The Hoover Dam Marathon is historic and scenic. Taking place at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is approximately 18 miles from Las Vegas and boasts amazing views of the largest man-made lake in the US. During the race, you’ll run on the Historic Railroad Trail, part of the Rail-to-Trails …
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The Hoover Dam Marathon is historic and scenic. Taking place at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is approximately 18 miles from Las Vegas and boasts amazing views of the largest man-made lake in the US. During the race, you’ll run on the Historic Railroad Trail, part of the Rail-to-Trails Conservancy and National Park. The Marathon and Half Marathon will run through the Six Tunnels, all the way to the Hoover Dam overlook with views the entire way. The December desert-temperatures and views of Lake Mead make this run a must-do!
The Marathon course is just stunning in more ways than one! Start your race at Lake Mead’s Boulder Beach, Special Events Beach at the BBQ/picnic area. The first 1/4 mile is a steady gradual uphill along a wide roadway, giving plenty of room for runners to find their position among the field before making a left-hand turn onto the paved River Mountains Loop Trail. This section of the River Mountains Loop Trail is impeccably paved and about 12′ wide, running parallel to Lakeshore Drive. The course is undulating through the spectacular Mojave Desert and joins up with the Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail just before your mile 3. This section of trail is breathtaking! You’ll traverse a hard-packed dirt trail leading you through several old railroad tunnels that were used in the 1930s to transport supplies to the workers in the construction of the then Boulder Dam- now Hoover Dam. The trail is perched atop of a ridge overlooking the crystal blue waters of Lake Mead and the marina.
After passing through the last tunnel, your next mile is thru an area which is home to power plants- Hoover Dam is the main producer of electricity for Nevada, Arizona, and California. This is just a prelude to the “Money Shot”! You’ll zig zag your way down 6 switch backs (see Course Safety) delivering you onto the upper level parking garage at Hoover Dam. You will run a counterclockwise loop along the edge for a great view of the awe inspiring Hoover Dam and Bypass Bridge. No need to break stride- you get a great view as you run along the course, too. 10K will take shuttle back to Boulder Beach.
With the Dam now behind you, the Marathon and Half Marathoners will retrace their steps back up the switch backs, thru the tunnels overlooking Lake Mead, then back on the paved trail. Arriving back at Boulder Beach access road you’ll all continue straight continuing along the paved River Mountains Loop Trail to the turnaround roughly 0.6 of a mile ahead, then back to Boulder Beach.
Marathoners make 2 loops of the above (By popular runner demand). The finish line is back at Boulder Beach at the covered BBQ area where the awards and finish line food await!
Parking is at the water’s edge, or as instructed race morning. It is about a 1/4 mile to the start/ finish line.
The course does not go over the Dam.
Packed-dirt trail accounts for roughly 14 miles of the full marathon; 7 miles of the 1/2 marathon. The remainder is paved asphalt. Shoe recommendation is a sturdy road running shoe. Trail shoes are not necessary.
LESS
BEAUTIFUL Scenery!!!
Race starts at the Lake Mead Special Events picnic area. Bib pick up is morning of the race, there is no pre-race expo. Race started out a few minutes late, … MORE
Race starts at the Lake Mead Special Events picnic area. Bib pick up is morning of the race, there is no pre-race expo. Race started out a few minutes late, but ran really smooth. I like they separated out the different distance runners by 30 minutes, 1/2 marathon started 30 min after marathon runners, 10K started 30 min after 1/2 and so on. The run is out and back twice, it is up hill for the first 3 or 4 miles not a steep up enough you notice it on your 2nd lap. Then levels out and goes through the 5 tunnels and gives way to some beautiful scenery of Lake Mead and rocky mountains. At the turnaround you have some switch back ramp down to a parking garage that over looks the Hoover Dam where I got some nice pictures. Then the trail returns back along the same path. The volunteers were very nice and aid stations were plentiful. There were not many spectators, but the scenery made for a peaceful run. My biggest complaint was the after race offerings. There wast soda, water, chips, rice crispy treats and cold tough pizza, NO fruit. I finished in 4 1/2 hours, middle of the pack. I’m sure the pizza was warm for the 5K people, but maybe they should have gotten a second wave of pizza so it would have been at the very least warm. The metal and t-shirts were nice. I would highly recommend this race, but bring your own after race snacks.
Gorgeous and so well-supported!
Easy registration, enough communication, stunning but tough course. Swag was a nice medal (same as full marathoner medal) and unisex T shirt. Race day packet pickup is great. Plenty of … MORE
Easy registration, enough communication, stunning but tough course. Swag was a nice medal (same as full marathoner medal) and unisex T shirt. Race day packet pickup is great.
Plenty of water and Gatorade at stops (I think there were 5 and since it’s an out and back you hit them twice) and gels at some, didn’t see other snacks. Finish line had packaged snacks and pizza. Pretty easy travel, I stayed in Henderson which is close to the LV airport, drive was about 35 minutes. If you have a national park pass, bring it or you need to pay the $25 fee to enter the Lake Mead recreation area.
Small with gorgeous views
I did this race really just because it fit well into my schedule & I doubled down with Tucscon Marathon the next day. That being said - I had a … MORE
I did this race really just because it fit well into my schedule & I doubled down with Tucscon Marathon the next day.
That being said – I had a really great time. It is a smaller event so be prepared to be running alone (especially if you’re a back of the pack runner). I was lucky enough to befriend another runner which let the miles cruise on by. It is two loops with some areas far more challenging. Dress warm as the wild was rather cool and limited sunlight. The views were fantastic. Packet pickup day of was great and they waiting for the last person to finish before tearing down which is always appreciated. Be warned that you they do charge you $25 to enter as it’s part of the National Parks Entry Fee .
Such an underrated race!
I have been eyeing this race for a long time as I didn’t want to do Vegas as my Nevada race. Gosh I loved this race! Leading up to the … MORE
I have been eyeing this race for a long time as I didn’t want to do Vegas as my Nevada race. Gosh I loved this race!
Leading up to the race there was minimal communication and only packet pick up was day of the race which made me a wee bit nervous this race would be poorly done but I was so so wrong!
Parking was super easy race morning. Packet pick up smooth-only thing in terms of swag was a shirt.
This course is gorgeous! You run on an old railroad trail so be prepared for gravel. You also run through tunnels and on the shore of lake mead. Stunning!
Aid stations were perfectly placed with volunteers asking before you got there if you wanted water or Gatorade. Each aid station had energy gel as well.
The race is small, I believe only around 500 runners between the 4 events.
There were minimal spectators but it was so peaceful; you were just able to be in your running zone.
The course is hilly-this amazing downhill at mile 6 but the uphill on the way back a killer!
Only 2 minor complaints on this-seemed mile markers were off. I ended up logging 13.62 miles and others were saying the same thing. There is also a $25 fee to enter the park after 8am I believe but if you enter before it’s free. I arrived at 7:50 and didn’t have to pay. Race does start late at 8:30 (tough for east coasters like me who run at 5am east coast time)
A Dam Good Marathon
Be prepared for it to be cold and stay cold throughout the day with pockets of warm spots as the day goes on but since your near the lake it’s … MORE
Be prepared for it to be cold and stay cold throughout the day with pockets of warm spots as the day goes on but since your near the lake it’s going to be cold.
Really nice hilly scenic race
Did the half marathon. Full is two loops around. Stayed in Vegas. Did package pick up Day before in Henderson. No problems. Held in a sporting good store about 20 … MORE
Did the half marathon. Full is two loops around. Stayed in Vegas. Did package pick up Day before in Henderson. No problems. Held in a sporting good store about 20 minutes from Vegas.
Race day – drive to start was about 40 minutes from Vegas in Boulder Dam national park. No problems getting there. Parking was easy and right next to the start. Small race so no crowds.
Start line – probably 300 to 400 people total for both half and full so everybody just lined up where the wanted. Very calm and nice.
Course – first 5.5 rolling hills on mix of paved and solid dirt roads. Some steep inclines / declines. About mile 4 to 5 course runs thru old railroad tunnels. Pretty cool. The whole first 6 miles you are doing a slow climb. The view over the edge of the hills overlooking Lake Mead was really nice.
Mile 5 to 9 are pretty nasty. After finishing the tunnels you head down down down for about 1.5 miles ending up at turnaround on top of Hoover Dam. Down includes stepped switchbacks. Then hitting turnaround it is back up for about 1.5 miles. Last 4 miles are mostly downhill / flat back to the finish.
Really nice scenery the whole course.
Small race and course support was fine. Basic water stops with water and or some sort of generic Gatorade.
Medals were nice if you are into those sort of things for finishing a half
Overall – really nice race with great scenery and a chance to get out of Vegas and see other parts of the Vegas area. Final thought – after doing the hills once on the half marathon course glad I decided to just to the half. If you are going to do the full train for some steep hills
Solid, small race
This race had some hiccups with their shuttles and day of registration that caused the 10K & 5K race starts to be delayed, but the Half Marathon went off on … MORE
This race had some hiccups with their shuttles and day of registration that caused the 10K & 5K race starts to be delayed, but the Half Marathon went off on time. Unsure about the marathon as that started well before. The staggered start and open trail meant that there always seemed to be someone around you, but it never felt crowded.
Pros:
-I enjoyed the scenery being from the midwest, though some locals said it is not the most scenic compared to other local races. I enjoyed the soft surface running, seeing the dam, and the tunnels were fun.
-Medal and shirt are nice (though the medal is the same across all distances)
-Great weather for running!
-Many repeat runners
-Shuttle from Las Vegas is available (though at a cost)
-Water stations were well stocked and at good distances
Cons:
-I really hated running past the finish line for a 2(ish) mile out and back.
-Ran out of bags at registration, even for pre-registered runners. This would not normally be a big issue, but I had planned to use the bag for my gear check (which was free, but unsecured). This con is likely my making an assumption that the race would make me use their bag like many of the bigger races I’ve done with gear check. Bring your own bag and you’ll be fine.
-No real spectators if that is important to you, but the volunteers cheered at the water stops
-Finish line food is pretty blah.
Moderate challenge with beautiful views
How often do you get to run in the desert with views of a lake and mountains in the background? Oh, and you run through re-purposed railway tunnels. All on … MORE
How often do you get to run in the desert with views of a lake and mountains in the background? Oh, and you run through re-purposed railway tunnels. All on recreation trail, about half paved and half well groomed gravel. Starting at Boulder Beach on Lake Mead, running up and down a few hills (to make sure you’re awake) to Hoover Dam, and then back again. All with wonderful views of the lake and the Muddy Mountains less than an hour from Vegas. Between the hills and the gravel it’s not the fastest race you’ll do, but it is some of the best scenery so close to a major airport and far from traffic fumes.
December is a great time to run in southern Nevada.
Beautiful!!
Half is on trail. It's pretty fun running through the old railroad tunnels! Going down by the dam sucks because you've got to run up! Slight uphill finish which kicked … MORE
Half is on trail. It’s pretty fun running through the old railroad tunnels! Going down by the dam sucks because you’ve got to run up! Slight uphill finish which kicked my ass
Spectacular!
This is a great way to see the Hoover Dam and Lake Meade. Beautiful course run during the right time of year for that area of the country. For us … MORE
This is a great way to see the Hoover Dam and Lake Meade. Beautiful course run during the right time of year for that area of the country. For us it was an opportunity to thaw as well coming from Minnesota. Make sure you make time to see Vegas. Not many hotels near the race start but when we ran it in 2013 race organizers shuttled runners from Vegas. We stayed near Lake Mead (Boulder City) for ease in getting to the start and then spent a night in Vegas. We had a great time!
A small race on a desert climb
This is a small race put on by Calico Racing. Given there's only a couple hundred participants in the three distances don't expect too much crowding. The half does one … MORE
This is a small race put on by Calico Racing. Given there’s only a couple hundred participants in the three distances don’t expect too much crowding. The half does one loop and the full does two. The 10k starts at the same point, but ends on the parking garage where the other two loop back.
It is on a variety of surfaces, starting on the paved River Mountain Loop trail, then the unpaved Railroad Tunnels Trail which is fairly flat until you get off the former railroad track and then to a not very technical desert trail. The turn around point is on top of the parking garage for the Hoover Dam and does require some steep switchbacks. There is a fair amount of climb at the start and the turnaround.
Parking is in a dirt lot near the start line. There are two restroom buildings and several port-a-potties at the start. There are picnic tables to hangout near while waiting. Normally there are several running groups meeting up at the start. 50 States is at a lot of the races too.
The start is one group, but most people sort themselves adequately. The race director reviews the course at the start as well as any additional instructions. She normally announces any birthday runners and gives them party hats too. They tend to start pretty close to on time.
Not a lot of crowd support and limited volunteers given the size of the event and the remoteness. The water stops are spaced out, but did have snacks, gels, and some first aid stuff. I carried my own water to supplement since the stops are a bit far for me. There were port-a-potties or put toilets on the course. Some people took the elevator at the turnaround to use the indoor plumbing at the dam.
I’m a local, so this was a ten minute drive from my house. It is scenic in a desert fashion. At points you are overlooking Lake Mead or the Dam. The five tunnels are dark, but they put glow sticks to light the edges. Sometimes you can see Big Horn Sheep on the nearby hills. It is late enough in the year that snakes and such are not a concern. Everyone was very friendly, including the people just hiking the trail.
The medal and short sleeve shirt were very nice quality. Since the race is small they often don’t put dates on things so they can be reused as extras for future years or for their recycled race that gives out any leftovers from previous races.
The finish line was nice and they had a bunch of food left even for slow runners like me. The chili smelled good and the volunteers were friendly and helpful. I left my stuff in the gear drop there and it was simple to grab it and get warmed up.
Two-looped marathon, decent production
The Hoover Dam Marathon, Half Marathon & 10k is put on by Calico Racing, who organize several long-distance races in Nevada. This one takes place in Boulder City, on the … MORE
The Hoover Dam Marathon, Half Marathon & 10k is put on by Calico Racing, who organize several long-distance races in Nevada. This one takes place in Boulder City, on the shores of Lake Mead, about 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas. The course is a single out-and-back for the half marathon, which involves running to the Hoover Dam observation platform, and back to the finish line. It’s mostly two climbs. The marathoners do it twice, which I was not thrilled with. However, the course goes through several tunnels and has a constant, rocky landscape, which I very much love. The weather was pretty cold, even for Nevada, and the organizers put enough into the event to make it worthwhile. The post-race spread included homemade chili, which is an instant crowd pleaser. I still wear the long-sleeve tech shirt they gave out, but I was a little disappointed with the medals, which didn’t include the distance or the year. However, if you’re yearning for a marathon in December, you can’t go wrong with this one, especially since you get a great view of one of the great engineering feats of the 20th century.