It's dark, it's cold, and I could be playing blackjack instead of getting ready to walk the Las Vegas International Half-Marathon. But I am here to walk, and seeing the hotels of the Las Vegas Strip off in the distance, I set off at 6:30 am.

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This yearly event the first Sunday of February draws over 3000 to run or walk the half-marathon, and over 2000 for the marathon.

The Facts

• No time limit
• Packet pick-up and pasta party Saturday
• Sunday race - load bus 5 am, start 6:30 am
• Medal and long-sleeved t-shirt
• Chip timed
• Water and porta-johns every mile
• Sports drink every 2 miles
• Mostly runners, but approx. 500 walkers for half-marathon
• Destination event for several charity marathon and half-marathon programs.
• Walker-friendly overall: 5 Stars
• Overall fun rating: 5 Stars

The packet pick-up is held on Saturday at a hotel on the Strip (the Tropicana in 2002) and features a great expo where you can buy running and walking gear. It is best to stay at one of the nearby hotels or the MGM Grand where the buses pick-up and drop-off.

Getting to the Start
I set the alarm for 4 am to get ready and line up to catch the bus at 5 am from the MGM Grand out to the start point on State Road 604. All participants get bused. The lines were very long to get 3000 people on the bus, but moved quickly. At the start point we had time to use the porta-john and check any extra warm-up clothing.

It is very cold in the desert at 6 am in February. Temps were about 30F at the start time of 6:30 am, with just a slight breeze. I was very happy with my walking outfit: Polar Buff, Sporthill Nomad Pants, CoolCat Portland Marathon long-sleeved t-shirt, InSport windproof running jacket, cheap gloves, 180s ear warmers with earphones, CoolMax hat from Sub4, CoolMax socks and New Balance 829 shoes. I carried a water bottle and essentials in my Pallotta TeamWorks fanny pack.

You know you are in Vegas when a team of Elvis impersonators are participating.

On the Course
We were off. The course goes downhill at a gradual slope the first several miles. Dawn came and 13 miles in the distance the hotels of the Strip gleamed. The highway was closed to traffic until it widened, but we always had an entire lane to ourselves with traffic controlled by orange cones and police.

Route Amenities
Each mile was marked for the marathon and half-marathon and had a water stop. Every two miles they also had Ultima Replenisher sports drink. There was no sports gel or fruit offered. Each stop had a couple of porta-johns, with fairly short lines. For the first 3 miles there was plenty of desert (and no onlooking traffic) for the guys and braver gals to use rather than the porta-johns.

I started near the back of the pack and seemed to have picked a good pace group, without any crowding and not much need to swerve to pass. The hotels just kept getting bigger off in the distance as we headed straight north. The easy downhill made for a fast pace. After five miles we made a turn at the Belz Factory Outlet and the route jogged over onto Sunset Road for the final three miles to Sunset Park.

Going past McCarran Airport, the water stop was manned by the Air Force Thunderbirds, the actual pilots wearing their distinctive windbreakers. It was quite an honor to be served by them.

There were 3-4 bands playing along the final miles of the course, which helped perk things up. I turned off my MP3 player approaching the airport as the planes taking off drowned it out.

Getting Warm
I warmed up enough by Mile 9 to remove my windbreaker and Buff and stow them in my fanny pack. The temperature didn't break 50F while I was walking. The course had no shade until the turn onto Sunset Road where there was partial shade. I was sweating well from the exertion and maintaining a good pace - in fact doing a negative split, getting faster in the final miles. I felt pretty crummy around mile 9-10, wondering "What am I doing here?" as I tried to maintain a good pace. But then my second wind kicked in and I felt great the final two miles.

The Finish
In the final stretch to the park, a team of helpers was handing out cups of beer rather than water. I declined, and headed into the park and through the balloon arch to the finish. My chip time was 3:06:51. This was two minutes slower than my time on the Helvetia Half Marathon and 2 minutes faster than the first half of the Portland Marathon. However, I had slowed down and talked with a fellow Avon 3-Day Walker and had a 2-minute slower mile for that mile. Overall, a solid mid-winter performance.

At the finish, we got a bag of fruit and snacks and headed past the sales tables and massage tables. The year-specific items were being sold at great prices, so I got a sweater and a hat. I really cooled down fast and quickly got into my fleece vest and kept the mylar space blanket handy. Then back on the bus to the MGM. I had my pick of enjoyments in the funnest city on earth in which to celebrate. I chose lunch at Olives restaurant and a foot and leg massage from a booth at the Excalibur.

Next page > More 2002 Photos > Page 1, 2, 3

Las Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon Info
2006 Photos and Review
Half-Marathon Training Schedule

Photos (c) Wendy Bumgardner February, 2002, licensed to About.com