Las Vegas Half Marathon (1:31.32)

Honestly, I was excited to run the Las Vegas Half Marathon. I know I’m fitter than I’ve been in a little while, so I was eager to see how that training translated into a half. After a very miserable and laughable Long Beach race, I was ready to run something faster. I knew in my bones that on the right day, I was in sub-90-minute half marathon shape. And I almost was, but it was extremely windy, and the last 6 miles had the most headwind, which made for a much slower finish. I was happy I held on as long as I did, and I’m still pleased with a 1:31:32 in the wind.

Before the Las Vegas Half Marathon

Brittany and I left Edwards around 3:30 and got to the Las Vegas Half Marathon expo around 4. The expo was actually one of my favorites. It was super easy, with plenty of parking, some cool vendors, and we were in and out. I got some Body Glide.

Dinner was a bit lackluster, and we ended up having an okay meal. The portions were small, so I stopped at Whole Foods to get more bread. It just wasn’t enough.

Getting to the hotel was a hot mess, and so was the night of sleep before the race. A concert went on until around 1 or 2 am, and it was definitely one of the top 5 worst nights of sleep I’ve ever had. It kept us up for a long time. I woke up disappointed because I felt ready to run fast—until that terrible night of sleep. (I know so many people run well on little sleep, but I’m not one of them.)

Buses for the Las Vegas Half Marathon leave early, so we were down at the bus area around 3:30 am. Thankfully, it was daylight savings time, so it felt like 4:30. The bus situation was a bit chaotic, and we didn’t leave until around 4 am. I ate my bagel on the bus ride.

We arrived at the start around 4:30, which left us 90 minutes until race time. It was a shopping center, and it was really cold and windy. Next time, I might have my husband drive me to the start so we can at least wait in the car because it was freezing. The announcer was interesting and said things like, “just 14 miles until the finish line” and mentioned “Kodiak tobacco” (later, he corrected himself to Kodiak Cakes).

I did a 1.5-mile warm-up at an 11-minute pace, went to the bathroom one more time, and before I knew it, it was time to start.

Las Vegas Half Marathon Race

In my bones, I knew I could run under 90 minutes on a good day. The Las Vegas Half Marathon is a downhill course (it still has some hills), but I knew I had the potential to break 90. I haven’t had that confidence in a while, so it felt like a big deal.

Right at the start, the 1:30 pacer flew by me. I thought, “Wow, I guess I misjudged myself,” but I told myself to run a smart race. I hit mile 1 in 6:44 and was genuinely confused about how the 1:30 pacer was already 30 seconds ahead. Oh well, I decided to run my own race.

The next few miles went by without much excitement. It’s a straight line, and I just kept running. The first 5 miles are the most downhill, then it levels out with some small hills and an uphill finish. (Yes, the Las Vegas Half Marathon finish is uphill—whew). I ran 6:52, 6:47, and 6:50 and felt comfortable.

I started with a whole bottle of Styrkr fuel, thinking I’d drop it around mile 5, but I carried it until around 12.5. Why did I even drop it that late?

I was feeling comfortable during the race but not unmanageable. It was the first time in a while that a high-6-minute pace didn’t leave me super winded. Speaking of wind, we had a crosswind for the first 6 miles. It wasn’t pleasant, but I was thankful it wasn’t a direct headwind. Desert headwind, where there are no buildings to block it, is terrible.

Around mile 7, I saw an overpass and little dots on it. I thought this was all downhill! But no, we ran up it. I kept my composure and pushed up the hill. From there, we turned left and right into a headwind. On a perfect day, I was in sub-90-minute shape. But with 12+ mph desert wind, I couldn’t maintain that pace.

I ran a 7:08 for the next mile and was disappointed, but I knew I couldn’t hold anything in that wind. We changed directions a few times, but it was mostly headwind.

Over the next few miles, we began catching 7-mile racers. At first, it was fine, but it got more and more crowded. It was almost impossible to get to aid stations, and I was weaving around racers. I don’t love when races do this because it’s unpleasant for everyone. The 7.02 runners don’t want people zooming by them, and the half marathoners and marathoners don’t want to weave.

A couple of times, I said, “on your left,” but some people had music on and didn’t hear, or they changed direction abruptly, and we almost collided. Between that and the wind, the last few miles weren’t my favorite. I hope they either move the 7.02-mile race to Saturday (for a cool challenge weekend/medal) or change the course.

At mile 12, I told myself, “just push.” So I did. We went downhill again, and I thought at least we’d have a downhill tailwind finish. That was laughable—we turned, and I saw the finish half a mile uphill and into the wind. It was one of the roughest finishes I’ve had in a while. But I did it and crossed the finish line in 1:31:32, placing 7th among women.

Las Vegas Half Marathon Thoughts

I’m happy with my performance, considering the conditions. While I had hoped for sub-1:30, the wind made it impossible at my current fitness level. But it’s also my fastest half marathon in the last 3 years, so I can’t complain.

Is the Las Vegas Half Marathon a fast course?

It definitely can be if it’s not windy. It’s no Revel course that’s screaming downhill…only the first 6 miles are downhill, then it flattens out with some small uphills.

Will I run the Las Vegas Half Marathon again?

Maybe. I’ll definitely do the weekend a bit differently and try to stay closer to the start. The merging of multiple races on the same course doesn’t work for me, but overall, I enjoyed the experience.

You can see Strava here and all race recaps here.

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