The course had great scenery with views of the lake, the railroad tunnels, and the turnaround at the dam. The participants came with an attitude of cooperation and friendliness. I went away feeling I had a bunch of new running friends. The 4 miles uphill at the start was not nearly as tough as I expected and of course it meant 4 miles of downhill near the end. (Not at the end - we all groaned about the last little piece that was needed to make 13.1/26.2 but put some uphill in the last mile.)The event was well organized. It is not a PR course but most memorable. The post race food had some protein and hot foods which were appreciated. It was 45 to 50 degrees and overcast for much of the race. I ran the half marathon, which is one loop of two on the same course.

Loved this marathon. When the NYC marathon was canceled, I wanted to run one more to finish up my year. This one happened to be ON my birthday, so I thought what the heck! Scenery was beautiful, not many spectators but that didn't matter, race was well coordinated and the volunteers were the BEST! I will definitely run this marathon again.

This course is free of vehicles, full of scenery, and a great - doable challenge. The organizers do a wonderful job, and know how to put on a marathon. Half of the run is on an old railroad used to transport supplies for the building of the Hoover Dam. The track has long been taken up leaving a dirt, gravel, occasional rocky path through 5 tunnels! Please watch for the rocks. I tripped twice scrapping my left knee and hands enough to need medical attention. I still finished the race, but with a bloody mess on my legs and hands. But, it was worth it!

There are 14 miles of rock and dirt trails in this double out and back course. The trails have scattered .5 to 1 inch rocks that caused me difficulty but the rocks that caused me the most difficulty were the larger rocks that were mostly buried but parts were exposed above the trail. I did not realize I skimmed the ground when I run until I noticed that other people around me were not having the same difficulties that I was experiencing. Overall, I would say I tripped maybe 6 to 10 times with 2 or 3 that were almost falls and one fall to the ground with skinned knee and hands. Anyway, I would recommend that you wear gloves and something covering the knees and arms.
Also, the course was hillier than I expected, even though the website had an elevation profile that showed the hills and the website mentioned that it was a tough course. It was.
On the positive side, it was a beautiful course running on the trails above Lake Mead and near the Hoover Dam. If I were the race director, I might have picked the same course even with the trip hazards.

I can't say enough good things about the race!

The course: absolutely stunning and definitely worth the double-loop that you do in the marathon

The volunteers: so kind and helpful

The field of runners: small but very supportive - I made more 'marathon friends' in this field of approximately 200 marathoners than I have in races with 1000s of finishers

The spectators: there weren't many, but with a course this gorgeous, I didn't miss them at all

The course is hilly and challenging, but the gorgeous topography and on-course camaraderie make the steep climbs more than worth it.

Of all the marathons I've done, this one is my favorite. I just happened to stumble across it on marathonguide, and I'm so glad I did. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

The course is one of the best I have experienced, the scenery is beautiful! It is so much more enjoyable than the typical, 'normal' marathon courses. The communication from the race director was excellent (she sent several email updates), race day directions were clear, good support at the aid stations, even the PA was loud enough at the start line. I also liked how runners were recognized for completing the race series, as well as recognition for those celebrating a birthday. I would recommend that you stay in Boulder City instead of the Hacienda (host motel). I will do this one again.

This is a well-organized marathon, not a huge amount of participants, just right.
Course is not easy, you are not going to get a PR out of this. But the course is so beautiful, run next to Lake Mead, pass thru the tunnels and reaching to Hoover Dam and the sky bridge at the end of the 6 miles. For some reason I didn't mind the 2-loop route at all. The aide stations were well stocked and volunteers were so nice, kind and helpful.

I didn't mind the up-hill much since the last 4 miles were all downhill, so u can at least go faster at the end.

I can't think of anything they can improve. It was good as the way it was.

Loved this course! Beautiful area at Lake Mead with mountains in backdrop. Race organization SUPERB (which goes for all calico racing events). Many hills but they are long and gradual. Loved the fact that you do the out-and-back twice, you pass lots of runners coming back. Modest size race but shirt and medal are awesome.

Two 'constructive criticisms'...runners should be told in advance that the tunnels are DARK and the packed dirt trails are pretty rocky. Just be careful. Also I was quite disappointed that there was not a good selection or quantity of post-race grub, and most of it is junk food, whereas I would prefer fruit, potatoes, bread, etc for glycogen replacement. (They served chili, cheese, deli meats, candy, pastries, and unripe bananas)

Pretty good places for spectators, although a parking pass to come to the parking garage free would be an awesome addition for the swag bag (the swag bag had no coupons, just one sample)

The tag out and back at the very end is necessary but unfortunate timing...who wants to get so close to the finish line but then have to go do 1.5 more miles?

All in all, a GREAT time and would look forward to running it again!!

Great organization and support; plenty of aid stations and portapotties. Chili and lots of food at the end, even for slow runners. Nice medal. Tough course. Start with a very long hill (and not the only long hill); of course, that also meant long downhills! Very steep switchback. Two out and backs, so the same 6.5 mile trail four times, but very scenic. A 1 for spectators because there weren't any, but all the volunteers were great. Recommend if you like small, friendly, scenic races.

Well run by the drill sargent, Joyce!!! Simple packet pickup process. Plenty of nourishment during the race and GREAT FOOD AFTER the race. Love the cupcakes and chilli!