This race was a blast! First of, the expo/packet pickup were timed so that those racers traveling in on Friday after work could still attend and pick up on Friday night. The race was partnered with the Edgewater Hotel and Casino as well as the Colorado Belle. Both hotels were within walking distance from the start line, so parking was not an issue and the hotels were super cheap!

When I arrived at the hotel to check in, I was given a handmade welcome gift from the race director as it was in the inaugural race. It had chapstick with sunscreen in it (which I had left at home), trail mix, epsom salts for after the race and more.

Morning of the race, we walked over to the start line and easily found our way around and located the gear drop as well. We were given bags to use at gear drop that were already marked with our bib numbers and they were dropped in the back of a uhaul so our bags could meet us at the finish line.

The race started as close to on time as possible, and started with a steady incline (which was a pretty large hill that steadily climbed for close to three miles. The hill was lovingly named the "dam" hill...which we quickly came to understand as to the reasoning behind the name.

From here, we turned and got a nice down hill break with a beautiful view. There were plenty of aid stations throughout the course, offering water and Gatorade, as well as some snacks along the way.

Along the way, we ran over the David Dam, from Nevada to Arizona and back again, on a trail and up several hills. There were ups and downs, making this course fun and exciting! I can't wait to do it again next year!

This was one of the most organized inaugural races I have seen, with tons of support and great volunteers. After the race, the awards and post-race party were held a little ways down the road, right near the host hotels. One suggestion for next year is to pump up the party. Maybe using a room in one of the hotels, or waiting a bit longer to give the awards would help get the party going...but this wasn't a big deal because we were in Laughlin afterall!

Highly recommend this race to everyone!