Red Rock Marathon Race REVIEW + gear

WORKOUT – Ran outside 10.5 miles/1:26  flat, no music

I ran the first 5 with Elmer the dog, dropped his sweaty butt off at home and then finished the rest.

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The Red Rock Marathon and Half Marathon was held on March 5th in Red Rock, about 20 minutes outside of Vegas.  It’s a small race put on by Calico Racing and definitely has a small, hometown friendly feel to it.

The entry was about $90 if I remember correctly.

The Red Rock Resort and Casino was the “host” hotel: where the packet pick up was, where the busses picked up and dropped off, etc.  The start/finish was about a 10 minute bus ride from the resort so it worked out great. 

The Red Rock Resort is incredibly beautiful and modern, and the best part is that runners who registered early enough got a great discount on a room.  ($100 compared to around $285 normally)

THE EXPO

You could pick up your packet Friday afternoon at the Rocks Lounge in the resort or race morning.  I picked mine up Friday, and I have to say, it was weird being in a bar with runners in the middle of the afternoon.

The packet pick up was very fast and efficient although very small.  There was just a table to pick up your shirt and one other table selling something.

THE RACE

The marathon started at 6am sharp so Pam and I took a shuttle bus at 5:15am up to the start from the resort.  The shuttles were super nice charter busses that I kinda wanted to stay on and take a nap.

The start area was pretty small, but there was a bag drop and a few porta potties.  It was definitely chilly since we were in the Red Rock Canyon at 3800’ elevation.

The race started right on time as the sun was beginning to rise, and it was BEAUTIFUL.  Really, the selling point of this race is the natural beauty of it.

The UN-selling point is how HARD the course is.  It is tough.  Here is a link to the course map and elevation charts.  The first 5 miles were uphill and then it leveled off for a bit before going into more hills.

You definitely want to pace yourself well and start conservatively because this isn’t a fast or easy course.

Around mile 10 you start a steep, long decline that you can fly down.  The half marathoners start at the halfway point for the marathoners, basically at the bottom of the canyon so they were running up as we were going down.

Since there weren’t ANY spectators and few runners, it was fun to encourage and yell for the halfers.

At 13 we hit the bottom of the canyon, did a couple circles and then headed back up.  Up for nearly 5 miles.  IT WAS TOUGH.  It was a long climb.

Finally around mile 21 you hit those first 5 miles that are now all downhill.  AWESOME part of the course. Love finishing with 5 downhill miles.

The course finished right where it started.  The best part was the post-run food…

The food line moved pretty fast; there was bagels and cream cheese, fruit salad, yogurts, biscotti, muffins, granola bars, coffee, juice and pastries.  A really nice spread for how small the race is. 

There were also tables and chairs to eat at.

THE COURSE SUPPORT

Although this is a tiny race, the volunteers were awesome!  They had more food and beverages than some big races.  There were gels every couple miles along with Heed energy drink, water, fruit, and pretzels. 

They did a great job supporting the runners.

THE SUMMARY AND TIPS

If you’re looking for a small, friendly race this could be your bag.  The course is pretty tough, but it’s beautiful, it’s scenic and serene.

There aren’t a lot of spectators or thrills, but the volunteers do a great job.  And the other runners are really friendly too.

Here is a short paragraph about the race in Runner’s World.

*Bring warm ups or throwaway clothes because it will be chilly at the start.  It was around 38-40* when we were there.

*Pace yourself well and don’t start out too fast.  IT IS HILLY.

*Train on hills.

*Be prepared to wait after the race for the bus to take your back to the resort.  We probably had to wait at least 30 minutes for ours.

*Bring a camera and enjoy the scenery.

*Be prepared to place in your age group.  Hey, it’s a small race, you can do it!

Thanks to 26.2 Apparel and The Squires Group for sponsoring me in this race!

I wore the Women’s short sleeve 26.2 road wrap performance running tee (LOVE how soft it is!) and the Women’s 26.2 classic running short.  Way too rosy cheeks?  All me, baby.

**Official race photos are here.

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