I have run several half-marathons, and this was very disorganized and disappointing by comparison. First, what was with the crappy puke tan COTTON t-shirt with the 1970's Las Vegas logo on it? For the $100 I spent, I would think, at the very least, it should have been a tech shirt in a decent color. The start line was chaos. Everyone was trying to cram in at the start line. People were filtering out of the back of the Mandalay Bay into the start area, and it was a huge bottleneck, with only about an 8-foot wide opening to cram 10,000 people through. People were just climbing over the fences. It was nuts.

BIG complaint: there was no runners' etiquette whatsoever. For a race of this size, there need to be start corrals, because leaving people to work off of the honor system clearly doesn't work. I am not a fast runner, but I'm not a turtle and I do run. I spent the first 2-3 miles weaving in and out of walkers, groups of walkers, very slow runners, etc. I am all for people getting out there and participating at any fitness level, but have some respect for others around you. If you know you will be walking the course or if you can't make it running even the full first mile, then start at the back of the line. I cannot emphasize this enough. It is rude and disrespectful. I finally was able to get into a pace around mile 4-5. I absolutely loved the first half of the course down the Strip, but the last half was kind of boring running along the back side of the casinos. There was a smell of sewage for a couple of miles... YUK!

From fireworks, to sunrise, to Elvis, to live country, rock, gospel music and shows on trail... this was the best course of the 15 marathons that I've run.

This was my first marathon and I really enjoyed it! I have done three more since and I really don't have anything negative to say other than that it is a little boring for the middle part, but the beginning and end of the race really make up for it. I mean, hello! You're in Vegas, baby!

Course: How often do you get to run down the Strip? I think running down the Strip (~6 miles) was great. The rest was weak. It was flat and fast, though.

Organization: Weak. I would have liked to get a technical shirt for the money. The top 20 runners were promised tickets to the Bodies exhibit, but we never heard back from them on that. Weaving in and out of half-marathoners over the last 4 miles sucked.

Spectators: Besides the 3 drunks who had just stumbled out of the Imperial Palace, there were few spectators.

Very poor race organization in 2008. The expo was bad, the starting line was a mess, it had a very boring course, the shirt and medal were a joke, and the finish line was a real letdown. It was easy to tell that this was the last year for the organizers. This race could be a lot of fun for a destination race - if they do it right.

I had read all kinds of posts about the Las Vegas Marathon... good and bad. I do not think that Devine did a good job with the 2008 event. I think they knew they were done and were just trying to get through it.

I wasn't impressed with the start after reading that the Blue Man Group had performed in the past and there was entertainment throughout. I was disappointed there.

There were people along the way with words of encouragement. Even if it was just one person, it helped. It didn't have to be a ton of people. One person saying, "Good job, KAT! You're almost there... you can do it," was awesome.

The 2008 Las Vegas was my first marathon and I had high expectations. (I was supposed to run in 2007 and couldn't, well, because I was giving birth.) I am running Vegas again in 2009 because I want to see what Rock 'N Roll does with it and I want to have fun. I was so nervous with my 1st that I couldn't sleep the night before. I would like to run after a good nights sleep to see how I do.

It's great to see that Zappo's back and I am looking forward to this year and finishing my second marathon!

It is what you make of it... have fun, run hard and wait for me at the finish line!

KAT

I truly enjoyed the first half of the race; the second half was the most boring, and there was no support at all. The most I liked and enjoyed about the race was running with a whole bunch of Elvises. I hate the cotton t-shirts and the cheaper medal; they should have done better than that. I may run the race again since the ELITE have taken over the race, but the prices have gone way too high.

Loved the strip and the fireworks, although I couldn't find the corrals. I thought the run through the wedding chapel was cool. Everything else needs work. The expo looked like an afterthought. I came from South Carolina, and this was definitely a one and done for me.

I have been running this marathon since the inaugural and it gets better and more fun every year.

Yes there is room for improvement, but as it was my first marathon, I enjoyed every minute - all 654 of them.

I am sure that for the more dedicated runner it wasn't great, but for me, it was great. The fireworks were fantastic, and the support of the helpers at each mile was brilliant.

OK, the end was a bit tame, but I think most people had left by the time I finished (under 6 hours). I hope that they keep the same route, although a finish on the Strip would be nice, even if for only a couple of hundred yards. I would love to do it again, but the body says, "NO." Big thanks to all of the guys in the queue at Starbucks in The Luxor at 4:30 in the morning. It made the morning more bearable.

WELL DONE, LAS VEGAS!