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Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 3.3 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 2.7 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 2.8 
 
 
Number of comments: 736 [displaying comments 461 to 471]
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M. C. from New York (2/28/2007)
"TERRIBLE MARATHON" (about: 2006)

6-10 previous marathons | 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 1


This was one of the worst marathon experiences. I have run 9 other marathons from big to small, including the old Las Vegas Marathon, and I must say this was a horrible experience. I agree with all the previous comments. The start was a complete disaster - mile markers were WAY off, porta-johns were on the wrong side of the course, disorganized finish, crappy cotton t-shirt, disorganized expo, lack of food and drink at the finish, race started 20 minutes early because the Blue Man Group was late, and I could go on and on. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS RACE. Devine needs to get the message.

 

C. A. from SLC, UT (1/29/2007)
"Never Again!" (about: 2006)

2 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 1  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 1


This was my second marathon, and I thought it would be a "fun" race. I couldn't have been more wrong!

First off, let me say that my first marathon was also a Devine race - the Salt Lake City Marathon - and I thought it was excellent. I have no idea what happened from SLC in June to Vegas in December, but the difference was like night and day.

I'll start with the good things about the race. Running the Strip was fun, and seeing the running Elvises was cool too, and the medical staff was great... and that's about it.

On to the bad: Start with the race packets. There was nothing in it regarding instructions for the race. I think we all were confused about what to do and exactly where to go. And it would have been nice to have instruction on how best to get to the Mandalay Bay from other resorts, since the route shut off many of the ways to access it.

Next: Yes, the mile markers seemed off. Some miles would pass quickly and others seemed to go on and on... I guess it wasn't just me!

The weather was horrible - but not much can be done about it. The headwind just tore me down, but add in the dust (hey, it is a desert after all!) and there were times I was running with my eyes closed. I felt bad for people who had contacts.

The course was VERY dull after the end of the 7th mile. And if you're one of those people who love spectators and giving little kids a high-five as you pass by, forget it. No one other than the volunteers, the cops, and the people like my husband who were following their racers around were to be found.

I can't comment on the finishing area, as I never saw it. I blacked out around mile 22 and don't really recall the rest of the race. I made it to the finish and promptly passed out on the nearest volunteer and (from what my husband said) was wheeled into the medical tent where they found out I was severely dehydrated (still a mystery to me) and was pumped with 3 liters of fluid before they could get my blood pressure up to acceptable levels. The medical staff was very nice and did a great job.

But I never did make it to the finisher's area. I was offered a few crackers in the medical tent, and some more Gatorade, but that's it. And my husband had to go hunt down people to try to get me my finisher's medal. And then they lost my race results for days....

The shirt, yes, was something I'd expect from a tiny 5K, not a major marathon.

I'm not giving up completely on Devine - SLC was terrific, so I know they have it in them - but I won't be returning to Las Vegas!

The best thing they could do for this marathon is turn it into a half only - run up one side of the Strip, and down the other.

 

F. M. from Raton, New Mexico (1/26/2007)
"Every Mile Was A Great One" (about: 2005)

1 previous marathon | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


The 6:00 a.m. national anthem and fireworks set the stage for a great run.

It was great having the cheering fans, cheerleaders, bands and various groups alongside the road. The water stations were exceptional. Running through the strip was great.

The one dilimma I had was missing the port-a-potty. A gas station up a hill didn't work out either. I wasn't the only women marathoner that missed the port-a-potty. I was 5th in line. After waiting for 7 minutes, the door opened and it was flooded. I left, and went up the next block to another gas station. I was 3rd in line. The extra 15-minute bathroom break was not going to upset me. I was there to have fun and finish the race.

I had a great time running with the Elvises and meeting people along the way. It was near perfect.
Thanks for putting on such a great marathon. I hope to come back.

 

Gary Selden from Jupiter, Florida (1/16/2007)
"What Happened?" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 1  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


Never have I seen a more disorganized race. This would have been my 18th marathon and my last New Las Vegas Marathon. Bad karma at the expo with the line to get the race number and goody bag. No final instructions in the bag. Just lucky I was staying at the Mandalay Bay to follow the crowd to the starting line. Had to hop a fence to get inside and through the spectators. Suddenly realized I was in the wrong corral.I kept going forward through fences to get to my group. Nice start if you were close to the starting line. Almost saw a Blue Man. I got a pretty bad injury just before mile 6. Ruptured the right fascia. Turned at the half marathon sign and struggled along looking for a medical tent. I did not find one until crossing the finish line. Man that hurt. Just lucky I had trained very hard. The food and water were not good at the finish. I feared the worst for anyone coming in after me with lack of nutrients.

 

C. H. from La Jolla, CA, USA (1/10/2007)
"Pathetic attempt at organizing a marathon" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 1


Devine sent out an "admission of guilt" email after the 2006 event. They recognized the inaccurate mile markers and the lack of food at the end of the race. Below are several other inefficiencies I emailed to Devine. So much more went wrong, but the other commentators on this website hit all of the points. I would not recommend this "marathon" to anyone.

1. The race day instruction sheet should be inside the goodie bag. We picked-up our numbers on Friday and had to go back to the expo on Saturday to talk to the folks at the info booth regarding gear check. They gave us a nice leaflet that should have been included in the goodie bag.

2. The course map posted Gu stations at 18 and 22, but there was only one stop at mile 13. Around mile 16 there was a Snickers Marathon bar (i.e. candy bar), but it was hardly of quality like PowerBar or Clif.

3. The course map also mentioned showgirls, a choir alley, milk and cookies, and tropical fruit. I didn't see any of that. Maybe you should eliminate the entertainment and food from the map. Then, runners will not be disappointed when you come up short.

4. There weren't any space blankets at the end. It was a windy day and we could not enjoy the post-race fun because we were so cold. (Did Cirque even show?)

5. The gear check was a mess. How disrespectful of your organization to callously dump our belongings into one big heap in the middle of the parking lot!

6. Most marathons have technical shirts these days. Eighty-five bucks for a cotton shirt seems like a rip off.

7. Lastly, don't puff about the number of participants in 2006. Participation actually decreased by two thousand people for the marathon. It only seemed bigger this year due to the addition of the half.

 

R. S. from Chicago (1/10/2007)
"The nerve of some people" (about: 2006)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


A previous comment suggests that it is unfair to criticize the organization of this event unless you have volunteered for a previous race. Is he kidding us? Of course a lot of work goes into organizing an event. Any idiot knows that. We are talking about a race that is being managed by a professional company (Devine Racing). Having numerous mile makers so horribly misplaced is an inexcusable mistake. Like others, I won't be back until the problems are fixed.

 

D. C. from West Virginia (1/9/2007)
"Not worth the trouble" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 1


I flew a long way to run this marathon (on my wife's birthday!!!) and found it was terribly organized and unsafe to run. Not to echo all of the previous comments, but the worst "violation" of common sense was the placement of porta-johns on the wrong side of the street, forcing runners to cross traffic to relieve themselves!!! No food at the end was dangerous, forcing most folks to stumble back to their cars or hotels to find something to eat. This is the worst race I have ever run, and I don't plan on returning or recommending it to anyone.

 

D. P. from Portland (1/9/2007)
"Don't waste your time and money with Devine in LV" (about: 2006)

1 previous marathon | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


I have been involved in our local Portland Marathon a few times and traveled with a group of friends that have 15 or so marathons under their belts. Compared to PDX and their experiences, this could be the most disorganized event on the planet.

The expo had super long lines to get your bib number. A simple note sent out by Devine would have fixed it. No zip ties - just rubber bands to attach your chip? Let's not forget the useless short-sleeve cotton T-shirts.

Start line was a mess. No signage once you got out of Mandalay Bay to the start line or corrals. I had to hop a fence even with the 5:30 pace group just to get onto the strip. We then stood in the cold and wind for 45 minutes because the race started 20 MINUTES LATE! After a 10-minute walk down the street, we finally made the start line... only to have thousands of walkers still in front of us to weave between for the first 6 miles. Blue Man Group.... They were already done!

Mile markers?? Read the other comments! I had a 10:12 and a 6:08 around mile 10 and 11! Mile 23 was almost 1.4 according to my GPS. Two mile-25 markers and miles 26 and 13 were on the same post??? Hmmm.

The finish line was even more disorganized. NO FOOD or WATER LEFT for someone running at a 3:48 pace!! I saw one man staggering at the finish and not one medical person around! Devine is lucky no one filed a lawsuit for endangering the life of runners!

Where are our published split times???

A big thanks to the volunteers - it's not your fault - and to my support group that brought me some food and water at the end! I will NEVER run any race Devine Sports is working with again. Is it too late for us to get our money back?

 

T. H. from Woodland Park, Colorado (1/5/2007)
"I would definitely give this race an F!!!" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


First off I would like to say that the volunteers at the water stops were great, very enthusiastic, helpful and encouraging!!!

That is about the only positive thing that I have to say about the New Las Vegas Marathon!!! I have run 14 marathons and countless other races from 5Ks to the 1/2 marathon, and I have never seen a more poorly managed race in my life!!! For a $95 entry fee and a race that was organized by a professional management company (if you can call it that), I expected much more for my money!

My first gripe started at the expo, where runners had to stand in line to look up their own bib number before getting their packet and number. Why wasn't a postcard (very common in large races) sent out to each runner or at least an email that told runners to print off their registration and bib number and bring it with them (also done in most major races)?

One of my biggest gripes was with the t-shirt!!! It was about the lamest t-shirt I have ever gotten from a race including very small local events that I have run. For $95, runners should have at least gotten a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a CoolMax shirt would have been more appropriate for the price of the race! I have run races with an entry fee of $20 to $25 that have given out long-sleeve CoolMax shirts. Other races that are more interested in making runners happy than in making a PROFIT!

My next problem was with the starting line which seemed very disorganized and difficult to get to without climbing over fences and barricades. As for the highly touted Blue Man Group at the start, only the people located towards the front of the pack got to see or hear them; they had already stopped playing by the time I reached the start from where I was, 7 minutes back!

The mile markers were also a big mess. I ran some miles at 10 minutes and then the next at 7 minutes, all while running the same pace. It made it very difficult to try and run a goal time.

The finish line area was a total joke! Where was that famous Cirque du Soleil performing group that was supposed to be there? Again, were they there only for the front finishers and not for the rest of us middle-of-the-packers (4:17)? And the food thing was huge!!!! I talked to people that finished in 3 1/2 hours and there wasn't any food for them, let alone those of us farther back in the pack. Some of my friends left the finish area right away to return to their hotels to try to find something to eat. I stuck around and had a massage (the massages were actually pretty good - short but a nice touch) and someone finally brought out some bananas and a few granola bars. Don't you realize that runners need to replenish their glycogen stores immediately after something as grueling as a marathon? I have been at races that have served an assortment of foods and beverages (including beer), but nothing so lame as just bananas and granola bars! For $95 I expected much better!

I have run most of the major marathons in this country and Europe (New York, Boston, Chicago, Marine Corp, Disney World, London and Berlin) as well as some smaller ones in Oklahoma City, Lincoln, NE and Lake Tahoe - and Las Vegas was by far my worst experience.

Overall I would definitely have to give this race an F. I will not recommend it to anyone of my running friends, and in fact I will recommend that they not run the race!

 

R. M. from Virginia (1/5/2007)
"Bring Back the "Old" LV Marathon" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


Like "New" Coke, the "New" Las Vegas Marathon proves that "new" doesn't necessarily mean "improved." Please bring back the "Old" LV Marathon, or at least a group that knows how to organize and manage a marathon.

 

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