no subdivisions in the corral for 3:10, 3:30, 3:45, etc., so there was a random mix of marathoners, half-marathoners, walkers, etc. scattered in an "as you showed up" order. No pacers to help participants position themselves. It was dark. It was a bit chilly. The race started and warm-up attire was shed; like any crowded race you have to look down in the first mile to watch your step, so this was really an inopportune time to have a fireworks show. Participants stopped to watch it and take pictures. There was some bumping and complaining, but I didn't see anyone get hurt. I couldn't watch the show since I was trying to run a race. What I did see was someone pushing a baby stroller - that was a first for me. At about mile 6, most of the half marathoners went to the left and the marathoners went straight. There were two people quietly holding signs with arrows in the middle of the street, mostly unseen by approaching runners, and when they talked to each other, they would turn the signs. That was hilarious. Only one mile marker (11) was noticeably off. The bands playing were very entertaining, and the water stops were well stocked and organized. Alternating water and Gatorade by odd/even miles in different cups was always predictable - that was terrific. Traffic control was terrific. The cheerleaders in particular were great spectators - nice touch. At mile 24, I thought I made a wrong turn and wound up in a line for Celine Dion tickets. In fact, though, I had caught up to the half-marathon walkers that merged in to the marathon course. I was doing a 7:50 pace they were doing a 17:30 pace. And there were plenty of them. They were wearing backpacks and having a nice stroll. Imagine running through a crowded mall the day after Thanksgiving and you'll know what the last 2 miles were like for me. It was the most disrespectful thing I've ever seen at a marathon. At the finish the food was oranges, bananas, cookies, trail mix and bags of coffee. They also have boxes of foot lotion. Expo leftovers. There was no family reunion area (as advertised) known to anyone I asked. Luckily I found my wife and we walked out of there. I won't go back. | |
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E. A. from Florida
(12/5/2007)
"Improved but could be better!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the marathon in 2005 and again in 2007. Much improved but could be better. Main complaint is the cheap, short-sleeve t-shirt that they gave the runners - and then the good t-shirts are FOR SALE AT THE EXPO! What's with that, DEVINE? Definitely need a long-sleeve shirt for this race with graphics front and back. The mile markers could have been more clearly marked on the pots that held the banner flags. Excellent medal and expo. No Elvis or "thunder from down under" man at the end of race for the ladies - just a couple of scantily clad girls (NOT SHOWGIRLS)!! A bone-chilling 38 degrees at the start and only warmed up to 51 as the high for the day. Could have been worse, as the day before was extremely cold and windy, and the day before that featured a cold rain and wind all day. Will be back next year, though, so improve on the SHIRT, DEVINE! | |
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C. D. from So Cal
(12/5/2007)
"Not a marathon I would recommend." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The 2007 Las Vegas Marathon had a smaller field than the previous year, but the start was completely unorganized. The run down the Strip was the highlight of the race. After that, the course became boring. The half marathon split was poorly marked - a real disaster. I personally witnessed two half marathoners stop dead in their tracks when they realized they missed the split. Even the elite half marathoners missed the half marathon split! On the positive side, the volunteers at the water stations were great. Nice t-shirt. Tasty food in the goody bag. The problem of last year's race were adequately addressed, except for the start. | |
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K. M. from Arizona
(12/4/2007)
"Viva Las Vegas Marathon!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 26th marathon and probably the most enjoyable so far. I salute the marathon organizers for hosting such a fun and relatively well orchestrated event. I found myself smiling at so many points along the way, from the pre-race fireworks and Elvis impersonator music performance at the start, to the run-through wedding chapel, to being passed by another speedy running Elvis, to the snow-capped mountains to the west when running down Carey Street (rain the day before fell as snow on the distant peaks - contrary to some other comments that there were no views after the Strip!), to the nice downhill stretch between miles 21 and 24, and to the positive aid station and crowd support. I think this race will continue to improve each year and will eventually be one of the nation's top marathons. I've already placed it on my 2008 calendar! | |
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L. D. from Washington, DC
(12/4/2007)
"Lots of fun" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Kudos to the organizers. The marathon was fun from start (fireworks, Elvis songs, good energy) to finish (Taiko drummers, sword swallower!). In between, there was good entertainment, including the Blue Man Group, and although there were not a lot of volunteers, the ones that were there were great and helped get me to the end. I'm not sure how people missed the 1/2 marathon turn-off. It was marked and a policeman was shouting directions. Very, very clear if you were paying attention. My 2005 complaint was a lack of porta-potties on the course. This year there was at least 1 every mile. I'll definitely be back next year. | |
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B. B. from Dallas TX
(12/4/2007)
"Pleasantly surprised, given past comments..." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Given past comments, I was a bit unsure about doing this race. However, the thought of spending the first 4 miles going down the Strip was enough to convince me to try it. Let me say first that I will be back next year. I love how flat the half course is and I set a PR, which I'm thrilled about. Good: *I thought that registration and the expo were well organized. *There were plenty of water stations and port-a-potties on the course. *I liked that there were people handing out water and the wraps after the race so I didn't have to search for them. Decent post-race snacks too. *Liked the shirts. Not so good: *Ran out of safety pins at packet pickup. Not a huge deal, but it seems like this is a destination race.... People can't run home and get pins. However, the gift shop at Mandalay Bay had pins. Bet there was a big run on safety pins at the gift shop and drugstores on the Strip. *As stated, the half/full split wasn't marked at all. There was someone who I think was a police officer telling people for the half to turn left, but if you were in a zone or had either just passed or were too far to hear the announcement, you'd miss it. A sign would help. Arrows painted on the ground would help. Anything other than depending on a guy yelling every 15 seconds would help. I overheard one woman say in surprise, "Wait, this isn't the full?" about a mile past the turn. *I swear the mile 9 and mile 10 markers for the half weren't there. There was the PowerBar flag, which I hit at what was probably my 9 mile time, but I wasn't sure that was the actual marker so I kept going. Basically, starting at the 8-mile marker, it was 40 minutes before I hit another mile marker (mile 11). Not tragic but you how uptight some people get about their splits. *The first water stop was just past the porta-potties. There were long lines for the bathroom, so you really had to cut over to catch some water. Even another 50 feet down the road would have helped. *This didn't bother me, but when the half and the full met around mile 24, the full comes in on the right and the half on the left. Most of the halfies stayed on the left and made the full (and, at this point, the faster of the runners) pass on the right. Maybe it didn't bother them but I felt obligated to move as far to the right as I could. Not sure there's a fix for that, however. Overall, a good race and well done for the size. We were at the Excalibur and took the tram to and from Mandalay Bay. Very convenient. I loved the new chips! | |
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r. s. from Mountaintop,PA USA
(12/4/2007)
"I'll Still Keep Runnin' This!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Better organized than in 2005. Great view of Strip and the mountains on the back part, if you're enjoying the run. Yes, the start can be better, so let's see you all next year. Go Vegas! | |
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J. R. from Oklahoma
(12/4/2007)
"Good but not great" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I enjoyed the marathon and would gladly run it again, but it could be improved and become a great marathon. The fireworks at the start were great, as was the course entertainment (although not as much as advertised). The massages at the end were great and there was plenty of food. No traffic on the course was welcomed as well. Having the showgirl to pose with for finisher pictures was a great Las Vegas touch. Good expo. Crowds were not as sparse as I expected, but still not many people out in support. I heard many complain about the turnoff for the half-marathoners, but I didn't have a problem there. The clocks were not running for the first 2 miles, so checking the pace was difficult. The timing mats were not under the start banner, so I could not tell how long it took me to get to the start. The last 2 miles were difficult because of the large number of half marathoners that were walking the course at that point. It was very difficult to weave through them. |
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