The Bubble Run is a casual 5K race that travels throughout the country. In Las Vegas, it takes place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, on the far north side of town. They offered “free” entry, so why not? The 2025 Las Vegas Bubble Race took place on Saturday, June 28, and this is my personal experience.
Pricing, Packet Pickup, and Parking
I was hooked by the idea of a free race. Halfway through the application process, there was a $15 fee for something, probably security, that was required. So not free, just heavily discounted. But $15 for a race with big commercial marketing? Still sounded like a good deal.
A few weeks before the race, announcements came out with more fees. Same-day packet pick-up? $5 fee. Parking? $20 cash only. The nickel-and-dime feeling of these emails left a bad taste in my mouth. If I had done both, it would be a $40 race, average for a 5k. Fine.
So I drove out to the Speedway the afternoon before to grab my packet. It was a good thing I did! There was no signage anywhere, and the Speedway complex is massive. None of the communications had details about where packet pickup was. No map, no note about which entrance or building, nothing.
Eventually I saw a truck with Speedway logos stopped by the medical station on the inside of the track. I stopped, and the employee was very kind, and directed me to the gift shop. I wasn’t the only one with this problem – the poor employee had been asked by at least a dozen runners, and a car pulled alongside just as I was leaving, so I brought her along too. A simple note that packet pickup would be at the gift shop would be incredibly helpful.
Packet pickup went quickly, very short lines and friendly volunteers. They reminded us about parking – if you got an email that it was free, you go in one place, otherwise it’s $20. And they shared that the starting line was right there, so no need to search for the entrance a second time.
Well, parking on the day of wound up being free! So total cost for me was just the $15. Now let’s get to the race experience.
Race Start
I arrived right around 7:45 for an 8 AM start time. There was a long line of folks for same-day packet pick-up, which I was happy to skip. An MC was hyping up the crowd but didn’t really mention anything about organization. I should have known something was off with the long line at the start, and one approximately 20-ft wide starting arch.
The gun went off at 8, and people were still coming in to the starting area. The line starts moving, and I expect to slowly but surely get running. Just a few feet before the starting set of bubbles, we stop. They were doing waves of runners, and I had no idea. Not terrible, the people around me were in good spirits, but advance communication would have gone a long way here.
When we finally got going, I forgot to start my watch, so I’m missing a good mile of running info for this route
The Bubble Run Las Vegas Race
The course was…underwhelming. It started going under the bleachers at the racetrack. It was actually nice to get out of the sun! Temps were in the 80s to 90s at the start.
The course then skirted along a parking lot, then back up to go under the other side of the bleachers. This photo was taken at a small hill just after the parking lot, and you can see the runners both near the fence and on the far edge of the parking lot.
There were at least 5 bubble stations, which was fun. The bubbles also meant moisture and cooling in the heat. There was one unmanned water station, so if you didn’t bring your own, you wound up waiting as folks figured out how to use a cooler. The cluster of black in the photo is runners at the water station.
Post-Race
As I finished up about 45 minutes later, I saw that there were still a ton of folks waiting for their wave, and even more still coming in to the packet pick-up area. If the goal was attendance, they certainly hit it!
There were no volunteers to distribute water or medals, so you grabbed what you could. There were no snacks, bananas, or hydration sponsors, which I found a little surprising. I guess, what can you expect for $15?
There was one food truck that focused on sweets, which I skipped. There was a bubble-shaped tent selling merch, including the white technical t-shirt that came with the full-priced registration.
I love me a technical t-shirt, but white? White is the worst color choice, as it goes clear so easily. It made me grateful that I took the cheaper option. Drawstring bags also came with the full-price option, again, no big loss.
Las Vegas Bubble Run: Yay or Nay?
If you have kids or non-runners who really love bubbles, I guess, sure. If you want nice scenery, or at least something more interesting than concrete, then no. There are so many 5Ks in Las Vegas that have great community support, like the Santa Run, or are in a pretty area, like the Metro SAR 5K. Most of them have a better pre- and post-race experience too. This is one that I won’t be doing again.
