text: I have wanted to run in this race for years now and was so excited to finally get my chance Unfortunately I was very disappointed Not entirely mind you as there were still moments of the race that were awesome especially the random drunk guy in front of Harrahs who handed me an ice cold bud light around mile I wish he would been there again at mile or so I could have used another PnnRunning on the strip at night was cool Really cool But that is only a few miles of the run Once you start getting further down Las Vegas Blvd into down town the glitz and glamour wear off and are replaced by sketchy tweekers and homeless people shuffling up and down the sidewalks and actually onto the race course which is not barricaded off anymore at this point THEN at about the halfway mark the course turns off of Las Vegas Blvd for three miles of silent darkness winding through residential and industrial streets And not nice ones There were no barricades no spectators no course support except the occasional gasgeneratorrun light and a cop sitting by watching It did not feel secure It felt scary and sketchy and dismal And depressing Way to kill any race day motivation or runners high i would gained up until that point Everyone else I talked to was suffering as well at this point It was great to turn back onto the strip for the last few miles of racing but at that point the damage was done the pain and cramping had set in and it was a slow painful disappointing finish to what I had hoped would be the coolest half marathon ever nnLuckily I only ran the half marathon I cannot imagine having SIXTEEN miles of nothing rather than the I had to endurennOther things that added to my disappointment were n I almost stepped on not one but TWO dead animals cats I think waaahhh on the race course that had obviously been there for days Would be nice if they would bothered to clean roadkill from the course before the eventn Three miles of no bathrooms and no course support through that residential area Also the website had stated there would be a gu station at about halfway through the race there was no gu station at all Luckily i would decided to play safe and bring an extra packet but I feel bad for those who were counting on that and did not get it That is kind of a big deal rightnn The swag bag did not have ANY swag in it Not even a packet of gu or a bottle of water Just advertisements That is not a HUGE deal but do not promise this if it is not going to be given Also the actual bag and shirt are not nearly as nice as the ones I received in San Diegos RR The bag I got in SD has been my gym bag for the last months this one went straight into the trash it is really cheapflimsynn The finishers corral at the end was TOO LONG I needed so badly to get off my feet at that point but had to walk what felt like a mile to get to the exit so that I could walk to a hotel and catch a cab This was not pleasant I understand their wanting to make it a secure finish zone but that felt a little stupid after having just been sent to run past meth labs in the pitch blacknnnThe positive points yes there were some of these were n The finishers medal is REALLY cooln The results and photos were posted to the website remarkably fast n It was well organized and I was not confused about where to go at any pointn They had BEER for me at the end of the racen The portion of the race that was on the strip was seriously awesome Spectators giving you high fives funny signs the whole nine yards Had the race been this way the entire route it would be getting five stars despite its other shortcomingsnnnAll in all I am glad I did it but am a little sad that it was not as awesome as I would hoped I really do not see myself doing this race again unless I am asked to participate by a friend whom I will try to talk out of doing it first There were a lot of nonrace factors that impacted my performance as well such as the temptation to drink being exposed to so much cigarette smoke the difficulty in finding healthy food and just how much walking is required for Vegas Even going down to the hotel lobby to take a cab to a restaurant then walking to that restaurant from the cab stop is pretty significant It was pretty much impossible to stay off of your feet as much as you should the day before the race As a result i was footsore before the race even started If I ever do run in this event again I will definitely plan to arrive the morning of the race rather than the night before and have my prerace meals prepped and packed already so that I can just check into my hotel and rest until race time