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May 5, 2024

Las Vegas International Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Las Vegas International Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.7

Organization 3.6

Spectators 2.1

Number of comments: 154 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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c. r. from mountlake terrace, wa (2/1/2005) "Windy!!! Only rough thing about it!" (about: 2005) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Course is very flat and very speedy. Until you hit some headwinds in the last 5-6 miles. Otherwise, nice run!! Beautiful sunrise made it gentle to run in. The city setting was perfect as well!!! Volunteers were amazing!!!
M. G. from Scottsdale, AZ (1/31/2005) "America's Windiest Marathon?" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Las Vegas International Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Three years in a row and the wind is still howlin'! This could be one of the fastest marathons in the world--but you're still at the mercy of Mother Nature. A world record could easily be set if the winds calm down. Course is point to point with the slightest of an uphill grade the first 5-6 miles. Then there's a gentle and prolonged downhill stretch 'til about mile 20 or so--a few turns and another 3 miles or so downhill to the finish. This race is simple with all the basics covered. Transportation, expo, prompt start (with 'Elvis' singing the Nat'l Anthem), post-race staging, medal, chip-retrieval, and bag-drop all work well. Volunteers are friendly; there are sufficient water stops and porta-johns along the course. Didn't see promised pace groups or gels out there but it didn't seem to matter. LV Marathon is a nicely packaged run. Except for the relentless headwind, weather was perfect--sunny and cool. Would easily recommend this race--when this atypical bad luck with the wind ends, a PR is definitely within reach.
C. G. from California (1/31/2005) "Beautiful but windy day" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I think this was a great marathon despite the wind, which really only pushed hard from 13 to 23 miles. That same wind turned into a rejuvenating tail wind for the last 3 miles on a slight downhill. This is a great course with a mild uphill for the first 8 miles and an encouraging downhill grade for about the next 12 miles. Don't kid yourself; if you've ever been to Las Vegas, you know it gets windy. There weren't that many spectators but the ones there were fun and loud. There were plenty of volunteers and facilities. The finish line was well organized with a large amount of massage tables. Great job Las Vegas!
p. k. from singapore (1/30/2005) "Fantastic weather" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The weather was fantastic, the scenery was fantastic and so are the volunteers. Too bad that there are few spectators. The sports drinks also appear to be very diluted but on the whole, it was a fantastic experience. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone.
C. K. from Rock Springs, WY (10/17/2004) "Flat and forgettable" (about: 1997) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I went to LV and ran the marathon. It's a flat course. You can see the finish line from 16 miles away. It starts very early in the morning. The course is mostly a frontage road along the interstate. The night before I had my wedding vows renewed, went to a show, ate well, drank a lot, stayed up late... all of that was more fun than the marathon. I guess I'm not cut out to run a marathon in a city that has so many other distractions!
D. T. from San Diego, CA (8/24/2004) "Wind, Dust and Dirt, but Vegas Baby, Vegas!" (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my third marathon, and it will be my last trip to Vegas...umm...wait...last trip running a marathon in Vegas. Yeah, that's better. Seriously, the wind and dust started around mile 15 and lasted through mile 25. I ended the race feeling like a Sand Trooper from Star Wars. Don't expect a glorious start/finish with thousands of spectators in front of the Mirage Volcano or the Bellagio water show. In fact, spectators consist of passing tumbleweeds and the occasional blue-belly lizard. However, if the weather from mile 1 - 14 lasted through the entire course I'd have a different response. The organization and people were great, and you're in Vegas! Half the country is frozen-over and you?re sipping cocktails poolside at the Hard Rock shortly after the race. I'd suggest this race if you're going to party in Vegas and not worried about a good time.
d. a. from south bend, indiana (7/12/2004) "Good PR course" (about: 2003) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This course will give you a good shot at a PR. You start 26 miles outside of Vegas and on the other side of a small mountain range. The first 8.5 miles is a steady slow climb (fairly easy), you peak the mountains and then slowly descend for about 7.5 miles. The last 10 miles are flat and you can see Vegas in the distance. The weather last year was great for the first 16 miles and then the wind picked up and the last 10 miles were into a 30+ mph head wind (not enjoyable). With good weather this is a fast course.
W. C. from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (5/15/2004) "Another Marathon Success - Thanks to Al Boka" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great job Al Boka... Many thanks to you and the many wonderful volunteers who made this marathon a success. Vegas was my 7th marathon since May 2003 with never even running around the block before in my life! I have 10 marathons scheduled for 2004 so even at age 52 I am obviously a very enthusiastic beginner. I did the 5km Fun Run on the Saturday which was perfect for us northern out-of-towners to get adjusted to the climate. It was minus 30 degrees at home in Edmonton so to have the opportunity to be outside in shorts was great. I had my own spectator support as my family used the Vegas Marathon to have a family reunion... they were the 7 Canadians waving flags and banners at mile 15, 20 and at the finish line... they enthusiastically supported and encouraged all runners who went by them... I was proud of them!! Every marathon provides different challenges along the way and Vegas provided many... I survived every challenge that the course and the weather conditions threw at me. I ran my own race and I won my own race! Thanks again to you Al and your wonderful staff of volunteers. Hope to see you all again next year.
J. H. from Denver, CO (5/12/2004) "I thought Chicago was the Windy City!" (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Las Vegas International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Las Vegas was my first marathon. I love Las Vegas and thought it would either be Vegas or Arizona, but picked Vegas because of the city entertainment available after the race. I felt like the course was great for me. I didn't need a huge crowd and actually preferred the quiet desert. You have a slight incline up to about the 10-mile marker and then it's pretty much downhill from there. At about the 15 mile marker I could see the Vegas hotels in a distance and that was kind of cool. As far as organization, things went well. The buses were easy to find and left on time. After the race they were waiting to take you back. The buses leave really early in the morning and we thought of sleeping in and taking a cab to Jean where the race started. The website stated that you couldn't take a cab to the starting line due to no access, but be advised that you can. The buses drop you off next to a public gas station. Note to self: if I run Vegas again, sleep in and take a cab. The expo was smaller than I had expected but we picked up our packet with no problems. One problem with the expo seemed to be that the merchants were told that the expo would close a hour earlier than it actually did. No big deal but we showed up to get our numbers and shop, and all the merchants were grouchy and ready to go because they had been there all day and had expected to be leaving by then. Little to no spectators, mostly family members, but that didn't bother me. You never run in the city, the race ends near the airport. I go to Vegas on my own time when I'm not running a race. We always walk around and drink beers. One thing to consider is that it's hard not to walk around a bunch and see Las Vegas, but yet we were trying to stay off our feet before the big race. A lot of things to eat and do after the race. Last but not least, the wind - oh god the wind was terrible. At the 13 mile marker we had 30 MPH headwinds that lasted until the 23 mile marker where the course changes directions. The wind was almost unbearable. I would do it again, but would pray for no wind.
Pat Hickey from Albuquerque, NM (2/9/2004) "A marathon worth my time and money!!!!" (about: 2004) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this marathon. It was definitely well organized and after having run 26 all over the country, I have a basis for comparison. I've run Boston 8 times and it continues to be my favorite; and for anyone who aspires to do so, this is the course to qualify on. The wind we experienced has nothing to do with the course, or organization. Yes, I enjoy the hordes of folks who support us runners along the Boston course, but the stretches of solitude with the distant backdrop of the beautiful mountains can be just as inspirational during the race. Kudos to the organizers. I would run this race again, whether I needed to qualify for Boston or not. In fact, I might just do that next year.

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