The weather was great and the course was relatively flat. It was a fun and the crowd was very supportive. I could not find any food at the end of the course. This was the only bad part.

I loved the new course!!! Love the volunteers!!!! The wonderful spectacle!!! My only knock, other than the spectators... is... where is the finish line food? This is the only true negative about this race. And I feel it should be improved if people want to come back.

As a Las Vegas resident you would think I'd be sick of the Las Vegas Strip... seeing it, hearing about it, experiencing it... but even I was impressed! Fireworks at the start, the Bellagio water fountain was going off, the Mirage Volcano errupting, all else we needed were Cirque du'Soleil acrobats and Wayne Newton himself! Running through the Freemont Street experience was a course highlight as well. Beyond about mile 7 or so, though, the course is kind of boring, but I seldom look much beyond the person's butt in front of me anyway. :)

Yes, it was windy and cold, but hello... meet Mother Nature! At the start we could stay warm inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and there were plentiful full service BATHROOMS (not only port-a-potties) at the start/finish. It was the first time I never had to wait to go to the bathroom pre-race. Fantastic free massage at the finish. Great medal and CoolMax race shirt. Class act from a top-rate event company. Welcome to Las Vegas!

I paid a $90 entry fee and there was no food for me at the finish. That is not right. A bottle of water doesn't cut the mustard. It was freezing and windy. Please improve on that weather and have the race in November.

This is my 3rd marathon having run the first two in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Course - flat and temperature cool. A bit windy but didn't affect me as much as I expected (still ran a PR by 9 min). Course was boring (sorry, can't help but compare it to Vancouver) except for the part on the strip. Having said that I don't think they can make the course more interesting. Nice to have split time recorded every 5KM. Course was wide enough so there was no congestion even for a mid-pack guy like myself.

Support - volunteers were great. More than enough water stations. Spectators were few though (again I am comparing it with my previous experience).

Expo - easy to get to and decent number of products for purchasing. No problem finding my number and the T-shirt was nice (quick-dry type, not cotton).

Post-race - Timing chip was removed at the finish area and medal handed out. I don't care about food but there was something to drink.

Would I run LV again? Probably, just because 1/2 the fun is coming to LV.

Good course. I like straight runs. Nice start with fireworks but confusing and too crowded starting areas. Good spectators but too sparse (especially on strip at start). Too few porta-potties. At expo no hats left by noon on Saturday and posters were hidden.

This was my first Las Vegas Marathon and it was the debut of the new course. It was a success on behalf of the New Las Vegas Marathon planners. Running with people dressed like Elvis, the beautiful fireworks, running down the "Strip," a run through wedding chapel - only in Las Vegas! I can't wait to do it again next year! My only suggestion would be a few more port-a-johns at the rest stops along the course.

Was very disappointed with several aspects of the race: 1. Never received my in-training t-shirt; 2. Never received my registration card in the mail; 3. You have my race time as an hour slower than the time I finished in, which really upset me. I have the photographs to prove the actual time that I did finish.

Overall, running LV was a great, cold and windy experience. I liked the course (especially the first part along LV Boulevard and the Fremont), with more than enough of water stations staffed with enthusiastic volunteers. Entertainment was excellent in every respect. However, the content of the post-race food bags was below average.

Unfortunately, the registration did not work well in my case. I registered online, I got online confirmation and I signed up for the e-mail tracking of my progress. At the expo I found out that my name was not on the list of runners. I re-registered and got a new bib and a new timing chip. After the run I realized again that my name was not on the list of finishers and that the e-mail tracking did not work for me at all. After a number of days of exchanging e-mails with the organizers I found my name on the list of finishers with a new bib number that was different from the one I carried during the run.

#1. DON'T expect Vegas-style entertainment on this course, as promised on the LV Marathon website. However, it cracked me up because of the quality (or lack there of).
#2. DON'T expect race apparel. Other than the free shirt (which was very very nice) there was no merchandise to purchase. I hear there were a few things pre-race, but they ran out. Promised were mugs, key chains, shirts, jackets, etc. None of this was available.
#3. DON'T expect port-o-jons as promised. I am a female and had to use the fence.
#4. DO expect high quality volunteers. The packet pick-up was well organized and fast. No long lines. No confusion. No overzealous volunteers. Very friendly and efficient folks. Great support on the course. A+++ to the volunteers. They did a great, great job.
#5. DO expect much local support. The last 1/2 of the race primarily consists of enthusiastic residents (did anyone see the lady in her bathrobe?) that more than make up for the lack of scenery from miles 14-20. They were a lot of fun and very encouraging.
#6. DON'T expect anything at the finish. An apple and banana and a line to pose with a showgirl for a $20.00 photo. Then, off you go.
#7. DO expect an awesome medal at the end. Very cool.

Because I am a big fan of Vegas, I expected more from this. However, the race organizers put it together in 7 months. Keeping that in mind, it really went well. However, the organizers have some work to do in order for this marathon to meet the Vegas potential.