Las Vegas Marathon
Photo: Travis Wise

Las Vegas Marathon 2018/2019

Las Vegas Marathon
The marathon in Las Vegas is one of the oldest in the United States and has existed since 1967. Since 2009, the race has been a member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series.

This musical running series began in San Diego in 1998, and now consists of marathons in 11 American cities, including New Orleans, Chicago, and Seattle and – for the first time in December 2009 – Las Vegas.

The changes of the Las Vegas Marathon did not only include a name change, but involved a new and improved course in addition to all the classic features of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. As the organisers put it, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon is not only a really long run, but a festive fusion of a sports event and a whole festival of rock concerts. This means live music every mile, screaming spectators incarnating that special Las Vegas feeling along the course. All these novelties and improvements led the organisers to expect 20,000 runners in 2009, more than double the number of finishers in 2008. And their expectations were more than met – over 23,000 runners finished both the full and half marathon. 

The new course from 2009 shows off the city’s most well-known site: the Strip. For the first time in the history of the race, all lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard were car-free areas in both directions for the entire event. An abundance of famous landmarks make this marathon a true Las Vegas experience. The huge pyramid-shaped Luxor, the romantic Venetian and the opulent fountain-adorned Bellagio are just a few of the sites runners will experience on the Strip. Half marathoners finish a 21.0975km/13.1 mile loop exclusively on the Strip, while full marathoners will head west for a loop on Twain Avenue, Rainbow Boulevard and Hacienda Avenue after a stretch on the famous boulevard. Both half and full marathon start and finish in front of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino – one of the city’s resorts with a tropical theme and a cool shark reef. 

For more information on the Las Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon, go to the official website of the race

Las Vegas Marathon Course 

Scrutinize the map and read everything you need to know on start, finish and time limits here