Monday, December 07, 2009

Las Vegas Rock "n" Roll Marathon

Yesterday morning I joined over 27,000 other people who braved a brisk 34 degree temperature to run the entire length of the Las Vegas Strip and back - 13.1 miles for the 1/2 marathon (Note: > 5,800 of these runners chose to complete the entire 26.2 mile marathon - but not this guy).

The run was a complete blast, as the Rock "n" Roll event included 35 live bands dispersed throughout the course, groups of cheerleaders from the local community, skydivers, show girls, run through weddings, fireworks at the start, etc...

I ran the course with a buddy of mine who kept me motivated throughout while setting a superb pace... My finish time was 2:10:02 (averaging just under a 10:00 mile or just over 6mph)... I certainly know it's no where near a competitive time, but I was merely out to have fun for the day and meet my targeted goal for a finish time (which I did)... To put my time in perspective: of the nearly 18,000 1/2 marathon finishers, I finished 5,600 - in the top third... Not too bad for a 210lb crusty old fart!

This was my second year doing the event and I would highly recommend it to anyone...

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

Here's a video clip of the course:

Now for a bit of trivia/history: So where did the word Marathon come from?

The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon, which took place in August or September, 490 BC. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying. The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD who quotes from Heraclides Ponticus's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles. Lucian of Samosata (2nd century AD) also gives the story but names the runner Philippides (not Pheidippides). (Source: Wikipedia)

11 comments:

Shannon Wallace said...

Congrats, Randy!!! That's quite an achievement!! Myabe Josh and I can join you next year.

Blessings,
Shannon

Anonymous said...

Next year I'll run out to Vegas and then I'll run the marathon with you!!!

Justin_n_IL

Unknown said...

congratulations Randy 2 hours 10 minutes!

we have snow in Ottawa, just a bit, Wednesday 20 cm

Anonymous said...

Ahhh....not so fast
210lbs distributed on what height?

210 is right...for some.

Otherwise.... you're simply overweight. But "crusty,old,fart"
your terms, not mine.

Besides, you can always retreat to the sanctuary of blogging;
where you are very much in fighting trim.

Randy said...

Thank you Shannon - and yes you two should... it is an absolute blast!


Justin, that would be one hell of a run! I'm sure you remember me discussing the event last year - ran it with just a few days notice and was in agony afterwards... This year however I felt great afterwards! Amazing what a little extra training can do for ya!


45North - when starting the race, that specific finish time was my target... Yes, I was quite happy with the result... However, back in my younger days - when I was a much faster runner - I wouldn't have been so happy with it (I used to consistently run sub 7 min miles).


Anon 6:59,

Yes, I was exaggerating a bit there with the whole weight thing... I'm 6'0" and a relatively lean 210... Though I rarely discuss it, I do eat pretty well, work out an average of 4-5 times a week (bench 225 ten+ times on a good day) and I run 3 or more times weekly.

The "Crusty Old Fart" thing was merely added for a good laugh - at least I laughed while writing it...

Thanks for the comments and support everyone!

Randy

Ishkabibble said...

A half marathon in 2:10:02 is awesome. The closest most North Americans will come to your achievement is to watch a 2:10:02 marathon video.

I personally love to walk and hike... 6-8 steady paced hours are great, and I've gone as many as 15 hours steady brisk. But I would be hard pressed to pump up the pace and do 6mph for two full hours.

I've read that our heritage decides how we do with fitness, at least to some degree. Nomadic peoples are built for distance, hunters for sprinting, and so forth. I think there's a bit of truth to that, but it's dissipating as natural selection erodes. Instead I think it is dedication and conviction that decides how we do. Yours tested well... you completed a race while most wouldn't even step on the track.

I'm willing to bet your 'crusty butt' is in the top 1% bracket of North Americans.

Willy2 said...

Piece of cake !! I think I can do it with my eyes closed !! (just kidding !!)

Well, I think it certainly helped you to achieve it in that time because the temperature was that low. Less risk of suffering from dehydration. ;-)

Are those temperatures usual for this time of the year in Vegas ? I thought Vegas in the middle of the desert was a place where temperatures were always high (over 60, 70, 80 degrees (Fahrenheit))

I think temperatures in the 70s or above would have taken a heavy toll on all the participants.

Off topic: See what happened to the AUD/USD and the EUR/USD crosses in (at least) the last 2 days. I think the markets are heading for a MAJOR downturn in the coming days, weeks, months. I think this is the first sign of the next MAJOR leg down. I think one should prepare oneself to go "short" stocks and bonds and go LONG (!) the USD (index) and treasuries. I certainly DO think the USD WILL go up again. What will happen to gold remains to be seen but my guess is that it will hold up pretty well and it even could rally somewhat.

Pay close attention to the gold- and silver juniors.

Randy said...

Here's a link with some draft pictures - I'm the Old Fart with the Black Beanie Cap - runner #16908!

Draft Pictures of Run

Anonymous said...

Dude....2:10....pretty good for a old guy like you....

Miss seeing your face every few days...

Rich

Tell TO and K I said hi...

JayH said...

Way to go! I've thought about doing it but not sure about running the whole way. If they let me walk/hike it then no sweat!

Jay

m2mdaily said...

I just wanted to let you know that you've inspired me to read this post.......Thank you for sharing such a

knowledgeable information..:)
what is m2m