The New LV Marathon is a great improvement over the old version, which I ran 8 times. The relentless headwind of prior years was replaced by a headwind out and a tailwind on the return. The start was very congested, but the Strip is wide enough so that runners spread out pretty quickly. Overall, I loved the course and the desert weather. There was a surprising contingent of spectators, which is generally irrelevant to me. My only complaint: Misplaced mile marker signs. Also, I plan on getting to bed before 2 AM on race morning next year....

Loved it. Sweet course, well organized and will do again. Also had lots of TV coverage on the Sunday night news.

This was my 22nd marathon. I hadn't trained enough, so I ran a slow race, but I feel great today - a day after. Overall, this was a good marathon; not spectacular, but good. The weather was fantastic: I love the cold, having usually trained in warm weather in California. The freezing headwind, however, was pretty challenging during the first half of the run. I had been warned in the past against running Las Vegas when the marathon was still out there in the desert. This 'new' marathon actually included many areas of the city, which was fine, but as one of the cops around mile 7 put it, the 'best parts' of town were still ahead - and he was being facetious. We went through pretty seedy areas, past empty lots and the projects. It was pretty clear, too, that the organizers had to work hard to find a course that would cause as little disruption to the city that's devoted to gambling and the resulting tourism. This attitude and the early start at 6 AM ensured that there would be minimal spectators along the city streets. Big-city marathons are attractive to me precisely because there usually are throngs of spectators who cheer on the runners. Not so in Vegas. Also, my pet peeve on behalf of the slower runners: Most of the acts were already gone or were packing when the back-of-the-pack runners limped by. Not nice. At least wait until the 5:30 crowd finishes.

This was my 4th marathon and definitely my favorite so far. The course itself was relatively flat and very scenic. The only bad thing about it was that it was very cold and windy that morning. Fan support was good considering that the marathon started at 6am and most people on the strip are going to sleep at that time. This marathon in my opinion was planned and put together very well, especially being the first time. I will definitely be doing this marathon again next year.

Having run a Devine-organized race before, I knew that this race would be well organized and fun. It did not dissapoint. The cold temp and wind were dissapointing, but hardly the fault of the race organizers. I ran it in 3:46. The course was interesting and fun, and I will look forward to running this every year.

There was a lot to like and a couple of areas to improve. Loved the Course...and I was surprised at the number of spectators after Fremont Street. Very supportive crowd. Names on the bib were a nice touch also.

To improve: organizers must have pacing placards in the main area. Nothing worse than having to fight through walkers in the first mile! Fortunately, the strip is a wide road and it opened up better and quicker than most.

Also...not nearly enough bathrooms on the course. So pacers and bathroom improvements will improve upon an already great event.

The New Las Vegas Marathon was a huge success! I have to admit that, after reading the comments posted on the 2004 race, I was a bit skeptical to sign up for the race. Overall, I can only say good things about the 2005 marathon.
The spectators in Vegas were out and they were cheering...I must have heard my name at least 20 times (that is motivating!) Thanks to all the volunteers, police officers, spectators, etc....especially to the girl who had traffic stopped around mile 18 (residential area). There was a woman in her car screaming at the volunteer to stop the runners so she could cross the street. We appreciate you!

The race was well organized and so much fun! It's not everyday that you have a chance to run with Elvis or watch several couples get married during the race. Only in Vegas...

The course was flat and fast! It was a PR for me. I look forward to another trip to Vegas next year.

I thought the organizers did a great job. I am a sub 4 hr runner and there were plenty of water and gatorade stations. Lots of other food (gel, banana power bars) as well. The new course is great. You get to see different parts of LV. There were plenty of split times along the course. The biggest thrill is to run along side 10 Elvises, one of them pushing a speaker on wheels with Elvis songs blasting. I wish they could have stayed with me the whole race. The course is fairly flat, and spectators were few. I really didn't expect many spectators at 6am in the morning. The entertainment centers were a nice boost. The race shirt was much better than the normal cotton T. The only improvement I can think of is the post race food. I had to ask a few times to find the person that were handing it out.

I just finished the New Las Vegas Marathon. It was a pretty good experience. I rated the course 4 stars because the first four miles is actually a 6 with running up the strip and down the Fremont Street Experience. After that the course is pretty boring. The mountains in the distance help. There are some long straight stretches that are exposed to the elements. The day I ran, it was pretty windy. If it were hot the sun would be brutal.

The organization left something to be desired. Although many things were good such as plentiful water and Gataorade as well as food, fluids, and pictures with a showgirl at the end, I thought they really dropped the ball on race day instructions and the mile markers. I just don't understand how race organizers can screw up the mile markers. There were at least four, maybe five mile markers misplaced starting around mile 17. That is the exact place where you really want to know where you stand.

Also, there weren't any instructions on where to park race day. I stumbled on the fact that there was a shuttle bus from a local Sport Park to the starting line. That was the way to go except there were probably thirty cars there? Obviously not too many people knew about it.

I thought the course map situation was screwed up too. The elevation didn't seem right. I downloaded at least three slightly different versions of the map and still wasn't sure if I was doing it correctly when I went out and drove it.

The expo was o.k. There were some big name speakers and that is cool. The medal was the best one I recieved so far. The race shirt was a tech shirt but pretty ugly. The start of the race was a little congested but there were fireworks and that was cool too.

All in all I would recommend this race. The overall experience was very good. I wanted to point out the shortcommings in case anyone from Devine Racing reads these bulletin boards. The problems should be easy to fix and there isn't any excuse for them. A world class event Las Vegas isn't. But it could be.

The course was fast and easy. However, that was the only thing exciting about the race. It cost almost $100 to enter plus all the fees to travel and in return...we didn't even get porta potties, as promised, on every mile. And when there were bathrooms provide there were ONLY 2 or 4 so you can imagine how disgusting they were. Also, there was no 'good' entertainment. This was touted as the event to run but didn't payoff.