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Las Vegas International Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Las Vegas International Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 3.7 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.6 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 2.1 
 
 
Number of comments: 154 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 .. 16 > ]

 

T. B. from Guelph Canada (2/7/2004)
"Do something about the wind!" (about: 2004)


COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 1


Organization was very good. Course was great. You need to have Gatorade on the course.

 

charlie gregory from Marietta, Georgia, U S (2/6/2004)
"A good well organized race" (about: 2004)


COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


I thought the organization was great. I liked the idea of being able to wait on the warm busses at the start line before the race start. The weather and temp. were perfect at the start and I love seeing the sun come up in the desert. The course was as flat as any course of the 23 I had previously run. Some said there were rolling hills, but these runners have not run some of the hilly ones (Ridge Runner, Big Sur, etc). After about 2 hours into the race, the wind went from our back to 25 to 35 kts in our face. It was bad, but in almost every race weather is a factor. Wind or rain, heat or cold, etc. If you run and live in the East, you learn to live with it. It did add about 15 min. to my finish time, but again if not the wind, it would be something else.

I thought the finish area was too small for the amount of runners, but no worse than a lot of the other races. No spectators, but except for NY, Chicago and the other big ones, it was very typical. It would be really great if the course took you right up through the LV strip, but having been to Vegas many times over the years, I don't ever see it happening. Since I am a 50 Stater and will probably not run it again until I get the other states, I would definitely run it again.

 

M. N. from Las Vegas (2/5/2004)
"Will never run this marathon again!" (about: 2004)


COURSE: 1  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 1


I was so disappointed with the Las Vegas 2004 marathon. I guess I had high standards since my experience running Los Angeles marathons.

There were no oranges or power gel packs by the time I reached mile 13 (2 hours 15 min). I didn't bring any carbs due to the abundance or assorted carbs distributed at the Los Angeles marathon. My body literally ran out of gas... and the wind was awful!

Why couldn't we run where we could have had spectators to help cheer the runners on? The spectators really make the run amazing.

This race was dull and boring... never again!!!!!!!

 

D. K. from Connecticut (1/29/2004)
"3d time -- still love it" (about: 2004)


COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 2


I've run 6 marathons and 3 of them were on this course. The weather was perfect the first two times, but I don't love the race any less after the 2004 wind. Everything about this race is great: great course, great organization, great scenery (even those running well within their limits will have their breath taken away by the beauty of the rising sun illuminating the mountain range to the west), and a great bunch of enthusiastic fellow participants. I'll do this one every year I'm able to walk, much less run.

 

Merina B. from Edmonton (1/28/2004)
"First-timer's impressions and regrets" (about: 2004)


COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


This was my first ever half marathon. I thought the event was well run, and the course was good too. Is it just me, or did that chamber music before the last turn zap your energy too? I sleep to that stuff, and I want some good solid rock and roll near the end. I didn't notice the wind, either because it came up near the end of my race, or because my legs hurt too much and I needed to go to the bathroom... I'll never know.

I didn't know how far away the finish was until the last turn, and I would have found it helpful to have someone near the last km say, something like, 'Just turn left at that black power pole and go another 200 ft to the finish line.' Or something like that. I thought the party afterwards was great, although not that well attended. The DJ was super, the food tasty, and the free beer plentiful, if on the light side. I had a great time, and would love to stay for a week if I could, just to enjoy Vegas a little more.

P.S. Advice to any other first-timers... don't eat that greasy platter of appetizers at the MGM Grande's jungle restaurant the night before the race. I think that was my one single biggest regret of the whole trip. On the other hand I met some great people who I hope to meet again... especially the guy with the cute butt from New Jersey. Can I have your email?

 

D. P. from Appleton,Wi. (1/27/2004)
"Thanks to the workers that also had high winds" (about: 2004)


COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I want to pass along my sincere thanks to all the volunteers that stayed out in the winds with us to make sure we had liquids along the way. Without that stiff breeze that beat me up, I could have had more fun and a much better day. I help with our local marathon and know how difficult it is to find enough volunteers. These people are all 5 star performers. Thank you for helping me create another memory.

 

A Runner from Washington State (1/26/2004)
"I fought the wind, and the wind won." (about: 2004)


COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 2


This was my 18th marathon and 11th state. Personally I thought this event was beautifully organized given some of the logistic complexities with the shuttles at both the start and end of the race. I have come to appreciate races of this size and seek them out over the glitz, crowds and squeaky monkey prizes of the 'Rocky & Rolly' 'Super Sized' 'Mega Theme' marathons. I also have come to love a simple, accurate, well marked course as this one is.

This was my first time to Las Vegas and no, there is no marathon 'buzz' about town as others have noted. But how could there be in an amazing place like this? It is my contention that if the course ran up and down the Strip ten times and cut through all of the casinos twice no one would barely notice. I think the course that exists is beautiful, fairly fast and gets just as many, or maybe more spectators as an in-town course would.

Unfortunately I did not bet the odds on consecutive wind years. I now have full appreciation of how bad last year must have been. It was demoralizing to have good lovin' gone bad with that punishing grinder of a headwind for the last eleven miles. Especially after being teased with ideal conditions for the first fifteen. It definitely sandblasted my PR dreams away, but that's alright. This is what makes marathons all the same, but different.

 

Alex Rochette from Washington, DC, USA. (1/26/2004)
"Good Winter Marathon/Great Organization" (about: 2004)


COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I chose to run LV 2004 at the very last minute (on Friday night) and I had a very pleasant experience. The course is 10 miles slightly uphill (rolling hills), 8 miles downhill, and 8 miles flat. The weather in 2004 was near perfect for the first 16 miles... at mile 16 the wind picked up and by mile 18 the headwind was actually very strong (35 miles per hour according to the news reports).

The organization is fantastic. There are water/fuel stations every other mile or so until mile 20, then there is a station every mile. There was clocks at almost every mile marker. The volunteers did a great job... and the food at the end of the race is the best I have had so far (that is at the end of a race).

It was lacking crowd support except for the last 5-6 miles (downtown) and even then this didn't amount to much. This might just have been due to the sandstorm.

In my humble opinion, this is a great marathon.

 

S. M. from Palomas, Chihuahua, Mexico (1/7/2004)
"Great race, bad wind" (about: 2003)


COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


Las Vegas, what else do you need? Bad weather last year. Great course downhill, so windy, no spectator in the course. I´ve run the half marathon and will run the full in the future.

 

D. K. from New Haven, CT (8/16/2003)
"Positive, but complaint about Ultima sports drink" (about: 2002)


COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 2


Have run this marathon twice. It's great: flat, fast course, good weather, great organization (but recommend getting hotel at start line in Jean, Nev., rather than taking bus to start from LV). My only complaint is that the only sports drink available at the aid stations is Ultima, a ridiculous concoction that is 'low calorie' - as if marathoners were on diets! You'll bonk unless you use sports gels or otherwise provide for adequate glycogen replacement during the race.

 

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