Runners love to travel. Whether competitive or recreational, athletes who sign up for marathons and other distance races in their own communities relish the opportunity to run their way through new cities, states and countries.
And travelers love Las Vegas, which makes it a little bit ridiculous that there hasn’t been a major full marathon here since 2019. But last fall, Salt Lake City-based event organizer Brooksee announced the new Las Vegas Marathon, set for November 3.
The course starts at the Sandstone Quarry Overlook in Red Rock Canyon and races through Downtown Summerlin, east along Charleston Boulevard, and through Symphony Park and the 18b Arts District for a finish at the Fremont Street Experience. Registration is currently available until race weekend at vegasmarathon.com.
Brooksee CEO Phil Dumontet agrees that Las Vegas is ripe for running events. “We have runners from all 50 states and 40 countries coming because it’s such a great destination,” he says. “We’re always looking at markets across the country where there isn’t a signature marathon or full marathon … and it was surprising to us. We’re bullish on the opportunity for a full marathon and [for] this market to be one of the top [race] destinations not just in the U.S. but internationally as well.”
Brooksee produces nine annual races across the country serving around 50,000 participants, with Las Vegas joining Portland, Oregon, and Mesa, Arizona as the company’s big three marathon destinations.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, operated by Ironman subsidiary Competitor Group, had produced a marathon partially run along the Las Vegas Strip from 2009-2019. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas half-marathon, 10k and 5k event returns to the Strip on February 22-23.
Brooksee’s Las Vegas Marathon will include the standard 26.2-mile race as well as a half-marathon (13.1 miles) and a special 7.02-mile race geared toward local runners. “For the inaugural year we wanted to offer three distances in order to be inclusive of all ability levels,” Dumontet says. “And the unique 7.02-mile race, representing the Las Vegas area code, is kind of the locals race and will be all Downtown.”
The new Las Vegas Marathon also offers an expo on November 2 at World Market Center, where all participants and non-runners can join with sponsors, vendors, industry retailers and event partners. And the finish line on November 3 along the Fremont Street Experience will incorporate a festival environment with a beer garden and plenty of food and drink options, live entertainment and photo opportunities.
Meow Wolf is the presenting sponsor, and everyone is invited to the post-race part at the company’s immersive art exhibit Omega Mart at Area15 (November 3, 5 p.m., $35, vegasmarathon.com/tickets).
“It’s been really embraced by the community, with over 6,000 runners we’re expecting on November 3,” Dumontet says. “We were targeting 4,000-5,000 in the first year and we’re well ahead of that, and we’re expecting over 20,000 fans and spectators in attendance.”
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