My Profile
@lyrussel
Las Vegas, NV Raving since 2023 Active 1 month, 3 weeks agoAbout Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
50 States Map
Half Marathon
Marathon
Ultramarathon
(Marathon or Ultra) + Half
Marathon + Ultra
Other
Future Races
Personal Bests (2)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City Marathon | Half Marathon | Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 22, 2023 | 2:07:02 |
| Lake Mead Marathon | 10K | Boulder City, NV | Jan 13, 2024 | 56:30 |
Future Races (0)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
|---|
Past Races (4)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion Half Marathon | Half Marathon | Springdale, UT | Mar 2, 2024 | 2:14:55 |
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| Lake Mead Marathon | 10K | Boulder City, NV | Jan 13, 2024 | 56:30 |
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| Salt Lake City Marathon | Half Marathon | Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 22, 2023 | 2:07:02 |
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| Austin Marathon & Half Marathon | Half Marathon | Austin, TX | Feb 19, 2023 | 2:11:02 |
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Zion Half Marathon 🏆
Excellent Race!
Zion Half Marathon 🏆
This was my first race with Vacation Races, and I was very impressed with their organization. The pre-race communication was very clear, and unlike some organizers, they just sent what … MORE
This was my first race with Vacation Races, and I was very impressed with their organization. The pre-race communication was very clear, and unlike some organizers, they just sent what was needed, vs lots of emails. The race day guide is packed with useful information.
I picked up my packet the day before, and there was hardly any queue. I am not a big shopper, so it was nice to be able to pick up bib and shirt without getting caught in a huge expo.
On race day, the shuttles were very frequent and comfy. The staging happened in a field near the start. It had some heaters, and lots of toilets. It was hard to keep out of the wind, but this is something you can hardly blame the VR for.
The course profile on Strava/mapmyrun felt deceiving. For the first 4 miles, the course felt flat to downhill. The hill at 5.5 was not as bad as expected. That said, the hill at mile 10 was hard due to the wind and the sun! As expected, it’s actually the small climb within Springdale that felt the hardest as legs were tired, and the route is in the sun.
I like the no cup policy – no having to avoid litter at the water stations.
The scenery was beautiful; although sometimes hard to see as the sun was in my eyes as I couldn’t wear my hat due to the wind!!!
Overall: Demanding, but not as bad as feared, but totally worth it. Will definitely repeat in the future.
Lake Mead Marathon
Another excellent BBSC Production
Lake Mead Marathon
This is the second time I have run the Lake Mead 10km, and 5 or 6th race with BBSC. Their events are always well run - easy signup and clear … MORE
This is the second time I have run the Lake Mead 10km, and 5 or 6th race with BBSC. Their events are always well run – easy signup and clear communications ahead of the race. Race day is very well organized – lots of porta potties, professional timing crew, and excellent post race snacks. The 10km course is gently undulating along a paved trail, so no worries about traffic and plenty of room to over take. There’s no steep hills, but it still makes for a slightly demanding course, particularly the small climb from mile 4.5 to the turnaround.
Will definitely do the HM course in the future.
Be aware that the race is inside Lake Mead National Park so you will need to pay the entrance fee. Also allow 5 mins extra for the amount of traffic at the entrance booth.
Salt Lake City Marathon
Cool and Beautiful
Salt Lake City Marathon
This was my second half marathon, and a considerably smaller event than my first. And this made it a vastly more enjoyable event - easier to maintain pace, over take … MORE
This was my second half marathon, and a considerably smaller event than my first. And this made it a vastly more enjoyable event – easier to maintain pace, over take people, etc.
Organization: The event was really very well organized. Suitable amount of communication and easy to follow instructions. The only small amount of confusion was the Trax map and timetable as the map is a little old and doesn’t show all the stops. But easily solved with google!
Packet pickup was easy and quick. Slightly frustrating to be “forced” through the expo, vs just picking up the bib and swag. But not a big deal.
Race Day: Very easy to get to the start thanks for the free Trax access. Lots of toilets at the start – top marks! The race was a wave start, which was excellent and helped to space everyone out. The course undulates before dropping down to the city. Very well marked course, but do be aware of the number of potholes. Crowd support was less than my previous race, but I would have to say this was nicer (vs lots of screaming) – but that’s a personal preference.
Frequent water stations and people were really good about putting their trash in the provided bins vs scattering it all across the road. I carry my own water, so I can’t comment how well the stations were stocked.
Well organized finished – easy to find your friends. The runners get routed through the food alley to collect items and then reunite with friends.
It was cool and overcast on race day – but heh, it didn’t rain and it’s April, so not unexpected temperatures.
Austin Marathon & Half Marathon
Very well organized
Austin Marathon & Half Marathon
This was my first ever half marathon, and I have held off reviewing it until I have done another HM so I had something to compare it with. Organization: Amazing. … MORE
This was my first ever half marathon, and I have held off reviewing it until I have done another HM so I had something to compare it with.
Organization: Amazing. Excellent communications in the build up to race week. My only niggle would be the links to the hotels – the site massively overcharged for the tax, so I had to cancel my reservation and book directly. The expo was very well run – quick to pick up the bib and goodies. I am not a big shopper, so the vending side of the expo was not of interest, but I could see there was a lot of variety.
Race Day: Not enough toilets at the start line. Hence very difficult to get into the chute with the pace groups. Pretty close to a crush at the start. There were so many people that it was really hard to get into a rhythm for the first 0.5 miles. The first 3 miles are uphill – but that is known as the website had an excellent video fly over of the course. This helped to thin out the runners. The next 3 miles were downhill, back to the river, which was not too steep. From there the course undulates and winds threw Austin before a “killer” hill at mile 12. In reality it’s not that steep, but came as a shock. The course was well marked, but with the number of people, hard to overtake.
The aid/water stations were very frequent, but hugely messy as cups were dropped all over the road. I carry my own water, so I can’t comment on how well stocked they were, but care was required to avoid tripping over discarded cups or getting caught up in the people sipping.
Lots of crowd support, which was a blessing and a curse as it’s very hard to meet up after the race.
Conclusion: very professionally organized. For me, I would not do it again and instead will go for races with less people (so it’s easier to maintain my own slow pace) or races with a wave start. But that is personal preference!