The 2015 Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and ½ – A Spectator’s View
I arrived in Las Vegas on a sunny day, the weather was pushing 70 during the day and it was sunny out. All of this I expected. What I did not expect was how windy it would be. It was far windier, far more consistently, than I had ever seen it. People I talked to from Vegas seemed to agree that it was a little worse than usual, especially when it was gusting, and it had the effect of generally making things feel a little cooler than the actual temperature.
Being a fairly regular visitor to Las Vegas, I could immediately tell that it was a busy weekend. Crowds were thick, and tables were busy during the day. The crowd appeared to be mostly convention attendees and runners. The runners I expected, but I learned that there were several large conventions going on around that weekend. Being part of neither group, it was interesting to hear people talking about the activities they were there for, or in the case of the runners, seeing them sporting swag from their exhibitors or from previous Rock ‘n’ Roll series events.
The day of the race was probably the windiest of the trip. There was a wind advisory all day, with consistent gusts up to 40 mph. During the early afternoon, skies were relatively clear and the sun was out, but it was already quite brisk outside, especially when a wind gust kicked in. I wandered around outside to check out the race preparations.
To see The Strip empty during the day is quite the sight, especially since it is devoid of both runners and traffic. It doesn’t happen that often, so when it does, I try to take get a look at it from a few different locations. It’s a little bit of bonus sightseeing, even for the regular visitor to Vegas.
All around me, runners were making their way south to their pre-race festivities and eventual starting corrals. All were sporting running gear, some having to dress a bit warmer than they originally expected I’m sure. As is typical for all races, but I think even more so for a Rock ‘n’ Roll series event in Las Vegas, there were some unique costumes and team names, including many Elvis outfits.
As the starting time approached, it started to get a bit more cloudy and the wind picked up just a bit more. My brother and I did not make it all the way to the starting line over by Mandalay Bay, instead choosing to watch a bit from Center Strip and then move north towards the finish zone.
As you can see from the pictures above and below, there were a good number of spectators cheering the runners on, or simply taking in the unique views. Additionally, there were bands set up in some locations to entertain the runners as well as the spectators.
Unfortunately for spectators, but even more so for the runners, it eventually began to rain for a while. At the same time, the wind picked up even more, with gusts becoming more consistent. While this was happening, as we moved towards the finish zone, some runners had already finished and were making their way back, while others were still headed towards mile 4 and the rest of their race.
The finish line was near The Mirage, but it was another few hundred yards from there to the finish zone where my brother and I were waiting for our friends. Those that we could see walking by us that had finished already seemed to have quite the collection of items. There were refreshments such as water, energy drinks, and Gatorade. Some appeared to have food, and all seemed to have medals as well as HeatSheets wrapped around them to try to keep warm.
As a bonus, Michelob Ultra was a co-sponsor for the race, so runners could partake in a celebratory beer in the finish zone if they so desired. Many decided to take advantage of this, some lingering to continue enjoying the view.
Others had started making their way back to their hotels, and yet more had gathered in the north-east corner of Bellagio, around the entrance and steps up to the pedestrian bridges to Caesars and Bally’s.
My friends, who my brother and I had come to support, both finished their half marathons and had quite the tale to tell. They talked about the insane wind, the biting rain, and how the Stratosphere served as a beacon both on the way north towards downtown, and then on the way back towards The Strip and the finish line. They both noted that it became hard to see at some points, one of my friend’s phones shut down due to the water, both at times had to simply focus on the running to try to push through the elements.
One of our friends, Mark, was live tweeting (instagramming really) as he was running. Technically I believe the term is twunning, so he was running a little further behind. He did a great job with it, and it really gave a good impression for what he experiences. My brother even said he didn’t have to actually run the race, since Mark basically let us run it with him. This is the start of Mark’s tweets for the race, or go check out his Instagram to see the images and videos directly.
As is tradition for our group of friends, my brother, Gint, and I caught up with Mark at one of our usual rally points. The Heart Bar at Planet Hollywood. Both were glad to be able to get off their feet for a bit, warm up, and tell us some details about their races.
After the race was done, and before the cleanup really got underway, I was able to share a bit of the very unique experience that the runners have. I had the chance to actually walk out onto South Las Vegas Blvd. itself at night. This is definitely when the casinos along The Strip look their best, and I could only imagine what it would be like to run by them all. As a spectator however, I simply settled for taking a couple of very unique pictures of it.
If you are looking for more information regarding the 2015 race, check out these pics, this story, or the official Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Moments. If you are interested in the 2016 race, go to the website or their Facebook page. If you are simply looking to spectate or support the runners, simply save the date next year, make your travel arrangements, and get ready to have some fun and get some unique views of The Strip.
[Images: gennadius]
A former VegasChatter contributor, gennadius is a regular visitor to the Las Vegas area. Some areas of interest include aviation, sports (gambling, watching, participating), blackjack, craps, and science fiction.
When in Vegas, gennadius can be found looking for good food, spending time at the clubs, hanging out at the tables, and watching games with friends.
One thought on “The 2015 Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and ½ – A Spectator’s View”
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I ran the half and it was absolutely a spectacular experience. Even with the wind and rain nothing compares to literally running the strip at night. Running by all the casinos and feeding off the Vegas energy definitely made the 2 hours go by pretty quick…….although I swear that clown on the Circus Circus sign was laughing at me on the way back……..damn clown…….