Yesterday the Competitor Group announced a huge change for the third annual Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, December 4, 2011. Instead of starting at 6:00 a.m., both races will now begin in the early evening, giving runners the chance to enjoy the Las Vegas Strip at night.
"Instantaneously, this becomes the largest night race in the world. This is gonna be a gargantuan race," said Competitor Group president Scott Dickey.
The full marathon will start at 4:00 p.m. from the Mandalay Bay Resort. The course will be the same as it was in 2010, but this time participants will run it in reverse. They will head west away from the Strip for the first 13 miles, and finish the last half of the race by running through downtown and back up the Strip.
Runners must be able to finish the 26.2 mile course in under four hours and 30 minutes. The full marathon will be capped at 5,000 participants.
The half marathon, which is run almost entirely on the Strip, will start at 5:30 p.m., after the sun has set and the Vegas lights are in full force. There's a four hour time limit for the half.
Runners who register before 5:45 p.m. PST on March 10, 2011, will be given the special rate of $121 for both the half and full marathon. Registration will then close, and won't open back up until midnight on May 31. At that point, the cost goes up to $130 for the half marathon, and $140 for the full, topping out at $155 for the half and $175 for the full after September 5.
The inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas in 2009 sold out with 28,000 participants. The 2010 race bumped the cap up to 30,000, and was very close to a sell out.
With the new changes, the 2011 race could reach capacity early. The Disney Wine and Dine, a half marathon held in October of 2010, generated a lot of buzz with its nighttime start, filling a full two months in advance.
Check here to register for the 2011 Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon.
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