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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 581 to 591]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 57 58 59 60 61 .. 74 > ]

 

K. M. from Canada (12/12/2006)
"Very Disappointing" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 2 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathons
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


I ran this marathon for the second year in a row. It was a complete disappointment for me and my runner friends.

Disappointments:
- Standing out in the cold waiting for the 6 a.m. race to start and then hearing that after the elite women start, we are 17 minutes away from the start time! Why didn't the organizers tell us it was going to be a 6:20 start? The Blue Man Group, which we couldn't see anyway, played the anthem and delayed us even longer.
- Medal was not as nice as last year (it is a cheaper version of last year's).
- The $3.99 Marathon Participant T-Shirt (again a cheaper version as compared to last year).
- Half-marathon walkers had family and friends join them down the stretch so marathon runners had to weave around people in the last few miles (last year the race was a MARATHON, not a walk-athon and 1/2 marathon where people line up shoulder-to-shoulder and walk 6-across, so runners cannot get by).

The above issues are not extremely serious and could be overlooked if the rest of the marathon was well thought out and organized; however, this was NOT the case.

More important issues and very real issues that Devine Racing failed to deliver on included:
- The food at the finish for people who finished between 3:30 and 4:20 (approx). The volunteers said that they ran out of food. I was left with water and Gatorade.
- The mile markers were once again incorrect (just like last year).
- There was no gel on the course like they stated (lucky for me I had a feeling that they would not make an appearance, so I packed my own).

I really think that all these more serious issues point to the fact that the race organizers are NOT catering to marathoners. The race organizers should be ashamed. An apology just does not cut it. I am questioning where my $100 entrance fee went. Devine Racing made a lot of money off of people like me. I actually thought that year 2 of the race was going to be better. It failed, and failed big time!! I laugh that the organizers see this as a success simply because the numbers increased (more $$$).

Positives: lots of water and lots of Gatorade along the course and well manned by enthusiastic volunteers.

Of course, we enjoy the fun of Las Vegas, but we will not be back to run this race any time soon.

 

L. H. from California (12/12/2006)
"Horrible organization made for a bad event" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


The lack or organization started with the expo opening late. A large number of runners never received email confirmation cards and there wasn't a place on the website to print these out, so that led to a huge traffic jam at the table that had 2 full marathon books and 2 half marathon books for people to look up their number. It was ridiculous and dangerous with pushing and shoving going on. After I found my number, I went to the volunteer to receive my bib. He was cute as can be, but about 10 years-old and had no idea how to find my bib. I found it and moved on to the huge line to activate my chip. Once again, nice volunteers but they didn't have a good system to do this. I was disappointed in the white cotton t-shirts for the half marathon. For $95 I thought we would get a shirt we can actually wear again. The expo itself was nice. Lots of vendors and plenty to look at.

The race start was a bit chaotic and started late. The first 6 miles or so down the strip was great - good fan support and lots to look at. After that, it was sad. The 2nd half of the half marathon was the worst I've seen. I never saw a mile marker after the split. The water stops were supposed to be at every mile, but they were actually on the half mile. Mile 25 was way out of place and 26 was less than half a mile after 25. Mile 26 and mile 13 were marked togther.... um, .1 and .2 are not the same thing. There was no Gu on the half course. I was able to get a banana at the finish, but my friend who finished the full marathon in 3:46 had absolutely NO food available. That is ridiculous and dangerous. How is that possible? I've completed 5 full marathons on 20 half marathons and I've never seen a race so poorly organized. I will not be back!

 

J. M. from Outside of Denver, Colorado (12/12/2006)
"Thank you to all!" (about: 2006)

First Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


I am SO grateful for all of the people who stayed to help cheer on us "back of the pack" individuals. Those individuals are an incredible boost when there isn't anything left to give. Thank you to everyone who helped out... from those who were collecting left-behind items, to those picking up cups and trash, to people who took a moment to stop in their cars to wish us well. And, a special thank you to the ladies who checked on me from about mile 20 to mile 23. You rock! Thanks so much for the water when it was definitely needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you from a first-time marathoner, who is just thankful to have made it to the finish line.

 

T. R. from US (12/12/2006)
"Good, flat course; terrible organization" (about: 2006)

3 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 3


It's hard to believe that in a city that hosts huge events everyday, they can't put this marathon together. Here are a list of my complaints:
1. At the runners' expo, you had to wait in a very long line to get your bib number so that you could pick up your packet. Why not send the bib numbers out prior to the race and avoid this frustration?
2. They ran out of the plastic ties for the chips. This meant you had to unlace your shoes to get the chip off immediately following the marathon.
3. They ran out of official race merchandise (t-shirts) at the expo early in the day on Saturday (except for XXL sizes).
4. No food at the finish area to speak of. I did find a half-empty box of bananas in the middle of the convention parking lot.

I have run Chicago twice and New York City once prior to this year's Las Vegas Marathon. Compared to the other two, Vegas is way, way behind in terms of organization.

 

R. B. from San Francisco, California (12/12/2006)
"Wonderful - until the post-race..." (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


First-class organization through registration, accommodations (we booked early), bib/package pick-up, GREAT entertainment at the start, plenty of port-o-potties, loved the Elvises, fantastic volunteers at all the water stops - but as soon as I crossed the finish line, it was terrible! Just water at first (bananas showed up later, but where were the bagels, pretzels, yogurt, protein bars, oranges, etc.?), no family meeting area, just a big desolate parking lot. Left a slightly bitter taste after such a great build-up.

Two other complaints: only one of the 5 runners with me had a plastic tie for the chip - the rest of us had to lace it in, which made post-race removal challenging; and the mile markers were not set at each mile - some, like mile 24, were WAY off, which played havoc with trying to maintain a pace. All in all, worthwhile, but still room for improvement.

 

L. V. from Dallas, Texas (12/12/2006)
"Never Again" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 2


I was excited to run the New Las Vegas Marathon, as it was held on my 6 month anniversary, and we ran past the chapel in which my husband and I were married. First, I'll mention the positives, which won't take much time. There were water stations and porta-potties galore! No complaints in this department, at all, and the businesses along the route were very open to having runners use their facilities, as well. The other positive was the packet pick-up. It was quick and easy, even though I never received the card that was supposed to be pre-mailed to entrants to stream-line the process. It took no time to look up my number (myself, looking in a book with no assistance!) and go get my packet. I LOVED running down the strip and through downtown Vegas! The first 10 miles of this race were incredible, and I loved it.

Once we turned towards the mountains, and into the wind, it turned ugly. In all fairness, I do not blame the wind on the race coordinators; however, the rest of the course was no fun. My negative issues are numerous. To begin with, as mentioned, I did not receive the pre-race card that was mailed, and I pre-registered on-line months in advance. I also registered to receive one of those special "commemorative" Las Vegas Marathon playing chips with my registration, which I did not receive. I did not receive ties with which to attach my timing chip. I was told they "ran out." At 5 hours, the roads were opened, and the police began harassing those of us left out on the course (HUNDREDS of us!) to get on the sidewalks, refusing us the option to cross unless the crosswalk was giving us the "walk," even when there was NO TRAFFIC, and, I hate to say it, being in public safety myself, generally being complete and total jerks to us, unnecessarily. Granted, I was very pleased to see all the police support early in the race.

The post-race food was gone long before 4 hours (my husband finished under 4) and there were no Mylar blankets left when I finished, either. I really needed something, and that was it! At least they had ordered enough finisher's medals.... Also, at 5 hours, they took up over half of the water stations, dumping out Gatorade (I personally saw them dumping it, and told them there were still hundreds of people behind me! The guy said there was still plenty.) I realize that the race advertised that the course would be open for 5 hours, but I did email the race director, and was told there would be support and the finish line would be open until the last "walker" was in.

I personally will never run this race again, and will not run another Devine race. I don't see how, in a race this big, they should have run out of so many basic things. This racing organization is supposedly on the cutting edge, and they failed at so many simple things, such as finish line food and the number of Mylar blankets. Oh, and I didn't mention bag drop. There was no organization WHATSOEVER! You put your name on a non-descript bag, and they tossed it in a pile! They did not separate bag drop by name or number in any way at all, with over 16,000 participants!! That is just bizarre, not to mention very bad organization - or maybe it was just an afterthought? Never again.... I love Vegas, but I will never run this race again.

 

C. G. from Denver, colorado (12/12/2006)
"Started great, but the course was lame near the en" (about: 2006)

3 previous marathons
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


Started out awesome, but then the course wound through some really weird, semi-seedy areas. I did the half, so I'm not sure if all the bands and music were used for the full.... After the race they could have used some more food! One banana does not cut it! The Blue Man Group was kick-butt great!

 

S. K. from White Plains, NY (12/12/2006)
"Where was the organization?" (about: 2006)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 2


Vegas is an absolute delightful place to run. The strip is scenic as are the mountains in the distances. It is flat and even a steady headwind did not detract from the running. Still, the organization of this race was a DISASTER and spectators were few for a marathon of this size. The corral system failed because there were no clear markings into the starting area and many people were forced to cross a temporary fence to get into the starting area. Too few timing mats at the beginning and along the course meant that even as runners spread out, they again needed to bottleneck over the mat, or miss it altogether. My favorite logistical mess-up was the placement of several of the porta-potties (the organizers deserve credit for their frequency). Instead of being on the same side of the street with the runners and where traffic was prohibited, they were on the opposite side of the street, forcing runners to cross vehicular traffic to use the facility. Finally, the finish amounted to a bottle of water, a medal, a picture and no more. I was just thankful I didn't need medical attention, since none was offered and none was visibly present. It is the first time where I have crossed the finish line and was not at least asked if I was OK. This has the potential to be a great marathon, but for now it is mediocre at best.

 

J. D. from KS (12/12/2006)
"Odds are against you at the Vegas Marathon" (about: 2006)

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


Who would have thought that there would be odds on whether the mile markers would be somewhere near the correct locations? The odds are also stacked against you for fans and even a banana at the end of the race. Good luck getting by all the walkers allowed to line up with the elites. If you come to Vegas, plan on gambling on whether the race organization will be able to do the basics.

 

d. l. from chicago (12/12/2006)
"Never Again" (about: 2006)

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


Mile Markers were completely inaccurate; no food at finish line; uninspired course; spectator support almost nil; started 10 minutes late, ridiculous wind. Vegas is a great city to have fun but not to run a marathon. At least I won at blackjack.

 

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