5/5 Stars

This was a great course- super speedy! It was my 22nd marathon and I'm convinced it might be the fastest qualifier in the country. The downhill grade was perfect, not too steep, but enough it definitely helped you maintain speed with less effort. Weather was fabulous as well- it did feel hot until the end (and I always feel too hot). The race was a nice size- not too many, but you were definitely never alone.

Yes! I was totally surprised since I am getting older (almost 45) and haven't run a marathon this fast in 4-5 years. It was only a 20 second PR, but my largest Boston Qualifying buffer (17 minutes). I ran 13 minutes faster than my "A" goal time for this race. I met lots of out of towners who were there to BQ or PR.

Reminded me a lot of St. George, but no uphills. That is the only other desert marathon I have to compare with. The start was beautiful and cool. The downhill grade was perfect, not too steep, but enough it definitely helped you maintain speed with less effort. I started conservatively and passed many runners miles 12-19 and that was fastest race split. The last 6 miles were more difficult as it flattened out and came into the city, but I knew this and was mentally prepared. I also had planned on this section about a minute a mile slower than my canyon pace. Started to get hot and not much shade. I think many runners could have used and an extra aide station miles 23-26 or some ice. I came with 9 run friends and all of us clocked the course at 26.4ish. Not a big deal unless your barely qualified or something.

I trained more minimally for this race due to past injuries and getting older. I ran 3 days a week (both up and downhill) and downhill skied 3 mornings a week from Jan-April. I definitely think my quad strength from the skiing helped to run downhill and not have my legs too fatigued. I would definitely try to do some downhill running with flat or slight uphill for the last few miles. About half my long runs were like that.

Prepare for the downhill, smile lots and have fun!
I normally take 5 gels/gus on a marathon. I did 6 this time and think it helped me a bit.

Eating and shopping with friends! I am from Salt Lake City area so we drove to and from the race.

5/5 Stars

The day of the race was fantastic. This was my first full marathon and I traveled to Vegas by myself. Day of the race operations were smooth. The aid stations were fabulous. The weather was cold in the beginning but warmed up really nice at the finish line. I also saw 2 beautiful California Condors around mile 14. It was amazing!

As my first full, this established my marathon time and can now work to always hit this mark or PR. But I did PR my half marathon time by 14 minutes which is fantastic!

Absolutely beautiful course. You start up at Mt. Charleston resort, run through the desert and end up at the beginning of the city. I felt safe, there were plenty of traffic control once you got into the city and the course is not confusing at all.

I trained from January to race day building up to 22 mile runs. I had 2 weeks where I ran about 48 and 50 miles those weeks. I was averaging about 30-35 miles/week during my training. I incorporated downhill, hills and strength training to my routine and it made a big difference.

Bring warm clothes for the beginning! It was 22 degrees at the starting line this year!! But the race organization does give a Mylar blanket and gloves to keep you warm but you can also bring extra stuff to keep you warm until starting time. You can easily put them in a drop bag for easy pick up at the finish line.
Lodge close to the Finish line!! I stayed in vegas-proper which means I had a 30 minute drive to the shuttles. I had to get up at 230am!! Staying closer to the race means I could have gotten an extra 30 min to an hour of sleep.
Don't forget to pack a little sun block and chapstick. That sun is bright and it'll burn. That was the only thing I forgot to pack.

I came from Los Angeles, Ca. I relaxed the day before and the day after the race, I did a light 3 mile run to loosen things up and just lounged around the pool at the hotel all day.

5/5 Stars

It was beautiful! The course was perfect, the weather was perfect and the tail wind was ideal. The aid stations were run very well.

YES! I PR'd by over a half hour! And I FINALLY got my BQ that I've been trying to get. Finished the course in 3:32.

Perfect downhill course, not too extreme downhill like a lot of them are. It flattens out near the end, but is still downhill. That helped me to continue fast to the finish. Mile 24 was hard, that uphill had me digging deep, but it was nice to go back to gradual downhill after that to get me to the finish.

I trained a lot for this race. I really wanted to get that BQ and I heard this course was where to do it. I ran over 100 miles a month. I did a lot of course specific training. I live by Zion and Kolob, and there is a canyon run down Kolob that is very downhill. I did all my long distance runs going down that hill (a 20, 18 and 13 miler). I did a lot of tempo runs, and I also did a lot of uphill training. I knew there are always unexpected hills, which this course had, and I wanted to be ready to make the switch of going downhill to uphill without loosing energy.

Besides race training, you have to eat right! I studied a lot about what to eat the week of because I didn't want any bathroom issues during the race, that just kills your time! I carb loaded for 3 days straight before the run and made sure to drink lots of water the whole week. The night before I had angel hair pasta with marinara sauce, simple with no extra fat to have to digest on the run. While I was running, I had a race band that was course specific which really helped, my friend made it for me. I just knew as I was running I needed to keep close to those times, which helped me not to go too fast.

There was a group of us friends running it together. We rented a condo through VRBO and ate at Olive Garden. After the run, we all got great times, so we rewarded ourselves with new pairs of LuLu Lemon running shorts and capris. We only live 2 hours away, so we went home. We're from the St. George Utah area.

4/5 Stars

Cold! And so windy.

Yes! By 35 minutes.

The first 13 miles are very steep. My knees were quite achy and I wanted some relief, a break from going down. But it just kept going down. The second 13 was a bit more gradual and I was able to pick up speed and get relief for my knees and muscles.

I ran a maximum 3 days a week and cross trained 2-3 days a week. Muscle building cross training is definitely beneficial in such a steep downhill race.

Train with as little Gü, shotbloks, caffeine helpers as possible. Use them if you need them for the race but don't be dependent on them. Stay off sugar, it causes too much inflammation and your joints will ache! Pay for good shoes. Good shoes can make or break a race.

We traveled from northern Nevada. We did some shopping, ate at great restaurants, and visited family.

5/5 Stars

BQ

Easiest

Build caff and thigh muscle,
Do speed training.

It was cold at start line.

5/5 Stars

A year ago, Mt. Charleston was my first half marathon. I was very excited to see what I could do on (almost) the same course with a year of running under my belt. I was a bit worried because my training had fallen off a bit due to work obligations, but I built a race plan in my head and was excited to see how it would play out.

Yes! PR by 16 minutes (but prior PR was the Red Rock Canyon half, which has some crazy uphill sections). Also, my time was 22 minutes faster than last year at Mt. Charleston.

Beautiful scenery over the first 8 miles (downhill), then nice residential into the finish. Much better route over the last few miles than the 2016 course. (2016 course had an unfriendly uphill overpass and a slightly sketchy intersection.)

Sporadic leading up to the race, but I had been following a basic half marathon plan for my late February half marathon. Not a lot of downhill training though.

Bring layers while you wait for the start, but be ready to shed them before the race or pretty quickly into it. I took my long sleeve layer and beanie off by mile 3-4, and I am typically cold. Some friends didn't have enough layers at the start (and they were on one of the first buses), so they were not happy campers. Don't be tempted to go out too fast at the start, although pushing it a little bit due to the downhill assist isn't bad.

I am a Las Vegas local, so we all went out for a big brunch at Echo and Rig (Tivoli Village in Summerlin).

5/5 Stars

very exciting

no I was hurt maybe next year

the grade wsnt that bad

training was good till I got hurt

take care of injuries before u do any marathon

went to casinos and shoping after

5/5 Stars

HALF MARATHON Beautiful start into the sunrise. REVEL thought ahead and provided blankets and gloves for corral. Plenty of porta potties. First class busing. Early start good to keep from heating up the day. Felt great, ran by feel, not by my watch or phone. I was able to maintain pace throughout the race. My fastest mile was mile 13. A little competition near finish line pushed me to the end. Nice finish area, with enough massage folks and support.

(HALF) Set a PR at age 54 on this fast course. PR by 4 plus minutes. My previous PR was 1:44, but that was when I was 4 yrs younger. Prior to this race, my times had been slowing. I may have qualified for Boston had I completed the Full.

(HALF) Course is beautiful. Into the sunrise, with the snow on Mt Charleston shining in the sun. Interesting fauna along the course. Straight course, only a few turns that force some breaking. Cones in middle of lane were a hazard, but necessary for traffic. Downhill was NOT so steep that it caused breaking, jarring impacts. Slight rise mile 11 of the course separated some of the runners, which I liked.

I trained for a full marathon, in the event a slot opened up. Used a course that was mostly downhill, with a 2 mile uphill in the from mile 2 to 4 for a few long runs. I believe this was a difference maker. I would try to more speed training, I didn't think I had it in me. I would recommend longer (16-20 mile) training runs for seasoned runners, to build stamina for late push.

I would have tried to stay at the Mt Charleston Resort, or closer to the pickup area, had I not been staying with friends. Bring a disposable blanket to keep warm at start. I wore shorts, a no sleeve shirt and a technical hooded shirt, and was warming up near the end. For shoes, have your foot analyzed before buying, and buy local, they will normally exchange them if they do not work for you first week. Pray for the weather to be the same as this day!! It was absolutely perfect!!!

We spent time short hike at Red Rock Canyon, don't wear your running shoes hiking! Following the race we did some sight seeing. In the days following the race, I went out early and ran the Strip 8 mile round trip, ran the Hoover Dam Rail Trail, 8 mile round trip. Hiked to Mary jane Falls Mt Charleston (Snow on the trail, deer in the woods, and trail that can be done with effort. Hiked red Rock Red Spring. Geat rock formations, grippy rock surfaces for trail shoes.TAKE WATER WHEREVER you go, if you think you need 2, take 3 of 4. I kept a case in my rental car.Or use camelback. Travelled from Altoona PA

5/5 Stars

The race organizers did a great job at expo, start and finish. It was like an event for runners by runners who knew what was important to make it memorable. I had to get up very early (middle of the night?) to take time to eat, prepare and drive to bus area. It was cold during the hour before the start, but it warmed up nicely after sunrise. Great food and immediate results at the finish area! Looking forward to running this event next year!

Yes! Was hoping for below 2:00 and did that easily

Beautiful, peaceful 1st 8 miles with nice surface and straight shot down. Miles 9 and 10 flatten out a little and are on the frontage road. At miles 11 and 12 or so it gets challenging with a slight longish uphill, then briefly flat before another short uphill over an overpass. Then the last mile or less is mentally relaxing with a nice downhill to finish. I had to be careful and steady during miles 11 and 12 to avoid tweaking a hamstring or calf. Overall a great course.

I was only able to run about a 4.5 mile stretch of the course for downhill training by running uphill then turning around. But it seemed easy to find a comfortable fast efficient groove without hurting anything so I just focused on regular half training.
The grade is not extreme. I would advise not "over focusing" on downhill and instead to get in good shape by regular half training including long hilly courses. Your fitness will pay off during the last 3 miles of this race.

Bring layers of clothes to wear during the hour or so wait at the start area. You'll be glad you did! It is very easy to just put the clothes in the bag at the last minute so no worries. During the race you will warm up fast so either start a little cold or be ready to tie your top shirt/jac around your waist later on. I wore thin tights and didn't need them later in the run but they were no problem, and a definite plus during the wait. The weather this year was cooler and windier than usual, but the wind doesn't kick in until the sun is up for a while.
Overall this is a great event that anyone would enjoy!

I live here so went home and relaxed.

5/5 Stars

I think both 2016 and 2017 races were lucky in terms of weather. We finished in about low/mid 60s and sunny, but it's actually more common for the weather to be 10 degrees warmer.

I did quite a bit of research on this race ahead of time, and I thought I would gain a 15-20 minute advantage over an equivalent flat. fivethirtyeight's marathon predictor estimated that for a flat marathon I would have been able to run a 3:19, which I thought would translate to between 3:00 or 3:05 on this course, but I ended up running a 3:11. I believe 2017's course change slowed it down some compared to 2016, but 2017 had a strong tailwind for the last couple miles.

I think based on my faulty assumption on how much this race would give me, I went out a bit too hard. Breathing didn't seem very labored, but heart rate was higher than what the effort felt like. While the decline gave me speed, the elevation took away some, though definitely not as much as I got from the decline.

Once I got to mile 23 and had to go out and back against the wind, my wheels pretty much fell off. Heart rate would not go down at what I usually consider a very easy pace but I never stopped running.

Yes -- set a PR by about 2 minutes.

Course was beautiful. Loved the sunrise in the beginning. The lodge at the top was great, though it wasn't big enough to hold everyone.

I modified a hal higdon advanced 2 and switched some days due to other life obligations. I didn't follow the plan's interval workouts but instead did much longer tempo intervals, and every week I ran on a treadmill with bricks elevating the rear to simulate a 4% decline.

I came into this race feeling like I was in the best shape of my life, having recently set PRs in the 5k and 10k from the previous fall. Though my weight was 7 lbs heavier than it was at my previous PR marathon (St George) about 7 years ago. This was the first marathon where training was complete and I didn't skimp on any workouts due to illness/injury, and since I assumed that this course was faster than St George I thought I'd get a bigger PR than ~2 minutes.

All of my training was at sea level, and I definitely felt some effects from the elevation. I feel like if I had trained at a higher elevation it would have helped a lot.

Weather at the top was probably in the mid 20s or so with some wind? It wasn't as uncomfortable or as cold as I thought it would be, but I think it helped that I used to live in the midwest and northeast. Gloves and arm warmers went off at 2.5 miles.

Tracking accuweather.com 10+ days out from the race isn't super accurate, but once it got to about 10 days out, weather.com/wunderground.com/accuweather were a lot more accurate. wunderground.com gives you an approximate idea of what the temperature would be at the finish, and adjust expectations accordingly.

Another recommendation is that runners should consciously try to run tangents if there is room. There aren't many tight turns but there are quite a few curves and running along the curves adds up.

If anyone wants further information feel free to try to find me on facebook and message me - I can provide further details and my garmin data.

Went to Red Rock! It was beautiful. Went to a bunch of restaurants. Las Vegas has some of the yummiest food. Stayed at Aliante Resort, very nice place!