I've run this race before, but this year I decided to run for a charity. I ran for the Endometriosis Foundation of America. I will start off saying that the information to sign up for them was easy. Sadly, I never got any emails or information from RNR about the race updates, confirmation or anything until after the expo. This was a little frustrating and stressful. My contact with my charity understood my frustrations and even let me know that others had the same issue, but was able to part take in the race with no issues. My fear was that I was going to show up and be told I was not registered. Luckily, that was not the case.

The EXPO
I was able to use the tables to find my bib number and had no issues at all. Once I got my bib number and got my gear it was time to enjoy the expo.

I normally don't buy the merchandise from a race, but this year I did because this race had a different meaning. I was running not only for a charity I believe in, but to show myself that I could run despite having a chronic illness that made me stop running 2 years ago. I bought one of the Brooks tanks for the race as well as a few other things for my son and husband. From there we went to the expo looking for different vendors. I didn't need anything for the race so I didn't need anything, but the variety of vendors was nice. There was plenty of room to move around. I never felt it was too crowded or anything.

The Race
This year the start of the race moved. I had no problems with that and I kind of liked the new starting area. I'm not sure if I didn't have the information because I wasn't receiving updates or what, but I wasn't sure what time my group was starting nor where exactly I was supposed to go. I happen to find the yellow group by accident when I arrived at NYNY looking for where to go and a bathroom. I don't think there were any portapotties in this area so we all crowded the casino to go. A nice employee showed us a bathroom further inside that didn't have a line that was a mile long, which was very nice of him to do. From there I found my corral and stretched while I waited. My one criticism for the start was we could not hear that announcers where I was. I was between NYNY and the Monte Carlo down the small street between the two and there were no speakers for us to hear.

At 5:30 my group was able to go and get started. The start of the race is always exciting. The first few miles had no bands playing and at the site of the shooting, last month was a banner signed by the runners. It was beautiful to see. The first band we did was a string quartet and they were playing We are the Champions when I ran by. I always struggle with mile 2 or 3 of this race. I've walked the strip so many times that it doesn't bother me, but when I'm near the airport the strip feels so far away.

The support during the race was decent. Since I'm in the back of the pack I'm never sure if the volunteers at the station are tired or just don't care. Some were just standing around others actually came out and offered us drinks. The bands were good, though I usually run with my iPod since I'm picky about the music I listen to while I run. I think my favorites were the string quartet and the Japanese drums. There were more police and security presence this year. I actually did not mind it. In years past I've noticed that once you start getting to Downtown Las Vegas there is no police or security presence. I am glad for the extra security and medical stations that I saw. Made us feel a lot safer and taken care of.

I felt like this year there weren't as many spectators than previous years. I felt like most people I saw on the sidelines were just visiting the strip and moving from one casino to the next. In years past I've seen more signs and people cheering us on. I usually have a group of people near mile 11 that helps push me to the finish line.

The finish line area was okay. The medals as always are cool looking for this race. The photo stations are great for getting a photo with your medal. The food this year was ok. The water was room temperature, the Gatorade was cold at least. We also got bananas that I saw sitting on the strip at 9 am so they were brown and mushy by the time we got them at 9 pm, pretzels, chips, chocolate milk and some oatbar. It was okay, but I've had better post-race goodies.

I had a great time at this race and looking forward to next year's race!