Red Rock Canyon Marathon

So I am not a huge fan of the Vegas strip but I love the natural beauty of the southwest so this was already at the top of my list for a Nevada race even before covid. I needed a marathon to run this weekend as part of my training for the Zion 50K and when looking at my options this seemed like the marathon most likely to happen that I wanted to run. This was the most beautiful but also the most difficult marathon I have done but I was actually hoping for a more difficult marathon as part of my training. The amazing scenery and the over 2500 feet of elevation gain will take your breath away both literally and figuratively. Now for the details. Logistically this race was very complicated to hold with Nevada group size limits and multiple distances. It ended up being an all day event with 1 marathon group, 4 half marathon groups and 2 5K groups each capped at 50 people. I arrived a week before the race to do some hiking, trail running and sight seeing. I am not a gambler and am not really into the whole casino thing so I stayed at the Hampton Inn near Red Rock. Very convenient for the race and for visiting red rock but if you would prefer a more traditional Las Vegas vacation the race does offer a bus from the strip to the race for an additional fee. Prior to the race a detailed final instruction packet was sent. There were a number of modifications due to covid. One of the main ones is there was no pre-race packet pick-up and you just got it the morning of the race. Since the groups were small, parking was very convenient as we could park at the start line. Normally there is the option of the strip bus for a fee or a free bus from a closer location and no start line parking. I did think the start line was a bit chaotic as there was a half marathon group that started at 6:15 but a lot of them were out and using the port-a-potties and getting their packets when it was just supposed to be the marathoners outside their cars. Luckily the race staff realized this and had marathoners come to the front of the line for packet pick-up. Packet included bib and shirt. Shirt is nice and tech but not year or distance specific. The chaotic start seemed to be related to the multiple groups and not something that would occur in a normal year and I only took away one sneaker from production since it was a lot of work to arrange so many races in 1 day so a few blips is understandable. The marathon started at 6am so it was slightly dark and very cool. In case you have been following my recent weather woes with races, today the weather was absolutely beautiful but as it is the desert the early start is slightly cold but it warms up quickly. Either bring throw away clothes or do as I did and just suck it up and be cold the first 2 miles. Otherwise you might be too hot. Normally the marathon is an out and back along the entire 13 mile scenic drive. This year to accommodate multiple races it was a double out and back from the end of the scenic drive to the halfway point. The half marathon is normally a point to point course along the scenic drive but today there were two out and back courses with one at the start and one at the end of the scenic drive. At 6am the marathoners lined up about 6 feet apart and started. The marathon was manually timed not chipped time. But this isn’t a PR course so it’s not the end of the world if you lose a few seconds starting at the back. The course is absolutely gorgeous with the sandstone formations and desert scenery. There is one short out and back on dirt road in the beginning but the rest is road. The first half of the out and back is net uphill and is tough. It was especially tough since I did about 40 miles of additional hiking and trail running this week before the marathon. There are a few downhills but it is a slow start. The you go to the turnaround point and it is mostly downhill so can make up for some time. You then go to the start line and turn around and do it again. Normally I wouldn’t want to do a 2 loop marathon course but this was so spectacular I didn’t mind doing it again although could have done with a few less hills. There were aid stations about every 2 miles with water, Heed (electrolyte drink) and all but the first one had gels. Very friendly staff and everyone involved with the race was very friendly and encouraging. I was the last runner for some of the race but all the runners who passed me and everyone at the aid stations cheered me on. Even though this was a road race, it had kind of a trail race vibe where it was more laid back and about enjoying nature and each other’s company and not as much about trying to PR or BQ which I really enjoyed. While I was obviously quite slow given the elevation and my tired legs from all the hiking I did earlier this week, I actually felt great at the turnaround point around mile 20 and really killed the last 10K of the race and ended up passing a few people and my fastest miles were the final ones. I greatly enjoyed running (and I’ll admit it some power walking) among such beautiful scenery and I was actually sad it was over. I would have loved another 5 miles so I guess I am ready for my upcoming 50K. At the end they record your time and you get your medal. This was my slowest marathon but I knew that it would be coming into the race given the difficulty and all the hiking and trail running I did this week so I was happy to finish under 6 hours. The medal is big but again not distance or year specific. Also while I like that they use southwestern designs and patterns, I feel like there is too much negative space on the medal and the logo is too small but it’s not a bad medal. There were some cups of water and some grab and go snacks such as smartpop and Kind bars at the finish line but no festivities due to covid. Afterwards I left and went to my favorite vegan spot in Vegas (Violette’s vegan cafe) for my traditional post-marathon veggie burger. Overall I thought this was a gorgeous and wonderful race albeit very difficult. If you want to do well on this race, you will need to do hill training and should not hike 40 miles the week before. But if you want to just enjoy the race and have a great adventurous vacation do the hiking as there is a 7 hour time limit so you can walk a lot of it. Unless you are desperate for a PR or BQ, choose this for your Nevada race!