When you think of Vegas, one thinks bright lights & casinos.  Nevada would be my 15th state marathon & my first race at night.

Struggled as how to prepare for a night run – when to stop eating (generally 14 hours before race time), what & how much pre-race activity is ok before running a full marathon. Lotta unknowns.

Since I was staying at the Luxor, pre-race pics with fellow Maniacs was super easy – took the elevator downstairs; check, done. Another first?  Pre-race pic with Elvis. Yeah, everything tonite spelled Vegas.

And since this was a Rock n Roll marathon, watched Macklemore in concert an hour half before the start.  Not sure if standing at a concert before running 26.2 miles was great prep but the experience was crazy fun 🙂

Vegas would also be my largest race to date – more than 44,000 participants.  Starting 10 corrals back @ 1,000 runners per corral = no actual running until 20 minutes after the first firework blast.  That’s a lotta bodies running at a lotta different paces.

First 4 miles down the Strip, soooo many runners but WOW — still kinda cool. Mandalay Bay, Luxor, MGM, the Mirage, Circus Circus — all colorful ginormous hotels.  Unexpectedly however, found my favourite part of the Strip was Fremont Street in downtown Vegas – casino lights coupled with a flash of Vegas past.

From mile 4 to mile 21, not a whole lotta positive.  Ran for miles on a highway in the dark, thru Vegas suburbs on dim roadways, past homeless under bridges.  Vegas is a tough town – whether homeless by choice, self-inflicted circumstance or just plain bad luck, unfortunately there are many homeless in Vegas.  Really puts life in perspective.

Mile marker signs dropped off after mile 21.  Positive – the Vegas skyline is soooo BIG, I could see light by mile 23.  Return pass thru Fremont — felt like I’d been running all night.  A fellow Maniac called out at mile 25 & I tagged along.  Many thanks Othman.

Nearing the Finish Line, Ash, Tom & Stephen screamed encouragement.  FAAANNNNNTASTIC finish!

Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas – Marathon

OvrPl     Bib         Name           City, State          Time
1829    10078    K R Haga    Louisville, CO    4:36:50