Red Rock Canyon Marathon, 1/2, and 5K - Race Reviews

The folks at Calico Racing know how to run a no-frills but wonderful race. The course starts at the southern end of a scenic loop drive and runs an out-and-back horseshoe. Just wonderful views. Don't worry about your time; this isn't a PR course. Just enjoy the setting. 2023's weather was great. About 30 degrees at the start, but it warms up quickly as the sun comes up and you gain altitude starting around mile 2.5. You are sharing the road with cars, but the course is very well-coned and the cars aren't traveling fast at all. Plus, it's only one-way for drivers, so you can see them the whole way. You share the road with half-marathoners who start at the other end of the horseshoe. Everybody is super encouraging as you pass. Nice medal and shirt, and they even had a photographer at the finish. Shuttle to/from the start/finish to the free parking lot was easy. Overall, fantastic race, highly recommend!

What an awesome marathon. I chose it because of the comments regarding the scenery. I was not disappointed. The Red Rock Canyon is breathtaking. I come from the Montana, so the desert mountains were gorgeous with all the color in the red rock. It is a VERY challenging course. The race director is top notch and the volunteers were wonderful. Thank you to all who made this marathon possible. My quads and calves are still sore (a week later) due to the all up and down hill running. I highly recommend this marathon.

The marathon it self was one of the most scenic you could ever ask for. The down side was the bus that picked us up had no heat, the driver was new and got us lost and almost in the ditch. Upon arriving to the cold desert the director should have provided a heated tent with some hot coffee/hot chocolate before the race. I'll pronably do it next year because the course was phenomenal, just a little tweaking at the start would make it the perfect race. I do recommend this race.

From the beginning: 1. The location of the parcel pickup in the center of the Sun Coast Casino was a mistake. It was hard to find, noisy and generally not suitable. 2. The so-called 'marathon goodie bag' could be renamed to 'emptie bag'. No more comments. The rest of the race was above average. Smooth transportation to and from the start/finish line, start, very well supplied and friendly aid stations, finish line and above all - unforgettable scenery of the Red Rock Canyon. The course was paved and tough: 8 miles mostly uphill to the overlook, 5 miles downhill to the Visitor Center, then turn around and run back: 5 miles of steep uphill, 8 miles mostly downhill with the worst final mile, not very steep but up, up and up... Thank you Nevada!

As many have stated, this course is tough but beautiful. It can be broken down into 4 sections: climb up the canyon, charge down the canyon, climb up the canyon-this time a steeper climb, hold on as you run (mostly) downhill to the finish. Perfectly organized race with few hassels. While there are not many folks running the full, every one that I interacted with were incredibly cool. The half runners were quite encouraging as we passed, which was a really fun part of the race. Great shirt, medal and bib. Lots of food options including chili and chocolate milk at the finish. 4 hours or so of really hard work followed by several days of Vegas, can't beat it!

This race was small and scenic! It was my first time. The course was very challenging but the views were worth every hill climb. The support on the course was well-spaced and stocked for such a small race!

I ran the 2014 half the morning after flying in from London and it was a great decision. The strip bus transfer ran like clockwork, the race organisation was flawless and the course, while one of the toughest I've run in terms of elevation (those hills!)was absolutely stunning. Don't expect a PR as some of the hills reduced almost everyone around me to walking but it's a great course and seeing the sun come up behind the mountains out in Red Rock was well worth the early start. Couldn't find a better place to celebrate afterwards either!

I entered this race optimistic, and for good reason: it's just you, the pavement, and the wilderness. No spectators, no city lights of Las Vegas (it's just outside the city to the south), and not many other distractions. The course is scenic, and the red rocks you pass by are wonderful to look at. It also remained very cool outside through the duration of the course. What made it difficult were the steep (not gradual) elevations, at one point climbing to 5800+ feet, where the air is thin and your miles become slow. Although you make up for it on the downhill, keep in mind you'll want to do some hill training before you enter this one. Otherwise, it was well-organized with plenty of water stops, nice medal (although I think they should distinguish between the half and full, which they don't)and plenty of room to run in without the crowds. A fun race - just be prepared for its challenges! It's my toughest to date!

This was my 39th marathon and by far the most scenic. With the out and back climbs you have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the incredible views. This is not a PR course nor is it spectator friendly. As a 50 Stater, I am recommending this as an alternative to the crowded, over produced city runs. My only complaint is with the tasteless Heed. Even watered down Gatorade or PowerAde is better.

First Red Rock Marathon, second race run by Calico Sports (did the E.T. half in 2012). Joyce organizes great races and makes everything run smoothly with the help of an excellent volunteer cadre. The Red Rocks course has a healthy elevation change on the out and back, but is scenic throughout the entire course. Volunteers at the aid stations were great! Spectators were minimal because the race is on a road traveling through BLM lands, but I personally enjoyed that aspect of the race. The course was open to vehicle traffic, though coned off and safe. Weather was chilly, with a strong headwind on the return uphill (there were snowflakes involved!), but the final miles to the finish line were blue skies and sunshine. Good finishing snacks! Small field of racers. Calico runs quality events!

Walk up hills and enjoy the beautiful view! This marathon is a challenge but, I so enjoyed the scenery. This marathon was well organized and provided great rest stops that included water, heed and food. My advice- bring warm clothes and shed prior to the start.

Enough of the downhill events that make me look fast. This is a test. Endurance needed with scenery all around. Great organization (as all the Calico races have). A must do fitness and mental challenge.

Not many paved marathons can claim 3000' of vertical elevation change, but this one can. The Red Rocks scenic drive is striking, but don't come expecting to run your best time (unless it's your first). Packet pickup at a local casino was convenient, though smoky. Race day coach buses to the start were right on time. The small starting field (120 or so) meant you could find your pace quickly. Then comes the hills, lots of them...flatlanders beware. Aid stations were plentiful (every 1-2 miles) and well stocked with friendly volunteers. The HEED sports drink tastes like chalk, but it gets the job done. Spectators were sparse, but supportive. Trying to fight the oncoming half marathoners was challenging at times. Post race food was plentiful, though the medal (for those that care about that sort of thing) was just OK. Post race buses back to the hotel/Strip were very well organized. Registration fees are a tad on the high side. Overall, though, a quality marathon with well-thought out logistics that comes recommended by this runner.

What a gorgeous course! The canyon is visually interesting the entire route. The desert colors and rock formations are really cool, but you will have to dig out some long up hills. Don't run this one for the time; you can't. The volunteers are wonderful, and the water and aid stations are there where you need them. The humidity is 5%. I sooo recommend this race. You will never forget the beauty of the canyon, and you would never have otherwise come here I would think.

This is one of the most beautiful and scenic marathon I ever ran. But this is a very tough course, a lot of uphills. I was like 25 min slower than my slowest marathon. But for the scenery it is worth it.

A very well organized race: aid stations were well manned and every 2-3 miles, traffic cones were set-up every 100m or so to block-off the running route from traffic so no car issues at all, and getting to the race and back to our hotel in Vegas was easy with the scheduled buses. This race is organized and run by runners for runners. The scenery on the marathon route is spectacular; you get to tour the Red Rock Canyon by running. With about 3,200ft in elevation gain, don't expect to get a PR on this course; but the scenery more than makes-up for any pain in the legs. I would definitely recommend this marathon.

I signed up for this race the night prior to the race, on a whim, while travelling with friends in Vegas for the first time. While I didn't really enjoy the Vegas scene, this race was the best impulsive decision I have made to date. The course was hard, no doubt, but rewarding and beautiful, calming and meditative at the same time.

it was breath taking at the start around sun up running in desert at dawn!! could think of nothing better. great amount of aid stations with very nice people. Race orginiser seemed to say hi to everyone and wish luck... I'm not local but I very much want to go again.

I did the marathon, and the course was tough, but the beauty of the canyon was amazing; it helped to forget the long uphills. They had the best volunteers at the water stations, and they were sufficiently supplied. There were no spectators because the course is on a scenic drive. Most participants do the half marathon. I'd recommend this race to avoid the big crowds. Don't expect a PR for your marathon; just enjoy the solitude.

This was a small marathon. I have to admit, the beauty of the red rocks was breathtaking. I actually enjoyed this smaller marathon even though I prefer bigger city marathons. Pluses: - Amazingly well-stocked aid stations every 1 to 1 and 1/2 miles. They even had an aide station 0.5 miles from the finish! - Scenic and breathtaking views of red rocks - Good and plenty of post-race food - Bathrooms were enough I felt even though there were only about 1 bathroom every 1-2 miles or so, with more at the halfway point, but I never had to wait Negatives: - Registration was at the Red Rocks casino. I would rather have a packet pick-up at McDonald's or Walmart than a smoky casino, but I guess this is Vegas . . . - The half marathoners start from the opposite end and actually run towards you once you hit the 10-11 mile mark, but I actually kind of enjoyed this as they were cheering you on for about 2 miles (I would consider this a positive, but others might disagree). You could pass but you kind of had to pick your spots - Wait for the buses at the end of the race. I know this might be tough to gauge or control, but if you were in a hurry after the race to be somewhere like for a flight or something, you might try to have someone available to pick you up at the finish line. Like I said overall I really liked this marathon and would recommend it just for the spectacular views. Support was great along the trail as well. Recommendations: - Hold the packet pick-up somewhere else. It was helpful to know where the buses were going to pick you up, but you really can't miss the casino. There have to be more interesting places/easier places to hold the packet pick-up like a running store or something - Allow for race day packet pick-up. Some of us travel a long ways for these races and to demand that we pick up our packets the day before for a SATURDAY race is kind of absurd. Some of us can't take Fridays off whenever we feel like it. I would recommend it for anyone doing a Nevada marathon. It isn't USATF certified, but you won't PR here or Boston qualify. Too many really steep hills.

If you are looking for a well organized event and a very challenging experience, look no further. This marathon will definitely test your endurance. As an athlete herself, the race director does a great job taking care of all the details and this event takes place on the most notable natural treasure among the Las Vegas community, Red Rock Canyon. Plenty of fluid stations, nice finisher's medal, and tech tee. There is really nothing to complain about with this event, but my only suggestion for change is: Offer two separate medals, one for the full and one for the half finishers. I know this becomes a cost issue for many race directors, but an easy way to overcome additional costs is by using the ribbon to identify the date of the event rather than imprinting the date on the medal itself. So the medal would be generic to the full or half and the ribbon would provide the date of the event. This would allow two separate medals.

I was not looking for a PR; I had been on the DL for a month, so I was going to walk it. Once I got out there I was welcomed by the climbs and awesome downhills. I finished a half-hour sooner than anyone expected to see me! My mom and husband really enjoyed the scenic bus ride. I will be signing up for the 2011 race.

I ran the half-marathon, and it was great! The stars were the course, the weather, and the hot breakfast at the finish line. It should be apparent that this is a hilly course and there are essentially no spectators. But if that suits you then everything else is perfect.

Beautiful, red-rock canyons! Only about 300 meters of flat running, though - the rest is either up or down!

Every step is beautiful... and every step is difficult. Organization and volunteer support are superb. HammerNutrition provided great products. A glorious, difficult run with friendly, supportive organizers and runners. And the t-shirt was beautifully, thoughtfully designed. My only suggestion would be to host the Friday packet pickup in a larger room, somewhere more accessible. And add more potties at the start and along with way.

Okay, even a quick look at the course profile will tell you not to look for a PR at Red Rock. But the course is awesome, the organization was first rate and the small field of runners was a fun departure from the events I usually run. If you show up to Red Rock not ready to run hills, you are in for a very long day - and the downhills can beat you up as well. I had a great time and Red Rock will be on my list for 2011.

One of the most beautiful courses that I have ever run on. Breath-taking. It was also a treat to see Anheuser-Busch's running team - I think they set the course record in both the marathon and the half. It was fun watching these guys battle; on the out-and-back, you can see them as they return. I was on the bus that carried these guys back.

This marathon was simply breathtaking in both senses of the word! A: The red mountains looked like they were painted onto the blue sky. It was just surreal. Also, the orange cones helped us feel secure on the one-way road shared with all the cyclists, rock climbers, and tourists. Those attending the aid stops were attentive. I also liked getting "high fives" from the 1/2-ers coming the other way, because I sure needed that support then! B: Hill training would be helpful. Altitude adjusting would've been a good idea for me, especially since I was coming off several weeks of a respiratory illness and I had little training during that time. I wanted to quit after Mile 2 because I was gulping in all that cold north wind and I got a big headache. I planned on giving up about 10 more times after that! What kept me going was the aforementioned 1/2-ers, the grandpa volunteer at the turn-around, my husband who'd parked just ahead and come down to walk/jog with me, and the volunteer at the top of the hill who told me "just finishing this is amazing." In other words, all the usual characters that make marathoning worth every step!

Hilly route (almost 5% inclination). Up for 5.5 miles, then rolling down for 7.5. Almost 1,000 feet to climb. Great organization. Only 500 runners. I'm considering being there again in 2010.

I really enjoyed this race. It was scenic on a nice (windy) day. We stayed at the Red Rock Casino and had an easy shuttle ride to the start. It was COLD at the start of the marathon since it was still dark when we arrived. My wife came with me because the organizers made it a point that we not bring our car. We should have brought our car. My wife was bused over the the halfway point with all of the 1/2 marathoners for their start; and then while she was waiting for the marathoners to arrive, the organizers were leaving to go back to finish line. When my wife asked if there would be transportation back to the finish line, they said no and gave her the option of coming with them and her not seeing me at the halfway point or staying and walking the 2 miles to the finish line after greeting me. She decided to stay and then walked along the road to the finish line. I was happy to see her, but sad when I found out that they left her. So, spectators beware. Runners: you will enjoy the race and I liked how it turned around from the previous year.

If you are looking for something different to do in Vegas, this race is for you! Red Rock is a scenic gem. The small marathon and half is a fun event that should be on your list! The organization was incredible: a 7-page, detailed e-mail prior to the race; prompt buses to and from the start; water, gels and sports drink every mile and a half; finisher's medal, tech shirt and food at the end! This is definitely the way to indulge in a buffet after and not feel guilty! My parents were able to ride the free spectator bus and bang on the windows when they saw me! Warning: do not do this for a PR; do it for a beautiful challenge!

This race is brutal and beautiful. The arctic winds just added to the challenge. I really enjoyed the low-key camaraderie at the race start. I felt like I was doing a normal Saturday long run; it just happened to be with 150 strangers. I highly recommend this race. Although, I think my finish time might have been faster if the race had been run the opposite way as in 2008. But hey, you don't run this race for its fast finish time; you run it for the challenge!

If you are looking to PR, then this is not your course. However, if you are looking for a challenging course to test your mental toughness, this is it. The scenery is breathtaking. This was my first trip to Red Rock Canyon, and let me tell you how beautiful it was! The race organization was top-notch. The volunteers were very supportive.

"Majestic" is an understatement! The 26.2 miles of hills at altitude are tough for a flat-lander who lives at sea level, but the view made up for it. Joyce and her crew put on a first-class event and the cheering sections might be small (mostly Joyce and her crew), but they are enthusiastic. Can't wait to do it again!

Another excellent event. Joyce, your volunteers are great, especially the older gentleman who directed us around the visitors center. With the wind, many aid volunteers kept busy running down trash that blew off. You may have overdone the food at the end, but thanks. I hope next year you can reverse the course to what it was in '08. Going up "The Hill" at mile 15 is brutal. Also, the half-marathoners are a great cheering group. I got many high-fives from them.

Living in Delaware where there are no hills, I was a bit overwhelmed at the 4,800-foot elevation. All I will say is that it's all downhill after the first 8 miles.

This was my first marathon in many years and because of the spectacular job done by Joyce (the RD) and her volunteers, I found I couldn't stop running. I have since run 3 more marathons, qualified for Boston and will be toeing the line at a 50-miler in 1 week. For runners who love to run, who strive for a challenge and an experience, who love to run where it is beautiful and who don't need the social aspect of it... this is a great event (and any events put on by Calico Racing are likely to be great too). In fact, I'm from Washington State, but enjoyed this race so much, I managed to make it back down to Nevada for the Run with the Devil put on by the same folks. Get your hill work in and get out there!