I ran my first half marathon back in July, and it was hard but fun. I signed up for the Rock N' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon after a friend mentioned it. I thought it'd be good motivation to stay in shape through the fall, and I'd never been to Las Vegas. I just ran the race this past Sunday, and here's what I thought:
Price: They are offering discounted entry for the 2015 race right now, but when I paid it was $125, which seems a little steep for a half marathon.
Location: You can't beat running up and down the Las Vegas strip at night. The lights were gorgeous, and a great distraction. It was easy to get to all the events from our hotel (the Monte Carlo), and the expo was right on a public transportation line.
Organization: The race was very well organized, corrals were clearly marked, water and Gatorade were available about every two miles, and announcements and signage were generally good. The mile markers were a little hard to see, but that isn't the biggest deal when almost everyone is carrying GPS. This race was FANTASTIC in terms of actually having anough Porta Potties for the crowd- I was really impressed with how many were available at the start, and along the course.
Entertainment: When I first signed up, Snoop Dogg was the headliner for the before-race concert. I probably would have gone, but it wasn't a draw for me. However, the headliner changed, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed before the race, and it was such a good show! They got everyone's energy up, played some fantastic music and helped set the tone for a fun night.
The race is billed as having live music on the course, and there was more live music that the other half I did (the bands were really good too- great tempos to help keep your pace up). However, they were placed fairly unevenly- much more likely to be around the neon on the strip, and less in the in more residential neighborhoods toward the middle of the course. It would have been nice to have more music there, when things got darker and less distracting.
Weather: The entire US is dealing with a cold snap, and Las Vegas was no exception. The highs the whole time we were there hovered around 70, EXCEPT on race day. I'd bet it never got over 55, and it was chilly. We definitely didn't pack warm enough running gear, and were really glad we bought gloves at the expo (and the ones we bought were great on the run). If you're considering this race, don't assume it'll be warm like I did.
Size: Someone told me that the half marathon brought in 20,000 runners, and the full marathon added another 5,000. I don't know if that's accurate, but we were in corral 36 of 42, and didn't get started until almost an hour after the offical start. Things were very well timed, so it wasn't too crowded, but the racers never spread out to the point where you had a ton of space.
End Zone: The end zone was long and everything was nicely spaced out so that runners didn't bunch up. There wasn't quite the variety of snacks that I've seen at other races, but everything they did give out was a nice size (e.g., full sized Gatorade, multiple Powerbars, etc.). Bag check was easy to access, and there were lots of medical tents for anyone who needed them. Plus it let off right outside the Bellagio and Paris hotels, both of which had public transit to help get you away from the crowds.
Overall: I am really happy with my choice to run this race- I feel like it was a good value, fun event, and I was well supported during the race itself. It is definitely a full weekend event- the expo took up a lot of time, and the race/pre-race concert took up basically the whole afternoon and evening on Sunday. If you're looking to explore Las Vegas, I'd recommend giving yourself a day or two on one end.
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