Last weekend I was on the road once again for a race weekend – this time it was Vegas! Ah and what a weekend! Meeting Meb, Snoop Dogg in concert, some great food (and cocktails), blogger meet-ups, not one but two races, and running the Vegas strip at night – much fun was had for sure…so without further ado…settle in for my recap.
(Disclosure: As a member of the Rock’n’Blog team, I received a free race entry for the Remix Challenge. As always, all opinions are mine!)
Both my husband and brother were joining me for this trip. We arrived in Vegas by mid morning, got an early check-in at the hotel and grabbed lunch before heading to the expo. Packet pick-up was a breeze and we were quickly wandering the aisles of over 80 expo vendors. There were a lot of good deals, but we didn’t go too crazy. I couldn’t wait to pick up the awesome #Werunsocial t-shirt I had pre-ordered!
Yes it glows in the dark!
The highlight of the expo was meeting Meb at the Rock’n’Roll booth! We hadn’t heard the announcement that he was going to be there – I spotted him purely by chance. Meeting Meb was awesome! He was so gracious – we chatted about his book (you can check out my review here) and I did my best to not go totally fan-girl on him. A hug, photo and an autographed bib – yeah my race experience was complete and I hadn’t even toed the line yet!
The rest of the day was spent doing way too much walking taking in the sights of the strip. We capped the day with an amazing dinner at Yardbird Restaurant (definitely worth a visit!).
We took advantage of sleeping in Saturday morning before grabbing brunch and heading up the strip to scout out the 5K location. The race didn’t start until 6 p.m. and the three of us found it a little hard to manage the day and not do too much. The crowds heading up to the race were crazy – we had to let 3 monorails go before we could squeeze our way on one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people lining up for a 5K! People did not self-seed well and there were way too many walkers up front. My brother and I did what we could to run when we could find open space, but in many places the course narrowed and we were just stuck behind a wall of walkers. We certainly weren’t out there to worry about time so we just went with it – first half of the Remix Challenge done! Off for another great meal – this time at Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar.
Sunday morning started with a great brunch at Margaritaville’s roof deck. A perfect spot to watch the closing of the strip and pre-race set up. We hung out and watched football, again trying to lay low and not do too much. I just have to say late day races for me are hard! Finally it was time to head to the race. The guys were doing the 10K so we said our goodbyes at the monorail station and I headed off to hit the Snoop Dogg headliner concert and the We Run Social meet-up.
There were so many of us for the meet-up we barely all fit in the photo! It was great to meet so many bloggers including Sharon, Kim and Carlee. Snoop Dog played all of his big hits and really had the crowd going.
I was in the Yellow start so I had a fair amount of waiting to do until they called us to the start. The corrals were a hot mess and as I chatted with others waiting to shuffle to the start I reminded myself the goal for this race was simply to have fun – there was no time goal. Running the Vegas Strip was pretty amazing and the energy was great! The only lull was the loop of miles 7 – 9 where we were running through “old Vegas” and some random neighborhoods. You could definitely feel the runner energy drop at this point and I could definitely feel the whirlwind days catching up with me. Luckily we were soon back at the top of the strip and heading towards the finish line.
Final thoughts…
This was one fun race weekend! There is nothing quite like running down the middle of the Vegas Strip at night – definitely one that every runner should experience.
If you do run Vegas, know that this is not the race for a PR. You’ve got to go into it just looking to have fun and enjoy the experience.
If you can tack on an extra day, I would recommend post-race so you can fully celebrate Vegas-style 🙂
The Vegas pre-sale of just $99 for 2017 is on until midnight tonight…just sayin’ 😉
I’m linking up once again with Holly & Tricia for the Weekly Wrap!
Sounds like a fun time! A night race would be hard for me so staying chill about the whole thing would be a must.
Coco recently posted…Praying For The Human Family
The whole night running thing was definitely more of a challenge than I thought it would be!
How cool you got to meet Meb at the expo! Congrats on completing the remix challenge. I did it a few years ago and it was very cold the weekend I was there. I think the waiting around all day before the race was the hardest part for me.
Lacey@fairytalesandfitness recently posted…Weekly Wrap….Up, Up, and Away!
Thanks Lacey 🙂
I so want to do this! Sounds like a blast! How fun that you got to meet up with so many other runners…and Meb!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
If you get the chance Wendy definitely go for it!
Isn’t Meb the nicest, most humble man? This race sounds like such a fun event. I’m not sure how well I’d manage the late start though. It’s wonderful you got to meet the other bloggers and share the 5k race experience with your brother. That is some very nice bling you got there too! Thanks for linking, Michelle!
Meb really is pretty amazing – he really took time to speak with people…he was just so sweet.
Sounds like a fun weekend and great race experience! I have a couple of friends who have done this race and they, too, said the energy was amazing! It has been 25 years since I’ve been to Vegas…I think it’s time to go again!
Teresa recently posted…Two Weeks of Gallivantin’: Buried in Boxes
This was my first time in Vegas…and I’m ready to go back 😉
It was so great meeting you!! I agree that night races are difficult! However it was still so much fun to run the strip. So fun with the bright lights and energy! I’m hoping to to it again with my sister next time! 🙂
Sharon recently posted…Last Week’s Workouts and Weekly Wrap 11/14-11/20
I’m so glad I got to meet you Sharon!
sounds like it was a great race!
It really was so much fun!
Oh wow looks like you had an amazing time in Vegas! So very cool you got to meet up with other bloggers.
I think it would be twice as hard to stay fresh for a 6PM start time and being in Vegas! One day I’m going to get to do this too!
Tricia @MissSippiPiddlin recently posted…Weekly Wrap 68 Magnolia Half
Yep – I bet a late start in a less tempting place would have been a little easier LOL!
I did it 3 years ago so much fun! You are right more of an experience and not a PR time but I did actually have one of my better times bc it was completely flat. Congrats!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…Hearty Fall Lentil Stew
The course is unbelievably flat isn’t it?! Do you think you’ll run it again?
I was so bummed to miss this race. Next year, I’m going to try to find a way to make it happen. I’m so glad you had fun!
Jenn recently posted…weekly wrap: 11.13 – 11.19 + space coast half marathon training week 7
Jenn I hope you get the chance to do this one!
Wow, I didn’t realize there were so many of you guys in Vegas, that’s a great picture! The glow in the dark swag looks great! I had another friend run the full marathon, I can’t imagine running so late in the day!
Congrats to you and your bro!
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Philly Marathon Training Week 16 Recap
Thanks Janelle 🙂
Sounds like a good time! I agree these were definitely not races for PRs. Between the crowds and the time on our feet before the race, it was definitely a bit of a struggle. I’m glad I scheduled a December half so I could just treat this one as a fun training run 🙂
Chaitali recently posted…RnR Vegas Expo and 5k
That was a good idea to have a December half scheduled! Now I’m off to read your re-cap 😉