I was out of training when I first saw Brooksee’s Las Vegas Marathon. I was intrigued by the route, but wasn’t quite ready to dive in. After I did the Original Las Vegas Marathon 5k, I felt really good and signed up for the LV Marathon’s shortest route last-minute. This is my Las Vegas Marathon review of their 7.02 mile option.
Pre-Race Expo
Brooksee also runs the Revel races, like the Mt Charleston Revel race that I ran before the pandemic, so they have a full expo on packet pick-up. If you like expos or realize that you need last-minute gear, then this is a good race for you. If you prefer less marketing and more racing, maybe go for one of the local race organizers instead.
Swag included a nice blue technical shirt, protein powder, hydration powder from two different manufacturers, and a mylar blanket. You could also pick up a free Cirkul water bottle at the Expo.
Las Vegas Marathon Review: Logistics
The race organizers did a good job on logistics, but there was definitely room for improvement. Shuttles were required for all full marathon participants, and optional for the rest. Shuttles started at the Downtown Transit Center, which was a really smart location. The infrastructure for lots of busses was available, and parking for local attendees was too. All races started at the same time, 6:00 AM. All the busses were supposed to leave by 4:15 AM, even the last 702 bus.
That was not the greatest idea. The marathon busses had the furthest to go, about 20 minutes to half an hour, while the 702 busses had a 5-minute drive time. So you had all racers for all distances milling around the bus area. They had enough staff to get everyone to the right bus, but they could have saved some stress by having the 702 runners arrive after the full and half folks. At the end, they wound up asking the 702 runners to wait until the other busses left anyways.
Hopefully next year, they call the 702 runners to a 5 AM bus. That still puts runners at the start at 5:15 at the latest, more than enough time to warm up and get sorted. Maybe I’m just a little grumpy at getting up so early.
The race also had an app. If you’re at the back of the pack and can’t see the route, the app helps keep you on track. It’s also helpful for friends and family keeping track of your progress.
Race Course
I was keenly interested in the 702 race course. As I’ve done a fair bit of running in Downtown Las Vegas, I was curious to see what a professional race organization would do. While their route matched mine in some spots, the context of the race both constrained and opened them up for different options.
The full marathon started at Red Rock Canyon and ran down Charleston Blvd to the Downtown area. That set the strategy for the other two distances offered. The half started around Boca Park shopping center and ran down Charleston, and the 702 started around Rancho & Charleston.
Locals tip: Skip the half, as it starts in suburbia and doesn’t add much scenic value. Go full or 7 for the best views for the miles.
The course hit some great highlights, including the Smith Center, the Arts District, and Las Vegas Blvd. A pretty solid course when you can close off streets and have security around.
Running the Las Vegas Marathon 7.02 Race
I had a hard time at the start, not because I was tired or sore. The race started near one of my favorite breakfast places, The Omelet House. And I was tempted to swing in to Poppy’s Donuts for some road fuel. Once we got past those, things got easier from a distraction perspective.
After that, we took a swing north, up MLK and Bonneville. We took a quick swing by the Smith Center, which is one of my favorite spots in town. The app piped up with a little promo for the Smith Center, which was nice. It also mentioned the City Hall. Fine, not super historic, but a nod to the help of the city.
From there, we went through the Arts District, with a turn up Las Vegas Blvd at the Stratosphere. We took LV Blvd north to Bridger, ran up Maryland Parkway, and then back via Fremont Street to the Fremont Street Experience. I would have loved a little commentary from the app about some of the history of the area, as there’s some really cool things here, like the 5th Street School, the Morelli House, the Las Vegas Academy, and more.
With less than a mile to go, it started to drizzle. Fortunately, the rain held off until I finished. Got my medal, a drink, and then there was a micro downburst.
The after-party was a little mellow due to the weather, but well-organized and easy to navigate. I would run this again, even with the early start. But I’d get my husband to drop me off.
