So you've been to Vegas a thousand times, but have you ever run the Strip at night?!? That's exactly what I asked myself before registering for this race. This race was going to be my 4th marathon, and close out my 2014 year of running. Truly this is an EPIC race!

http://blessedrunner.com/rnrlv-marathon-recap/

If you like Vegas, this is an absolute must for you! Make it a mini-vacation or a family reunion - that's what I did! My sister from California, my other sister from Florida, and my dad from Maryland all came out to support me. They ended up volunteering at the finish line. More on that later....

Overall this race will forever have a special place in my heart. If I could do it all over I would have run the Half-Marathon. My only CON of this race is because the second half of the full was off the strip, in the dark, and very low energy. PRO: you get to RUN THE STRIP AT NIGHT!!!!

Around Mile 6 I was hurting because of an injury I sustained a few weeks prior. Knowing that I had 20 miles to go, I checked into a Medic station to wrap my ankle/foot. They were super friendly and helpful. After that the pain subsided, but the inner conflict continued. I called my sister to let her know I may opt to run the half, that I wasn't sure if I'd finish the full. She told me they just started their volunteer shift and wouldn't be done until 10pm. With that said, I ran on and as I approached the 9 mile mark, contemplating downgrading to running the half; thinking to myself I would disappoint my family who came all this way to watch me run a marathon, I decided to press on towards the original goal.

I decided to stay straight and continue on to complete the 26.2 miles. Only the full marathoners got to run through The Freemont Street Experience. It's an incredible outdoor shopping area, with restaurants, shopping, casinos, and billions of flashing lights! However once you left that area, as I mentioned earlier it became dark, cold, and lonely. There was a DJ somewhere around mile 18-20, which is were I managed to score some glow sticks which kept me entertained the entire rest of the marathon- I even crossed the finish line with them!

You end up running through the Freemont Street Experience again to get back to the Strip, as you head towards the finish line at the MGM Grand. Apart from the cold, running in the dark, being in excruciating pain most of the marathon - running past all the hotels that I've only seen from the sidewalks before, and all of their lights twinkling, shimmering and shining, made for quite the experience; but what made this marathon SO special for me was my family being at the finish line, putting my finishers medal around my neck. Therefore, I can say with confidence that I would HIGHLY recommend running the strip at night, and I will encourage you to consider this...the HALF is where the Party is at, and the WHOLE is truly a Marathon!