In a nutshell. I will not run the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon until they move the race back to the morning. I can't run a PR (It's a fast course) at 4:30 in the afternoon. Plus the race is a logistical nightmare and it's really expensive. Unless competitor group wants to give me a free bib (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). I won't be registering for this marathon.
I was pretty excited to race the Hoover Dam marathon, however the course is a bit more challenging. The price was also a bit more wallet friendly compared to RNRLV. But, I have also raced through the train tunnels several times. In fact three of my last six half marathons have been run through the train tunnels.
The last time I raced through theses tunnels was at the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon last year. During the race I slipped and fell.
I'm already starting to worry about the dark tunnels and loose gravel. (Chicken shit talk, I know). I'm a klutz, but I will be so mad if I fell during a marathon. I run for time, and every second counts. There I said it!
Deja Vu Marathon
I discovered this race over the weekend, and I think this might be right up my alley. It's called the
Deja Vu Marathon, and it's a 1 mile looped course run in one of my favorite areas to run at Sunset Park.
The pros:
- No 16 week training schedule for me. I will currently be at 14 weeks out.
- The course will be a lot faster than the Hoover Dam Marathon. (fairly flat, with a small incline/decline)
- Morning Start at 9am
- Very cheap $75.00
- Great Race Director (She sold the Hoover Dam Marathon and five of her other races to a larger race company, she knows how to throw a race)
- If shit goes wrong, it wouldn't be too hard to make adjustments. (clothes, fuel, etc,)
The cons:
- Will running a one mile loop course be a disaster?
- No big race feel (Who doesn't love an inflatable arch to run through?)
- It's Thanksgiving weekend. Should I be a jerk and plan the holiday weekend around MEEE?
So can you guys help me out? I'm pretty impulsive, but I can't really talk myself out of this marathon yet.
I see that the course is walker and stroller friendly, do you think with such a short loop course there will end up being a lot of congestion or a lot of wasted energy weaving around slower runners? It sounds like it might be a smaller race, so maybe it won't be an issue.
ReplyDeleteI do like that you would have the option to have basically your own aid station and that you would be able to see your family 26 times during the race. Plus it would eliminate the fear of falling on loose gravel (I've been there too, it sucks).
I'm so freaked out about falling now. I also took a tumble earlier this year. I ended up with road rash and a sprained wrist. Ouch.
DeleteA $75 marathon IS a good deal! I think the 1 mile loop could play both ways. Of course it's boring, but you also might have all kinds of support. It could be fun.
ReplyDeleteI think this race could have a very festive atmosphere. The race organizer is also hosting Ultra distances 3hr, 6hr, 12hr.
DeleteI'm going to run a few test loops at the park to get a feel for it sometime soon, before I make the final choice.
I ran 20 miles around a 2.7 mile loop recently and it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be in terms of being boring. My biggest struggle was the one section through a busy pedestrian/tourist traffic area.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I'd feel about one mile loops for a marathon, though. But you'll never know if you don't try?