Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon

Last updated
Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon
Datelate February
Location Las Vegas, Nevada
Event type Road
Distance half marathon
Established1967(57 years ago) (1967)
Course recordsMen's: 2:11:58 (2005)
Flag of Kenya.svg Stephen Kiogora
Women's: 2:29:01 (2007)
Flag of Russia.svg Sylvia Skvortsova
Official site Rock 'n Roll Running Series - Las Vegas
Participants2,139 (2018)

The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Running Series is an annual half marathon foot-race run on the Las Vegas Strip and in parts of the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The former marathon distance race was one of the oldest marathons in the United States, having been held annually between 1967 - 2019. [1]

Contents

History

The initial concept was to attract nationally and internationally recognized runners; this was partially successful. Morris Aarbo of Canada won the first year with a time of 2:23:06, ahead of two marathoners from Turkey. A notable participant in the inaugural race was Harry Reid, who at the time was involved with local Nevada government. The subsequent 17 annual races fielded mostly local runners with a sprinkling of national- and international-caliber runners. When the Las Vegas Sun newspaper scuttled its sponsorship of the marathon in 1969, the recently formed Las Vegas Track Club took over the event. Over the ensuing years, enrollment in the race remained low—in the range of 100 to 200 entrants—until the running boom of 1978 when the numbers bumped up for a year or two. Subsequently, entrants again diminished, with fewer than 102 finishers in 1982.

Finish line at the Renaissance Center in suburban Las Vegas (1983) 1983 LV Marathon finish.jpg
Finish line at the Renaissance Center in suburban Las Vegas (1983)

In 1983 Al Boka assumed directorship and inaugurated what he expected to be a very fast course. The new course bumped registration up to over 450 participants. However this downhill course proved to be too severe on the runners’ quadriceps, so after three years this route was discontinued. The course was changed to have a smaller vertical drop in 1986. Also beginning in 1986, prize money was offered to 19 age division winners. Later a half marathon was also added to the mix. Boka's strategy to attract more runners was successful; by 1992 enrollment exceeded 2000. [2]

Boka remained race director of the Las Vegas Marathon for 23 years until he sold the event in 2005 to Devine Racing, a Chicago-based race organization company, which was also responsible for several other races, including the Los Angeles Marathon. That year the marathon date was changed from January to December after securing Las Vegas Events endorsement along with approval of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Both organizations were motivated by attracting visitors during the "slower" December time period and their consent was necessary for holding any large downtown event. The course was also changed to take place partially in the city.

Number of marathon finishers each year from 1967 to 2014. Marathon finishers.jpg
Number of marathon finishers each year from 1967 to 2014.

The Rock 'n' Roll Era

In 2009 the race was acquired by the Competitor Group, Inc. and incorporated into its Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series and the course was changed for a fourth time since 1982. [3]

Since the Competitor Group acquired the race in 2009, the number of full distance (26.219 mi (42.195 km)) marathoners has diminished, while the overall participation has increased dramatically . The venue itself, held at night on the Strip, has become more of a pop culture phenomenon than an international marathon. Most runners elect to do the half marathon while a few run ‘half of the half ‘ or 6.555 mi (10.549 km).

Runners in the 2011 event reported illness, overcrowding, and at least one person was hospitalized. [4]

In 2014 the overall entrants exceeded 38,000 participants with only 3,208 runners completing the full 26.2 miles. 25,251 runners finished the half-marathon, 2,194 runners completed the 6.555-mile course while the balance ran a 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) race the day before the main event. Many of the short-distance runners were costumed. The Monte Carlo Casino promoted a ‘run-thru wedding’ during the race. While a high volume of entrants is necessary to carry the cost of closing the Las Vegas Strip for more than 12 hours, [5] the paucity of actual marathoners distinguish the Las Vegas event from other big city venues such as Boston, New York, Chicago, London, or Berlin where the number of marathon finishers range from about 20,000 to more than 30,000. While successful as a commercial, for profit venture, this race falls short of the original vision to make the Las Vegas Marathon a world class, competitive running event.

In 2017, the race was acquired by and is now organized by the IRONMAN Group, part of Wanda Sports Holdings.

Organizers decided not to hold the 2020 edition of the race on its original date in November due to the coronavirus pandemic. [6] [7] Entrants were given either refunds or automatic entry deferral to 2021.

Course

Las Vegas Marathon & Half Marathon loop courses - 2005 to 2008 Las Vegas Marathon & Half Marathon Course.jpg
Las Vegas Marathon & Half Marathon loop courses - 2005 to 2008

From 1967 to 2004 the marathon course was located on several different routes within Clark County, but outside of downtown Las Vegas.

In 1983, Al Boka inaugurated a course that started on State Route 160, high in the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas on the road to Pahrump, and descended approximately 2,900 feet (883.9m) into the valley, finishing at the Renaissance Center located at the corner of East Tropicana and Eastern Avenues.

The 1986 marathon course was changed to a smaller, 700-foot (213.36m) vertical drop. The new route headed north on State Route 604 from Jean NV, paralleling Interstate 15 much of the way, to its finish point at Sunset Park.

In 2005, the race course was moved from suburban Clark County to the Las Vegas "Strip" and partially in the city of Las Vegas. The loop course between 2005 and 2008 began and finished at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. After heading north on Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip), to the Fremont Street Experience and the Downtown area, the course meandered further northwest of the city and ultimately looped back to the west before reaching Mandalay Bay's parking lot at the finish. The Half Marathon Course remained along the Strip.

In its most recent iteration, the full marathon began on Las Vegas Boulevard heading north through the Downtown casino area, proceeded further to the northwest, turns around and finished again on the strip near the Mirage and Venetian Casinos. [8]

The event was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was announced in February, 2021 that Competitor group would be next hold their Las Vegas events on February 26 and 27, 2022. The decision was made to move the event due to the increasing difficulty of scheduling closures of the Las Vegas Boulevard that didn't conflict with sporting events involving the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena or the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

Beginning in 2022, the Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas event would longer offered the full marathon distance, due to poor feedback on the event from prior participants. The race weekend now consists of the half-marathon distance, 10 km and 5 km races. [9] [10]

In 2024, the race had a new start line, beginning at Toshiba Plaza. [11]

Half marathon winners

YearMen's WinnerTimeWomen's WinnerTime
2024 [12] Flag of the United States.svg Andy Wacker (USA)1:04:47Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alice Wright (UK)1:14:10
2023 [12] Flag of the United States.svg Benjamin Stone (USA)1:12:32Flag of Costa Rica.svg Diana Bogantes Gonzales (Costa Rica)1:13:08
2022 [12] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Justin Kent (CAN)1:04:38Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ellie Stevens (UK)1:17:53

Marathon winners (1993-2020)

Key:    Course record (in bold)

YearMen's winnerTime [lower-alpha 1] Women's winnerTime [lower-alpha 1] Rf.
2020suspended due to coronavirus pandemic [lower-alpha 2] [6]
2019Flag of the United States.svg  Thomas Puzey  (USA)2:28:04Flag of the United States.svg  Heather Bray  (USA)3:13:00
2018Flag of the United States.svg  Thomas Puzey  (USA)2:25:53Flag of the United States.svg  Hannah McInturff  (USA)3:07:24
2017Flag of France.svg  Gilles Rubio  (FRA)2:38:04Flag of the United States.svg  Marisa Hird  (USA)2:55:19
2016Flag of the United States.svg  Michael Wardian  (USA)2:38:04Flag of the United States.svg  Chelsey Leighton  (USA)3:12:11 [13]
2015Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Andrew Lemoncello  (GBR)2:21:47Flag of Panama.svg  Williana Rojas  (PAN)3:08:18
2014Flag of the United States.svg Ben Bruce (USA)2:27:22Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Cathy Cullen (CAN)2:56:57
2013Flag of the United States.svg Jason Brosseau (USA)2:35:26Flag of the United States.svg  Nuța Olaru  (USA)2:58:46
2012Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan Ndambuki (USA)2:32:24Flag of Romania.svg  Nuța Olaru  (ROM)2:51:31
2011Flag of Kenya.svg  Peter Omae  (KEN)2:29:12Flag of Hungary.svg  Zsófia Erdélyi  (HUN)2:48:58 [14] [15]
2010Flag of the United States.svg  Josh Cox  (USA)2:25:05Flag of Poland.svg  Dorota Gruca  (POL)2:44:36 [16]
2009Flag of Kenya.svg  Christopher Toroitich  (KEN)2:15:15Flag of Kenya.svg  Caroline Rotich  (KEN)2:29:47 [1]
2008Flag of Ethiopia (1996-2009).svg  Abebe Yimer  (ETH)2:27:27Flag of Russia.svg  Nadezhda Tuptova  (RUS)2:48:20 [17]
2007Flag of Kenya.svg  Christopher Cheboiboch  (KEN)2:16:49Flag of Russia.svg  Sylvia Skvortsova  (RUS)2:29:01 [1]
2006Flag of Kenya.svg  Joseph Kahugo  (KEN)2:16:23Flag of Kenya.svg  Jemima Jelagat  (KEN)2:35:12
2005 (Dec)Flag of Kenya.svg  Stephen Kiogora  (KEN)2:11:58Flag of Mexico.svg  Adriana Fernández  (MEX)2:31:54
2005 (Jan)Flag of Kenya.svg  Gilbert Koech  (KEN)2:13:45Flag of Russia.svg  Olga Kovpotina  (RUS)2:31:54
2004Flag of the United States.svg  Kevin Herd  (USA)2:28:13Flag of the United States.svg  Kari Anne Bertrand  (USA)2:45:46
2003Flag of the United States.svg  David Bronfenbrenner  (USA)2:33:34Flag of the United States.svg  Linda Huyck  (USA)2:57:48
2002Flag of Ethiopia (1996-2009).svg  Abebe Yimer  (ETH)2:18:48Flag of the United States.svg  Midori Sperandeo  (USA)2:41:52
2001Flag of the United States.svg  Mike Dudley  (USA)2:18:13Flag of France.svg  Irina Kazakova  (FRA)2:41:56
2000Flag of the United States.svg  Rob Reeder  (USA)2:17:15Flag of Poland.svg  Joanna Gront  (POL)2:36:00
1999Flag of Hungary.svg  Zoltán Holba  (HUN)2:16:42Flag of Belarus.svg  Alena Vinnitskaya  (BLR)2:32:43
1998Flag of Hungary.svg  Zoltán Holba  (HUN)2:14:15Flag of Poland.svg  Joanna Gront  (POL)2:43:32
1997Flag of Hungary.svg  Zoltán Holba  (HUN)2:14:23Flag of Poland.svg  Marzena Helbik  (POL)2:32:22
1996Flag of Hungary.svg  Zoltán Holba  (HUN)2:16:10Flag of Belarus.svg  Yelena Makolova  (BLR)2:40:17
1995Flag of Russia.svg  Vladimir Netreba  (RUS)2:14:52Flag of the United States.svg  Laura Mason  (USA)2:37:20
1994Flag of the United States.svg  Michael Dudley  (USA)2:16:54Flag of the United States.svg  Roxi Erickson  (USA)2:40:14
1993Flag of the United States.svg  Doug Kurtis  (USA)2:18:55Flag of the United States.svg  Kathleen Smith  (USA)2:41:55

Notes

  1. 1 2 h:m:s
  2. ↑ It is unclear whether the marathon would be postponed or cancelled. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Leydig, Jack & Milroy, Andy (2011-12-05). Las Vegas Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-12-07.
  2. ↑ Monograph - The Las Vegas Marathon: A History by Everett C. Chase 1991
  3. ↑ "Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon & Half Marathon Race 2014". Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
  4. ↑ "Las Vegas marathon runners say they were sickened". 8 December 2011.
  5. ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal by Richard Velotta Nov.13, 2014
  6. 1 2 3 "Register". Archived from the original on 2020-11-06.
  7. ↑ "Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll marathon off, could be rescheduled". 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Rock 'n' Roll Running Series Las Vegas". www.runrocknroll.com. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  9. ↑ "Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon to return in 2022 minus 26.2-mile race". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  10. ↑ Rill, Jake. "Las Vegas Marathon 2024: Route, Course Map, Times, Rock 'n' Roll Event Details". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  11. ↑ Gary (2023-11-15). "New start line experience location for Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas". endurance.biz. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  12. 1 2 3 "Rock 'n' Roll Running Series Las Vegas". www.runrocknroll.com. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  13. ↑ Lapwai's Leighton declared winner of marathon
  14. ↑ December 2011 AIMS Results. AIMS. Retrieved on 2011-12-07.
  15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20201106043431/https://www.european-athletics.org/athletes/group=e/athlete=131959-erdelyi-zsofia/index.html
  16. ↑ "Las Vegas Marathon - Cox, Gruca Win Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon". www.marathonguide.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "AIMS - 2008 AIMS Event Winners". Archived from the original on 2017-03-10.
List of winners
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