Rock 'N' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon Race Recap

Often Las Vegas is about the slots, nightlife and debauchery.... but, for me, Vegas is about miles, smiles and memories!

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If you haven't read my recap of the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas 5K race yet, make sure you pop over HERE and see my bad impersonation of Elvis ;) [And check to see if anyone #BeatTheWig.]

Costume complete with wig, cape and "blue suede shoes".

And, now, onto part two of my #RnRLV Remix Challenge - the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon!

This is the only private event that closes down the strip and allows runners to take over the city... Can you say AWESOMESAUCE?! Night races always throw me off a bit (I struggle with how to fuel throughout the day, conserving energy before the race, etc), but that doesn't mean I would ever consider passing up on the celebration that is #RnRLV!

This #FlatCarlee was all about the reflectiveness and glow power ;)
Neon Jailbreak PROs, black Handful bra, reflective Sparkle Athletic skirt, tank from
Sketchers Performance, #WeRunSocial trucker, #WeRunSocial thingamajig, white and
blue QALO silicone wedding bands, gray and black Momentum Jewelry wraps,
black RoadID, my Garmin Forerunner 735XT, Remix bracelet (so I could
claim my extra medal), cash and ID for adult "hydration" and Brooks Levitate
with reflective Shwings.

The picture on the left has NO FLASH, while the picture on the right HAS FLASH.

Similar to before the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas 5K race, #WeRunSocial was having another meet-up pre-race. The crew definitely turned out and fun was had by all! Even if not everyone has a chance to run together, it is still a BLAST to be able to chat and selfie with awesome runners! (And I love meeting everyone IRL!)

Unlike for the 5K, there appeared to be very little security pre-race. I asked a few folks (both at the "Solutions" tent and officers I saw in the area) to see if there were metal detectors or any additional screening points that we would need to account for... In response, the officer asked "Why? Are you carrying a gun?". This is not to say I felt unsafe or nervous at all, I was just very surprised that for the 5K with less than 7,000 runners we had to have our bags screened, couldn't bring liquids into the area and had officers wand us with metal detectors and yet at the 10K/ Half/ Full with upwards of 25,000 runners there was nothing of the sort. I guess it was more of an observation, that's all.

Even without the extra security, getting to the corrals was a bit of a cluster. Similar to last year, there were multiple colored wave starts. Last year they were UBER strict with the waves and corrals. Let's just say this year was a bit of a free-for-all. Since we were in the first corrals, we had to walk through other waves, and then had to weave through hoards of runners to try and get to our corral. I am thinking they were trying to keep the corrals secure and contained, but having some way to walk to faster corrals instead of having to squeeze through people (like a walk-way or sidewalk on the edge) would have been much appreciated. Starting at the back of the wave and having to "excuse me" through 10,000 runners took a good 20 minutes (especially since we had a decent sized crew trying to stick together).

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Where we were for the WRS meet-up (near the Geico Tattoos), we had to walk through all of the yellow wave and then through all of the blue wave.

Once we finally all got to our spot in the second corral, we snapped a couple pictures, observed a moment of silence for those killed in the tragic event on October 1st, sang the National Anthem and got ready to run the #StripAtNight.

No, in fact I am NOT licking Brian's ear... 

MAJOR SHOUT OUT to Richard for so many AWESOME GoPro shots from the course!

There were 10 of us in our crew. The only goal we had was to try to stick together as much as possible and have as much fun as we could. (Dani had a goal of going over 3 hours, but we found that out later in the race.)

Source: @FitFam6's Instagram Feed

The first three miles of the course did not have any bands on it, in respect of those killed and injured at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. The hubby and I had gone to the memorial on Saturday morning (as part of a shake-out run we participated in with lululemon) and the reminders were weighing heavy on my heart. {Seeing signs on crosses written in children's handwriting that said things like "We love you mommy. We miss you mommy." remind you that there are 58 families [and many more friends and communities] missing their loved ones.}

We took the first few miles to remember, to offer encouragement and to thank the officers on the course doing their best to keep us safe {although pre-race security seemed lax, the police presence on the course was definitely ramped up}.

With 10 of us in toe, we decided we all needed a number so we could count off (think of us like a kindergarten field trip) as to not lose anyone. Surprisingly we were able to keep everyone with us the ENTIRE race! We grabbed up a couple different 11s, 12s and 13s, but they seemed to rotate frequently and didn't hang on for more than a mile or two. #IAm3

We stopped for any "character stop" we could find... Star Wars creatures, stuffed bears, light up shoes, you name it!

Let me just say, if you have never run Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas, you are definitely missing out! It is legit a party for the entire race! There are spectators everywhere (some drunk folks are definitely confused as to what is going on) and running down the middle of the strip is unlike anything you've probably ever done. I'm not into gambling nor am I a big drinker, but the environment that is Vegas can definitely be intoxication.

I gave my beer (since I don't drink it) to a couple who got married at the beginning of the race and had met one year previously!

This is the third year in a row that I have run the RnRLV Half Marathon and this was by far the best. Not only was the weather perfect (in past years it has been rainy, windy and cold), but the friends I ran with were amazing! We sang, we helped volunteers hand out water at aid stations, we gave out high fives and we didn't want the party to end.

The aid stations seemed a little short staffed, so why not jump in and help out?!

Don't forget to thank the volunteers and spectators for being out on the course!

With all of our shenanigans, we noticed that our finishing time would probably be slightly under 3 hours. Dani mentioned that it was a goal of hers to go over 3 hours (she actually attempted to do it at runDisney's Wine & Dine Half last week, even waiting to cross the finish line until her watch said 3:00, but her official time was 2:59) so we all agreed to help her meet her "A Goal". Walking it in to the finish line allowed us extra time to enjoy one another's company... which is ALWAYS more important than a race clock. We may not have had a PR {personal record}, but this was definitely the most fun I have had in a race for quite a while (I might just consider it a PR in FUN!).

The Neon Jailbreak PROs glowed in the black light around the course - pretty awesome!

There will always be races that you can run for time, but Vegas will never be one of those for me. RnRLV is always a chance for me to spend time with friends who I don't get to see nearly enough and celebrate what running has given to me. I am forever grateful for the passion, but even more importantly, for the people it has brought into my life.

BOOM! And look at the "glow" of my skirt and shwings! 

Well, and the bling isn't too bad either... The medals for the 10K, Half and Full were probably my favorite Rock 'n' Roll medal I've seen yet. Not only does the die spin, but so does the middle ring (and they spin so smoothly too... I found myself playing with it without realizing it for hours after the race finished). Good work Team RnR!

The Remix medal is for running the 5K on Saturday and either the Half or Full on Sunday

I realize that nothing I can ever say or do will bring any solace or peace to those families and friends who lost loved ones in the shooting earlier this fall, but I hope the race was a tiny light into the Vegas community and helped show people who commit these heinous acts that you CAN'T and WON'T keep us down! #VegasStrong

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Are you able to ignore a time on the finishing clock in exchange for fun?