This was the inaugural year for this race, a part of the Sin City Shootout weekend. There was a Friday night packet pick-up at the Tropicana, and then the races were on Sunday at Sunset Park (just southeast of the airport). I didn't make it to the Friday night pick-up, so thankfully, there was pick-up available Sunday morning as well.

I'm a Las Vegas local, and have run at Sunset Park many times, so I had no problem finding the park, or the area of the park where the race was being held. I did see a lot of people taking taxis and was not at all envious of that hassle. I hear that they'll be adding shuttles in 2017.

It was a very chilly morning in Vegas - especially while waiting for the race to start. It was a pretty small race, and I got there pretty early, so the line to get my packet was still pretty short. The people manning the table were moving things along pretty well - probably trying to stay warm. :) Unfortunately, the was a shipping problem with the shirts and most of them did not arrive in time for the race. They assured us that they would mail them out individually to each participant.

I'm a runner that tends to need a potty at least once prior to a race, depending on how early I arrive. There were no port-a-potties or anything at the start - only the restrooms available throughout the park. Nothing really against the race, or its organizers, but the restrooms at this park are pretty sub par (no doors on the stalls!).

There were 3 options to choose - a 5k, 10k, or Double Your Luck and run them both. I ran the Double Your Luck challenge. This rest of this review describes the 5k.

With 5 and 10 minute warnings (I think!), the race directors gathered all the 5k runners to the start line. Like I've said, I've run in this park many times, so the course was no big surprise to me; however, I was still very appreciative of all the volunteers. There was never a question of which way to zig or zag through the park, and they all had such great energy cheering on all the runners. There was only one aid station, which was plenty, with fun music playing as well as water and fuel (I'm sure, though I ran with my own stuff and never actually stopped at the aid station).

The course itself was pretty flat and runs through a sand dune preserve; you'd never really guess it was such an urban setting. There were lots of bunnies and road runners to spot along the way. Plus, the views of the mountains in the distance were a gorgeous backdrop.

The finish line was nice. If you ran the 5k or the 10k, you received a pretty sweet medal after crossing. It looked like a poker chip, had a good weight to it, and didn't feel or look cheap.

Again, this was a pretty small race, but the post-race treats were great! There was water, a protein drink, bananas, as well as some salty treats. It was perfect!

Link to this review