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Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.3 
Organization 2.7 
Spectators 2.8
Number of comments: 736 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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P. B. from Halifax, Canada
(12/14/2011)
"Worst experience imaginable other than death" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I have run three half marathons in Vegas and was excited to complete my 2nd full marathon under the bright lights. I trained hard for 5 months and was completely ready. I felt that I knew what to expect from experience and study of the course. The marathon started smoothly enough and I was on an easy pace for my 4:15 time. I knew to expect the industrial area and it didn't bother me too much. What DID hit me was massive abdominal pains at about 16km. I have never experienced that on a run before. I run in much colder weather routinely(from Canada where I run hypothermic halves for fun). I had seen the firehoses, garbage pails and hand scooping of water a bit earlier. I didn't think of it at the time. Only after the race and finding out that many others shared my same problem did that sink in. I won't dwell too much on the second half because so many others have already done a good job on that. I will say that I saw an aid station on the OTHER side of the barricade. I couldn't use the porta pottties because they were all at least 10 persons deep so I just persevered to the inglorious end. My wife greeted me, helped me back inside only to the most dangerous crush of people I ever experienced. I was going into shock, feeling like I would pass out and/or soil myself and we couldn't move at all. I had cold sweats, was dizzy, had stomach as well as muscle cramps and I Still took almost and hour to get to the room in Mandalay Bay. There I had diarrhea and went into shock. Because my wife is a nurse she was able to guide me through. I know that the conditions were unsanitary. I controlled my diet and fluid intake properly until the race. Shame on you Competitor for being so careless with my trust, money, time, and most of all health. Someone could have died out there. You are negligent and should be held responsible for your actions. You have lost all my trust and I sincerely hope that Las Vegas never lets you put on another event. Oh, and don't worry about that t-shirt I didn't get! I will make it my mission to let as many people know as possible about your inability to run a safe marathon. Wearing your brand on my back won't be in my future. | |
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A. C. from Calgary, Canada
(12/14/2011)
"Worst Race Experience Ever" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I'll add my review to pile already here: this race was a nightmare for 2011. We ran the half-marathon in 2010 and it was a completely different experience. Last year the number registered fit what they could handle. More than doubling the field resulted in huge chaos and a horribly distressing experience for most of the runners out there. I'll repeat what others have said: Mandalay Bay was a zoo, impossible to get into your corral, get into the *right* corral (we could literally not move in the mass of people to make it to our corrals, and had to start later), it was a battleground trying to move past slower runners who seeded themselves incorrectly, or walkers who shouldn't have been there in the first place (absolutely NO corral control), half of the Boulevard was simply not wide enough to handle all of the runners (I ran most of the race by jumping over the divider or running behind water stations& who can spare the extra energy to be jumping over curbs constantly in a race?), the start and finish lines were war-zones and completely unsafe. Our group of 6 all came out with disappointing times and shaking nerves from anger and being in 'survival mode' for the past 2 hours.. but in the end I think we were all just glad to make it out of there alive. Seriously, the race was absolutely dangerous, and we will not be going back to based on how Competitor Group made a cash grab with doubling the runners admitted and keeping everything else the same. Horrifying experience. | |
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a. c. from oregon, il
(12/14/2011)
"15 reasons for a having a great experience" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 As a full-marthoner, I had a wonderful experience, but agree wholeheartedly with other posters about lack of organization by the Competitor Group and financial greed of said individuals. The reason the event worked so well for me is because of the following: 1. I stayed at the Hilton and had relatively easy access to the Expo. 2. From the Hilton, I was able to utilize the monorail system to have easy and fast access to the Mandalay Bay. 3. As far as the expo, I'm one of these guys that could care less about the stuff there. I quickly picked up my registration stuff and left. It also helped going on Friday. 4. Though the entry fee was somewhat exorbitant, I got some relief in with early bird special of $121. (Really curious what bottom line is for the Competitor Group. Or maybe we don't want to know) 5. Even though the first half of the race was disparaged by many people, I was just happy to be out there with fellow runners as the sun was setting over the mountains and we had a relatively uncrowded course to traverse. Psyschologically, I liked that part at beginning, as we had the Strip to look forward to in the latter stages. 6. Call me strange, but I got a kick out of merging with the half-marathoners. It was like entering a brand new race and I felt revitalized. 7. Though I may not have 100 percent respect for the stragglers doing the half, it helped my emotional state by realizing those folks paid an entry fee just like me and had just as much of a right to be out there as I did. It was not their fault that the Competitor Group are greedmongers and wanted as many entry fees as possible. With that mindset, I found it relatively easy to co-exist with the halfers. Sure, it was super-crowded, but not much different that what I've experienced at the Chicago marathon. 8. Though a bit chilly, I appreciated the lack of wind. I dressed in a long nylon long-sleeve shirt, a short sleeve shirt, short, golfing gloves and cotton headware (actually a ripped sleeve from the short sleeve shirt) and never got hot or cold. 9. Having traveled to Vegas numerous times over the years, I was familiar with the course and had an additional level of comfort running all parts of the course. 10. Apparently, with a 3:49 finish, I got through the route before the water and GU ran out. 11. That morning when I woke up, I felt physically, spiritually and mentally fantastic and that was a factor in my enjoyment. And, I had a good day leading up to the race just watching pro football in the Hilton sportsbook. 12. I saw my son cheering me on 3-4 different times on the course and that helped boost my spirits, especially on the first leg when there was better interaction between runners and fans. 13. With the 4:00 pm start time, I was well-rested, unlike the morning starts where previous night's sleep can be hard to come by. 14. Upon finishing, I didn't need a medal, a photo or snack (did see those green bananas, what a joke). I was satisified from carbo-loading earlier in day, consumption of liquids and GU during the race. Upon crossing the finish line, I grabbed a blanket and hightailed off the property ASAP. 14. My son and UI pre-arranged to meet at the MGM instead of the MB, which worked slick as a whistle. 15. A few minutes later, I was back in the comfort of the hot tub at the Hilton, relishing my time spent at the RocknRoll marathon. That being said, I feel very bad for runners that had a negative experience due to terrible job by meet organizers. | |
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B. S. from Phoenix, AZ
(12/14/2011)
"I almost missed the start... and I wish I had" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This should be a wake-up call to Competitor group and Zappos; the race was so poorly organized and planned to the point of negligence - putting tens of thousands of runners in danger. I ran the full and while the first 13.1 was a lackluster rat's maze of backstreets of Vegas, it was far superior to the MAYHEM of the strip. I won't rehash the sheer annoyance of the crowds or lack of water or even running on the sidewalk - among pedestrians - just to avoid the thousands of walkers in the 'marathon lane'... but the scene at the finish line? Inexcusable. Stuck standing in a crowd of 10,000+ people while waiting for a dozen photographers with people cramping, fainting and vomiting? Tiny little med tents and the only real shelter 1/2 mile away? I hope the millions you made by putting your primary source of income - the runners (remember us?) was enough, because you'll see a lot less of us at future events. Zappos? Really? I expected a lot more from you and your silence has been DEAFENING since this debacle. Personally, I thought more of Tony and the people of Zappos than tacitly tolerating this. | |
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T. V. from Dallas, TX
(12/14/2011)
"Awful. Truly Awful." (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I don't have much to add to the comments already made. The organization running this marathon appears to be motivated purely by greed. | |
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D. A. from Jacksonville, NC
(12/13/2011)
"I couldn't give this race less than one star." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Rock n Roll and Competitor are criminal. You can read the rest of the comments below. They are all about the money. I will never run one of their races again. | |
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D. M. from Houston, Texas
(12/13/2011)
"2011 Very Disorganized" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Running down the strip at night was fun...but there were so many negatives about the 2011 RnR Vegas that I don't think I'll ever go back at least not an RnR sponsored run. I am a 11.5 min mile runner and I run the half, by the time I got to water stops little was left. At an earlier water stop there were hygine issue that turned my stomach (bare hands dipping cups into lined garbage cans filled with water). Limited port-potties. Signage post race was very poor, no directions, no one to ask help. Corrals weren't monitored, people were starting with whatever group they wanted to, regardless of speed...so everyone had to weave around walkers the entire race. | |
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L. Y. from San Diego, CA
(12/13/2011)
"ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Well, congratulations Rock and Roll!!! You have managed to do it AGAIN. And that is to completely screw up another race. But this time, it wasn't just a screw up. This time it was a complete and total NIGHTMARE!!! DON'T EVER RUN THIS RACE and I don't care if they tell you it's better next year . Don't believe them& THEY'RE LYING! It's all about the money with Rock and Roll. Wasn't that obvious as we came to a dead stop at the half? Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching . You do the math. 43,000 X $160. I have run 14 marathons and after the Rock and Roll Inaugural disaster in San Antonio a few years ago, I said I would never run another Rock and Roll, but I fell victim and once again went to the dark side and paid the outrageous entry fee for a very dangerous race with no organization, contaminated water from trash cans between miles 18-24 (which, by the way, I was totally sick after the race and never even drank the Cytomax), and crappy schwag. I just can't get over the pandemonium from miles 13 - 26! Imagine running a great pace and turning the corner into what felt like Time Square on a Saturday night!!! It was almost comical as the RNR bike police were trying to keep the half marathoners to the right and the full marathoners to the left . Really? What a joke! No one was listening. And how did they expect to keep all the half marathoner to the right, when all the water stations were on the left hand side of the course. Yep, that's right! When approaching an aid station, 30,000 people headed for water and crossed our path. If you are reading these blogs, please listen to what everyone is saying and ban ROCK AND ROLL. Bottom line: Rock and Roll doesn't care about you...THE RUNNER. All they care about is money. It may sound really cool to run down the strip, and it should be, but if Rock and Roll has their hands on it, they WILL ruin it! I don't care if it's through the garden isles of Tahiti&if it has the Rock and Roll label, DON'T DO IT!!! | |
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S. C. from Chicago, Illinois
(12/13/2011)
"Cap Participation to Return a a Great Experience" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I share many of the most common negative comments and offer the following additional observations: Start Corrals should not only be policed/enforced but for the first 10 or so entry should be based on documented past performance, not the honor system. This would improve race quality in many ways. Many blocks downtown were run in total darkness. While portable lights were installed on many blocks, many more had no lights. This is downright dangerous. Other RnR events split the full/half runners at some point down the course but let them start together. What were the organizers thinking here? This was a course crowding disaster waiting to happen. I went into this race (half) with a lot of enthusiasm and great expectations. That all came to a screeching halt after crossing the finish line, quite the opposite experience I had hoped for. Fortunately I crossed the finish line before most of the post-race issues documented here surfaced. I only hope the organizers do in fact take all of this feedback seriously and offer considerable incentives for those of us who may, in fact, want to give this event another try. | |
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W. W. from Colorado
(12/13/2011)
"A Logistical Nightmare" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This was my first half marathon and I can say I was not impressed by the organizational skills of RnR Committee and here is why: 1. Water stations out of water. I got a cup from a volunteer that was EMPTY!!! 2. Funneling of runners into such a small safe zone. Or should I call it the 'UNSAFE ZONE'? It created an unsafe environment where people couldn't move anywhere. Runners started cramping up almost immediately. Organizers must fix that!!! 3. Walkers in the higher corrals!!!! Why?!?! They are walking! Put walkers in the last corrals. I spent over half the time dodging 3-4 person wide walkers. Not only is that unsatisfactory and uncool but, it is also creates a dangerous environment. 4. Blueberry Pomegranate GU! Do you really have to give us the nastiest leftovers? I will not be running this event again. |
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