The S(p)eedy Side of Vegas

The S(p)eedy Side of Vegas:

Marathon runners - here’s your chance to do The Strip in Las Vegas! Yep - the Rock n' Roll Marathon Series lands in Vegas December 2^nd . 

Good thing capes are in style this season.

Despite the fact that running in a marathon might put a halt to having too much of a good time in Sin City pre-race, in what other marathon can you run right down the course along side drunken casino addled bachelor parties and cross-dressing show girls?!  Don’t answer that… 

You’ll start the run right in front of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino – the full marathon starts at 3pm and the half starts at 4:30 p.m. That means you’ll be running right down the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard. By the time you finish, in front of The Mirage, it will be dark and The Strip will be its usual famously lit-up self. Now, that sounds fun!

But it hasn’t always been fun. Previous years’ events were plagued with problems; everything from no coordination with the local governmental powers-that-be to the lack of volunteers (bless their hearts) manning their stations. Plus, it gets cold at night in Vegas.

Event coordinators, however, have promised a better, more organized event. And there are lots of other things for your family to do while you are tapering or racing, so the Vegas event is really a win-win.

Let’s talk about hotels. There are four “headquarter” hotels from which to choose, each offering special goodies for race participants. Then there’s a whole plethora of “official” hotels. Included in the list is The Mirage; quite convenient since that’s where you’ll finish, right in front of the volcano. Virgin marathoners beware.

Across from The Mirage, so right at the finish line too, is The Palazzo Las Vegas. Here you’ll find restaurants from some of the world’s most famous chefs. Reading like the who’s who of Food Network, The Palazzo has Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans-style restaurant named Table 10; Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio Bar & Grill as well as the one he simply calls “Cut”; Mario Batali is there with his Carnevino and Massimiliano Campanari has one called Lavo. You’ll need to stay extra days if you want to fit all these in.

At the other end of the race, at the starting line, is the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. If you are a pool person, this place is supposed to have the best in Vegas. Rent a cabana and enjoy. When you want to eat out, take your pick of several top celebrity restaurants including one of Wolfgang Puck’s and two of Hubert Keller’s. The Mexican food is supposed to be excellent and there is a sustainable seafood restaurant. However the Red Square will be closed for renovations during the marathon week so a visit to their exclusive vodka vault is out. Za Vas!

Right across from the start village is The Luxor Hotel and Casino. Yeah, it’s the pyramid. The Luxor has a pretty nice spa call Nurture Spa & Salon. For $180, you can get a 25 minute long Swedish massage, 25 minute facial and 25 minute scrub. You can probably find a coupon on groupon to boot.

You can join in (and may really need) the spa scene after your 26.2! Then, head out for more fun on the Strip. Time to swap stinky running shoes for some killer heels, right? Blisters be damned.