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If you remember last year, this was the race I ran dressed as the "Welcome to Vegas" landmark sign (complete with battery powered lights). So, as you can imagine, this race is never about a time on the clock, but more about loosening our legs for the following day's race and spending time with friends (oh yeah, and wearing something outrageous).
I hadn't put much thought into a costume, but realized I had a lot of white pieces and might be able to pull off a decent Elvis. I went in search of a wig but they were either bookoo bucks or had terrible reviews. I remembered that the girls from Sparkle Athletic had rocked a wig at a past RnRLV Expo so sent some text messages. The ladies all said they hadn't seen it in years but would keep their eyes peeled. There must have been some hunka hunka burnin' love in the air because a few days later I got a text "I FOUND THE WIG!" If you've seen past costumes of mine you probably know that I tend to wear the same base items (PRO Compression socks, Sparkle Athletic skirt, Handful bra, etc) but it's the accessories that MAKE an outfit! Let's just say I knew the hairpiece would make or break the ensemble.
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| My #FlatCarlee included: white PRO socks, white Handful bra, white Sparkle Athletic skirt, Graced by Grit delicious half zip, black Road ID, white and blue QALO silicone wedding bands, blue and yellow Momentum Jewelry wraps, my Garmin Forerunner 735XT, and Brooks Levitate with reflective Shwings (they were as close to blue suede shoes as I could find). |
To complete the look I went to the Dollar Store and grabbed some sequence stickers (I didn't want to ruin my Graced by Grit top by hot gluing things onto it like I normally do, so went with something that would be easily removable), snagged a red Sparkle Athletic cape while working at the Avengers Expo and finally had use for my gold Brooks sunnies!
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| Might as well snag a picture while waiting about 20 minutes for the monorail, right?! |
We were having a #WeRunSocial {donut} meet-up prior to the 5K. The game plan was to meet near gear check by 5pm, snag a picture of the crew at 5:27pm and then head to the corrals for the start of the race at 6pm. Well, let's just say the lines for the monorail and security to get into the race area were insanely long and we were a bit late. Thankfully it seemed like a lot of folks got caught in the crowds so our fashionably late entrance wasn't too noticeable.
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| I may not love donuts as much as the hubby, but I have a hard time passing up a yummy glazed donut hole! |
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On the way to the corrals I found my good friend Henry and we HAD to snap a picture together! He dresses as Elvis at all of the Rock 'n' Roll events (and at other races), but this was the first time we were actually TWINNING!
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| Not only does he dress up like Elvis, he runs BAREFOOT! |
Apparently the runners in our corral were a little NUTS because we found a squirrel and had our first "character stop".
The game plan was simple - HAVE FUN! And I am super happy to report, we exceeding our goal. Not only that, I would venture to say there were MAJOR improvements on the 5K this year. The course was changed and I greatly appreciated it. The course is an out-and-back which most runners get bored with but I love because you have the chance to cheer on other runners easier. Everything also seemed much better lit than last year and even some of the potholes were filled in (I wasn't worried as much this year about tripping even though I ran the entire night race wearing sunnies!). I wouldn't say it's an amazing race (you are on a dark side street off the end of the Vegas Strip), but the improvements did not go unnoticed in my book! #ThankYouThankYouVeryMuch
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Last year I ran the 5K with Brian (of Pavement Runner fame) and Dave (the father of the FitFam6 crew). They joked about making the race about "beating the sign" (little did we know apparently word among participants was they ALSO wanted to #BeatTheSign) but in the end I squeaked out a win (I think the official results had me faster by one second). Well, this year Brian wanted to #BeatTheWig. Around Mile 2.5 he looked at me very serious and asked "So, what are the rules?". We decided at the Mile 3 marker we'd take off and see who could win. Although I had been running perfectly fine with the wig up until this point, when we started sprinting the wig started slipping and blowing off my head. Thankfully the big sideburns gave me something to grab onto so I wouldn't lose the hairpiece... or the footrace!
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| Our first 3 miles averaged like 10 minute mile pace, but when we sprinted towards the finish we hit 6:15/mile pace! |
Official results show he did NOT #BeatTheWig. In fact, we tied! (But, between you and me, I'm pretty sure he threw the race and was holding back because he didn't want to embarrass a dearly departed celebrity. #ChivalryIsNotDead)
Due to the tragic events on October 1st, Rock 'n' Roll changed the weekend a bit and instead of the concert being prior to the race on Sunday, they moved it to after the 5K on Saturday night. The band playing was the Goo Goo Dolls (hello 1990). We didn't stay for the whole show (we were hungry and getting chilly), but what we heard "took us back".
If there could be additional improvements for next year I'd suggest adjustments with the monorail (maybe having "runner only" trains from specific stops {i.e. have empty trains start from each stop at designated times and go directly to the race drop-off}) and with security (don't get me wrong, I appreciated the additional security due to the shooting in October, but have more stations rather than trying to funnel all 7,000 runners plus spectators through three gates).
All-in-all, I definitely enjoyed myself and if I'm not registered for another race elsewhere during this time (in the past we have run a second half marathon on the morning of RnRLV so haven't been in town for the 5K and there's talk of something even crazier for next year), it is one I'd totally run for a third time... the only question is what would I wear?!
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| These two guys are ROCKSTARS and I'm honored to be their +1 |
What is your favorite Elvis song?
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