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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 191 to 201]
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S. R. from Green Bay
(12/6/2011)
"Why are walkers up front????" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 My sister and I were placed in coral 21-22. We were expecting to finish in 2hours and 15 minutes for the half marathon. We were challenged with numerous obsticles throughout the course. The obsticles being WALKERS. This is extremely disappointing to train and then having to dodge them left and right. Why were corals not followed? Would not recommend this race to a runner? | |
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S. L. from San Diego, CA
(12/6/2011)
"Never doing this again" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I have run 15 marathons in many different states. I have run the Rock and Roll branded marathons in San Diego and Las Vegas before as well. This race was the worst marathon I have run in many respects. The course was the worst. The organizers didn't make enough T-shirts and they ran out and I did not get one. I will never run another Rock and Roll marathon again, and I will definitely never run Las Vegas again. The 1st half is run through the industrial and residential parts just west of the I-15 and they basically squiggly navigated the streets back and forth in as short a span as possible to knock off 13.1 miles in as small a space as possible so they didn't have to pay for street closures. At one point, you are running in 1 lane of a 4 lane street with cars going right next to you and you are sucking on exhaust fumes. When that nightmare is done, you enter The Strip. I was super happy at that point because that was what I was hoping to experience, the excitement of running down the strip at night! WHAT A LET DOWN!!! First of all, these greedy bastards signed on too many 1/2 marathon runners and the streets were so overwhelmingly packed that I could not run around these people. I was running a 3:55 pace which isn't super fast but not that slow either. I started at 4:10 pm and the half marathoners got started at 5:30 pm. So by the time that I got to the merge at ~6:08 pm, I was merging with people who started around 6 pm, which were probably ~2:30 pace half marathoners. I did my best to run around these people who were clogging up the narrow side of the street that were supposed to be reserved for marathon runners. It's not all the half marathon runner's faults either because they were squeezed as well and I'm sure they were also slowed down by the crowds. The only way that you could have had a good race was if you were a marathoner who could run it in under 3 hours pace because you could start before the half marathoner's got started, or if you ran the half marathon and started in the first 2 or 3 groups. Due to the overbooking of the race, the streets and the water stations were just over run. I'm sure that many people at the end of the 1/2 marathon did not have water for the 2nd half of the course. To add insult to injury, the finish line food included bananas that were too green to eat. They were rock hard. The finish area was so packed that it was like herding cattle and it was freezing cold to boot. And I was mistakenly thinking that there would be some sort of crowds supporting this thing but it was really really weak. Compared to the DC Marathon which was really fun and well supported, this one sucked major balls. I hated this marathon so much that I would beat it with a bat if I could. | |
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R. M. from Idaho
(12/6/2011)
"Poorly Organized Marathon" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This was my first Rock-n-Roll Marathon and my last. I have mostly avoided them and now I know why. I don't know where to begin with this run being so poorly organized and the course so lackluster; even running down the Vegas Strip at night! 1) From Corral number one the headline band could not be seen or heard, except as transmitted through speakers and a video monitor! (Cheap Trick! And the band just happened to be Cheap Trick). 2) The first half of this marathon wanders in and out of a horrible looking warehouse district with more twists and turns than should be allowed on any marathon course. 3) Merging 8,000 marathoners into a crowd of 38,000 half marathoners at 13 miles has got to be the largest marathon blunder I have ever experienced. As a marathoner there was no place to go and it was so difficult to pass half marathoners (many of them moving slowly with headphones in their ears. Seriously, you are at a Rock n Roll marathon!). It was almost impossible to get into any of the aid stations that where swarming with half marathoners. 4) Can you serve something more than water and Cytomax and GU at one station. Seriously, I paid good money to have some aid and it was embarrassing how little you provided to the runner. When I did find GU it was a fight to get any because so many people were trying to get something to eat while running. 5) Finish area: BOTTLENECK. And, Green bananas (seriously). It was horrible as a marathoner to be stuck in a crowd of people and the line not moving after going 26.2 miles. This made New York look easy! If you've done New York you know what I mean when you hit Central Park. 6) Marathoners and half marathoners received the same shirt and the same medal (change in color on the medal only, actually the half color was better than the full). I'll bet the marathoners paid more! Race organizers please decide whether you want to put on a half marathon or a full marathon. I signed up for this event early with no knowledge you were planning to expand to 38,000 half marathoners. I had hoped to enjoy a night run in Vegas and enjoy the lights and the Strip, but instead felt like I was going to be crushed by a mob of runners and never did get time to enjoy the sights. I was under constant vigilance of worrying about who I was going to run into or trip over. I am so disappointed in the organization of this event. I am a seasoned marathoner with more than 40 long distance events completed. The Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon was hands down the worst planned event I have competed in and I would never recommend this event. The only positives for this run: the great runners that I met in Corral 1 and along the course. And the section of a couple miles running along the strip (Tropicana to Sahara). For those who are serious about the marathon distance save your money and time and attend a marathon event that supports and appreciates what you are doing. | |
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t. t. from Washington State
(12/6/2011)
"Too many people, too little support!" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 GREED. The Sands, Mandalay Bay, bag check station and most importantly, the course and Competitor, could not handle 50,000 people. My friends and I went into this race for fun - the focus of our trip to Vegas was celebrating our friends' wedding anniversary (complete with an Elvis chapel and libations). Even though many of us are runners, we never went into this particular half marathon with any grand illusions of taking it super seriously or having a PR. So, we all enjoyed our experience for what it was. That being said, I've completed both a full and half marathon at R&R Seattle and loved every minute of them from an athletic standpoint. I was so impressed with R&R and Competitor based on my experience at those runs, well organized, good course support, easy maneuverability. Going into Vegas, I had high expectations and talked up the R&R series to my first-time half marathon friends. With R&R Seattle as my reference point, I was sorely disappointed in R&R Vegas. For those of you who went into this run with big goals for your finish time, ran the full marathon or were one of the people who got sick, I would be angry too. For $150 and months of training, we deserved better. Good: - The nighttime race: what better way to experience the City of Lights? - The course - I enjoyed running the strip and seeing some of the other areas - downtown, Fremont - that I never would have without this race Bad: - Band at every mile? I counted 5, and a couple of unmanned DJ booths - Cheer squads? Didn't see a one - Team Challenge folks walking three abreast (I respect your cause, but the foundation, along with Team and Training, need to do a better job of teaching race etiquette) - Mile marker signs got lost in the masses - Not enough on-course porta potties. I only saw one station of them, and the lines were entirely too long to consider a stop. - Green bananas - No t-shirt size swap (even though I was told at the expo that I could at the start, no luck there; we were then told that we could exchange at the finish, but attempting that would have been a joke) - No photo at the finish - the poor photographers got lost in the mob, along with the rest of us Ugly: - Lack of corral assignment enforcement, poor division of the full and half courses (12 inch cones in the dark?), the seemingly endless parade of walkers way too far in the front and the finish line mosh pit - Lack of aid station support and supplies - The Mandalay Bay cattle herd - Poor access for anyone needing medical assistance | |
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A. B. from Southern CA
(12/6/2011)
"How to turn a great race into a FUBAR" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the course and the evening start. Running along the Las Vegas Strip at night was awesome. Unfortunately, when the 6k marathoners merged with the 38k 1/2 marathoners, the course became way too crowded. I was constantly fighting my way around and through slower runners and walkers. I estimate that it added at least 15 minutes to my time. Organization was a joke. Many of the aid stations ran out of water and they didn't even have enough shirts or medals for all of the participants. I would not recommend this race until they place a limit on the number of 1/2 marathon runners. | |
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J. S. from So California
(12/6/2011)
"2 positives, but mostly disappointing." (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 1) The medals are cool. If you received one. 2) the t-shirts are cool (and WAY better than the 2007 LVM before RnR). If you received one! I run 3-4 races per year (mostly halfs but one full every year). I try to see the good, but this is a hard race to be positive about. Mostly because MANY problems could have been easily prevented. I understand the need to minimize street closures and double up the Fulls with the 1/2s. In theory this works if you have the faster (90 minute or less) 1/2 runners beginning first. They could seamlessly merge with the Fulls. But to do so safely Corralling must be (a). better organized and (b). enforced! A suggestion, ONLY BIBBED racers may exit the side doors into the start line space. Also, corrals could start inside. Runners are a fairly self regulating group of people, a few well marked signs could easily divide up 40k people into 4 groups. Also, for friends leaving the runners b4 the starting line, exiting the Mandalay Bay was a nightmare. took my wife 60 minutes to go north just 1/2 block (to Ny Ny). Host hotels need to coordinate with RnR to account for well wishers trying to leave. And Green bananas? Really, Did you not know that you'd probably need to buy a few dozen, er thousand bananas last Thursday? Really? This was a small, yet stomach churning negative. I'm sad for those whom did Vegas as their 1st big race but didn't receive a medal, T-shirt or both. I personally saw one runner grab 2 Medals. Very disappointing at the bad sportsmanship. This again,is preventable. Have the bib tear off tabs on the L and R side. 1) one for the bag check, 2) another for the medal. And Last minute / Race wknd sign ups should get their t-shirt in the mail. Not those who registered in September! Sucks having to run the first and last 2 miles of 26.2 breathing in cigarette smoke, but hey, it's the Strip. What can you do? | |
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N. E. from Phoenix, AZ
(12/6/2011)
"Worst race EVER! I ran the half." (about: 2011)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Corrals were hard to get to, too many racers for the course, lack of aid stations & potties, horrible exit area, even worse to get out of the area, running out of half medals, green bananas, lack of decent post race refreshments, course logistics for the full marathoners were despicable. It was the worst experience of my running races. I was more jostled & elbowed at this race than at the start of an Ironman swim! | |
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D. Y. from California
(12/6/2011)
"Disaster" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 1st half of the marathon was really boring. There weren't enough porta potties. Water stations in the 2nd half were poorly managed. | |
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P. H. from Southern Illinois
(12/5/2011)
"Leap frog run!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was the first time for the Vegas run at night- sounds exciting to run up and down the strip at night- wrong! The marathoners started 1 1/2 hours before the 35,000 half marathoners, so unless you were under 1 1/2 hours for your first half, you were thrown into the crowds of half marathon walkers that walked 6-8 people abreast for the entire second half of the race!!! You were running in a leap frog method, stop and go, and tackling walkers throughout the entire second half! It was awful! The lights of the strip were exciting, but there was no spectator support, the volunteers were not helpful and did not cheer the runners. I would definitely avoid this race as a full marathon until they work out the logistics of the run. My friends ran it as a half marathon, and the walkers started up front, so they had to dodge the walkers throughout their whole race too. Terrible organization. | |
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M. S. from California
(12/5/2011)
"Organizational fiasco. Stay away." (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 RnR Vegas was a disaster. By far the worst running experience of my life regardless of distance. The event clearly could not handle 44,000 runners. Course support was overwhelmed. The plan to start the marathon early and merge with the half marathon race was a complete failure. Runners were cursing at each other to move out of the way. The finish area was chaotic. The chutes where you get your picture taken created a bottleneck of finishers. People were packed like sardines trying to exit through Mandalay Bay. Really dangerous conditions. Finally, how do you run out of medals when you know in advance the number of runners in each event? This race has significant problems. Stay way until they're properly addressed. |
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