The new time limit of 4.5 hours for the marathon eliminated walkers from participating, but they were welcome in the half marathon with a four hour time limit.
The results were a very negative experience for many of the participants due to overcrowding throughout the event. Personally, I was in fear of my life at one point and extremely uncomfortable at other times. That said, I had a far better experience out on the course than many runners did.
The organizers announced that they want to expand to 60,000 racers in 2012. In their post-race email, they are taking racer criticism seriously. Hopefully, it will result in a better experience in 2012 and beyond.
Expo and Packet Pick-up Congestion
Almost all of the racers had to pick up their race packets on the Friday or Saturday before the event. This was again held at the Sands Convention Center, about 2.5 miles up the Strip from the race start/finish at Mandalay Bay.
I arrived at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday and the foot traffic congestion getting into and out of the exhibition hall was gridlocked in both directions. Inside the Expo, it was very quick and efficient to get my race bib number and pick up my goodie bag and t-shirt. Others later found they ran out of goodie bags or shirts.
There were many complaints about very long waits to buy race merchandise, of over 30 minutes. I usually enjoy browsing race expos for new products. But the aisles were too congested and the layout was confusing. I began to wonder where the exit was. Once I found it, I left, only to be delayed in the crush of others coming to or leaving the Expo. It was a very unpleasant start to the weekend and a disappointment because I normally find the Expo to be one of my favorite parts of the race weekend.
But it was fun to see many participants already getting into the Las Vegas experience, dressing as Elvis or in other costumes.
Preparation for the Race
It was hard to determine how to prepare for a race that was in late afternoon. You are in Las Vegas but should abstain from alcohol, eat light, balanced meals and go to bed early for a full eight hours of sleep. Yeah, right!
It also meant taking it easy the morning and afternoon before the race. I found a great camaraderie among racers at the blackjack and poker tables. This was a pleasant part of the weekend. I asked others how they were going to dress, as the weather had turned cold. I switched to racing pants rather than capris and decided to wear a microfleece vest over my long-sleeved technical shirt. How to Dress for a Cold Weather Race
We received a headlamp in our goodie bags, and I wore a reflective sequined racing vest and reflective Glo Glovs.
