REVEL Reno Tahoe
Reno, NV
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
This incredibly fast and remarkably beautiful road race takes runners from the summit of the Mt. Rose Highway to Reno, Nevada. Featuring a smooth downhill slope and spectacular scenery in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, this race will be sure to help you set your PR and finally hit that Boston … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 17):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 54 | 62 | 85 | 85 | 82 |
| L (°F) | 40 | 46 | 56 | 52 | 49 |
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Revel Reno
First, my time was not great, but that is my own fault. You know those down hills get you going. However, I needed a bandaid at mile 2. There was … MORE
First, my time was not great, but that is my own fault. You know those down hills get you going. However, I needed a bandaid at mile 2. There was a medical bag there, but it took the person several minutes to find one to give to a girl ahead of me and then another several minutes to try to locate another one. He had moleskin, but it was a big sheet and NO scissors. NOTE: Check the medical bags prior to race morning.
Other than that the race was great. Plenty of busses to transport us to the start line, good energy at the start line, plenty of porta potties. Aid stations were placed well and were well staffed and supplied.
I have to say the scenery was not as pretty as Utah I think because we ran a lot of this race through the subdivision, residential area. They were beautiful though. Not a lot of crowd support.
Swag is a shirt, your medal, and a bag of treats (banana, chips, pretzels). I was too cold to stay around and drink my beer, but the beer looked good.
Revel is well ran and organized.
What the Hill?
This was an inaugural and likely one time event produced by Revel but who knows it could come back. I have done two revel races before this (the discontinued White … MORE
This was an inaugural and likely one time event produced by Revel but who knows it could come back. I have done two revel races before this (the discontinued White Mountains and Mt Charleston). I decided to do this race for the extra bling. I already had Mt Charleston and Big Bear in my plans for 2026 and adding a third Revel race means I will get a triple revel medal and for even more bling you get a silver state medal for doing Mt Charleston and Reno this year so I will get 5 medals from doing 3 Revel races. When Revel announced this race on a weekend I had free, I looked to see if there were reasonable flights and there were and I registered for it. I had never been to Reno or Lake Tahoe and there aren’t many places in the continental US I haven’t been which was another reason I wanted to go. I took a very, very early flight to Reno on Saturday and arrived mid morning. I went to the expo. It was at the convention center where the races finishes. Parking was a pain for the expo and you had to pay to park. The expo was okay. It was a bit small and underwhelming but efficient. There is a lot of swag in the bag. It includes bib and a nice shirt and lots of snacks and samples plus a warming blanket and gloves for the morning. After the expo I drove the Lake Tahoe for some light hiking and exploring. I drove along much of the marathon route up Mt Rose. The half marathon was quite scenic but the marathon route was stunning. I was in no mood for 26.2 miles this weekend though. Lake Tahoe was magnificent and really beautiful and peaceful and I enjoyed my time there. I also had dinner and spent some time in the city of Reno. Can’t say it was my favorite city I ever been to but it was fine and easy to navigate and much less overstimulating than Vegas. I found a vegan Mexican restaurant for dinner called House of Mexica. I stayed at a Holiday Inn by the airport maybe a 5-10 minute drive to the convention center. Like most Revel races, this race starts really early and they shuttle you to the start. It was a cool day so I was happy I had my warming blanket. The shuttles were efficient and clear which were for what distance. Parking was also much easier race morning as there were no other events at the convention center that early and was free race morning. The start was cold but it’s a nice set up with lots of porta potty and water stations. I had some friends doing the race to hang out with. About 10 minutes before the race they told us to walk to the start. There were a few pacers but it was a fairly small race for Revel. We started on time. The first 3 miles are nice and fast down the mountain and I believe the first 16 for the marathon were fast like this. The marathon definitely has more downhill and more scenery so if you are up for 26.2 miles and this comes back I think the marathon would be even better though I did enjoy the half. I was initially hoping to break the impenetrable 2:40 finishing time I have yet to break since a stress fracture in 2021. The first 3 miles were well on pace for that and I felt good. The mountain was pretty. The next about 3.5 miles were overall net downhill but not as steep with a few little uphill sections. I didn’t maintain my super fast speed but did maintain the pace for sub-2:40. However it all fell apart in the second half. The second half of the race is not downhill at all. It is probably net even and there is actually a decent amount of uphill this section. I think there was like 250 ft of elevation gain for the race. Obviously that is not much but it is a lot for a Revel race especially since most was in the second half. I also should probably do more research before I run somewhere as I didn’t realize how high in elevation Reno was and I struggled a bit with the elevation and both my HR and respiratory rate were faster than usual and I struggled to catch my breath a bit. Plus the last few miles had a headwind so I lost the 2:40 pace but did at least finish under 3 hours. The course though is quite nice and varied scenery. It was not as scenic as the top of the mountain that marathon runs through but we passed through neighborhoods, and farms and had some beautiful views of the mountains. You however do not see Lake Tahoe. We also passed by farm animals which I love and I stopped to take pictures as soon as I realized my pace was definitely going to break 3 hours but definitely not going to break 2:40. Overall I thought production was good with only some minor critiques. The course was well marked and there were big mile markers and lots of aid stations with plenty of nutrition and plenty of porta potties. The big issue was some of the running lanes were very narrow. A lot was on coned off streets and sometimes you could only run 3 abreast at most. As I run-walk, I tend to pass people and be passed a lot so a tight running lane can be annoying. We were also sometimes a little close to traffic but it never felt unsafe. Spectator support was mixed. As someone said it was more pockets of spectators. The finish was at the convention center which was convenient. The medal is nice quality, but the focus is more on the Revel logo than the things specific to Reno/Tahoe. The Silver State medal though is super nice and shaped like Nevada and both medals spin. There is a bag of post race treats and a post race party but as someone else said in their review it was too cold to party much. Overall I enjoyed this race. It was well-organized, scenic and let me get some extra bling and explore a new part of the country. I did think for a Revel race though it wasn’t downhill enough and really didn’t think it was a super fast or easy course. Though I wouldn’t call it difficult and it had a very long time limit. If this race comes back, I’d recommend it if you like Revel races or want to visit Tahoe. In terms of a choice for Nevada, personally I thought Revel Mt Charleston was a faster, more downhill course with a wider running lane so if you could only choose one I would choose that one but this was still a nice race if it comes back and fits your schedule better. I did think Lake Taho was amazing and Reno was much easier to navigate than Vegas so if you would prefer to avoid Vegas in your 50 state quest this or another race in the Reno/Tahoe area is a great choice.
Gorgeous Course on a Blustery Day
Bussed up to Mt Rose at 3:30a for a 6a start. Very chilly at the top of the mountain and didn't enjoy waiting in the dark and cold for the … MORE
Bussed up to Mt Rose at 3:30a for a 6a start. Very chilly at the top of the mountain and didn’t enjoy waiting in the dark and cold for the race to start. On the plus side there were plenty of porta potties and a bag check to the finish so you could keep your warm clothes on while waiting. Absolutly stunning scenery down the mountain pass for the first several downhill miles. Ran through some neighborhoods and on some paths as well as the road. There were several long uphill sections but I was thankful for those as it gave my legs a break from the downhill. The weather started out sunny but then became very windy. We faced a strong headwind for the final miles. Race ended in the Reno Sparks Convention Center parking lot but given the cool and windy weather no one was hanging out for an afterparty. Very much enjoyed this varied course with plenty of aid stations. Not many spectators and they were mostly concentrated at a few areas. Plenty of space for runners on the course. I would do this race again and the afterparty would have been far more enjoyable on a warm, sunny day.
Downhill and scenic
One of the most organized races I have been at. Aid stations about every 3 miles with water, Gatorade, gels and doTerra cream. Running downhill for about the first 11 … MORE
One of the most organized races I have been at. Aid stations about every 3 miles with water, Gatorade, gels and doTerra cream. Running downhill for about the first 11 miles, but it was not crazy steep and had great forest views. After mile 12 it flattens out a bit and are a couple small hills going through neighborhoods. Only negative was a small section running along the highway, but it was coned off. Gloves and a foil blanket were included in the swag bag which was great due to the cold start. Would definitely try another Revel race if they are all this well managed.