This was my first half marathon race after having two children, and I ran it with a friend who lives in nearby Henderson, NV. This was also my first Rock n Roll marathon series race, so I was curious about the hype and the race management. I could not say enough regarding the pre-race information and the communication leading up to the race. And if anyone can get you pumped up for a race, it is their social media. With medal and finisher reveals, it was exciting as we got ever closer to the race.

I recommend asking at the expo about parking. My friend drove us to the race, where we decided to park at a hotel near the finish and take the light rail to the start. That was a bad decision. Everyone else had the same idea. The line for the light rail ran into a nearby casino, and stretched forever. We judged the length of the line and the time to the start (about an hour) and decided not to chance it. So we walked to the start, adding on almost two miles to our pre-race legs. Not ideal. We missed most of the pre-race concert, but enjoyed delightfully short port-a-pot lines. They seriously created a port-a-pot village in a huge area outside the concert venue.

This is a very large race, and the corrals are large and were not monitored for corral "honesty." I was expecting this, but I mention it because you will want to just plop down on the asphalt like only a few runners were doing until you are ready to run. Unless you are an elite runner, there is quite a wait for the half marathon start. I think the extra time standing on our pre-race legs was also not a great idea. We waited in line at the gate that holds back runners until time to get into the corrals. For those who went to the entire concert, they probably were not able to get anywhere near their true corral because the crowd just shuffled forward. (see picture for an idea of how many people were behind me. I was in my correct corral...ahem...rule follower)

The race had Glukos gels and gummies, and I really enjoyed those. I had tried them prior to race day, and they were great. The water/aid stations were well-stocked and plentiful for front- or middle-of-the packers, as were the port-a-pots along the way. A warning to those at the back of the pack- some of the water stations were out or running low on water at the end. You might want to wear some hydration for the last miles if you think this applies to you. My friend had an injury mid-way through the race, and I ran-walked the last half with her. Fortunately, I had some hydration with me.

For the crowd support, it was not what I expected. The crowd support near the start and finish were great, but once you are off the Strip and in the neighborhoods or the less populated areas, it was very quiet. I kind of liked the noise/light show brain break, but if you are looking for a Chicago Marathon type experience with spectators along the entire route, you will be disappointed. I will say that although I am not a huge fan of Las Vegas in general because I get easily overstimulated in casinos, etc., the festive atmosphere was contagious, and it is plain fun to run down the strip and see the spectacle the slow way without cars. The runners themselves were fun and friendly, so my memories of fellow runners far outweigh memories of the spectators. Fair warning: LOTS of people smoke in this city, so be ready to inhale some on the walk to the start, and the walk to your car/transportation afterwards. I seemed to always get stuck behind a pack of meandering tourists smoking like freight trains.

The finish was great- lots of genuinely nice people handing you things and taking your picture and pointing your tired body in the right direction. I have enjoyed many small races and a few big ones, and there is something to be said for a large machine working well due to experience managing large numbers of runners.

Overall, I had a great experience, and if I weren't set on running in different states, I would return to this race again in 2017.