I was really excited for this race because it's so close to my house and I wouldn't have to drive very far. The weather was gorgeous! I was afraid that it was going to be too cold, but it was 59 degrees at the start and was 64 degrees at the finish- perfect race weather! The race started at the JW Marriott in Summerlin. They had a DJ and a food truck there. We were supposed to start in corrals, but I could never find the markings for the corrals so everyone just basically lined up and they let us go in 3 waves. Unfortunately, I was in the last wave, but it turned out to be ok because I only had to dodge the walkers for the first half mile. I was very surprised at how many hills there are in Summerlin. I thought it was supposed to be a flat course with only a few hills, but it seemed like it was all a gradual uphill for the first 8 miles! Nothing like the Red Rock hills, but there was a definite grade on the course. I couldn't wait for the uphill portion to end! We had to go over an overpass around mile 5 and then at mile 10 there was a HUGE hill (more of a mountain in my opinion). As soon as I turned the corner and saw it, I couldn't believe how steep it was. Right at that time one of my favorite running songs came on- Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger". How appropriate. It gave me the motivation that I needed so I sprinted up the hill. The volunteer at the top cheered me on and said "you killed that hill!". It was such a great feeling! After that, the rest of the course was downhill or flat. It was very enjoyable from that point on.
The course itself was nice. It was very well marked with lots of volunteers cheering people on and directing runners in the right direction. There were lots of trees and shade which I appreciate. They had police officers controlling the traffic which was great because Las Vegas drivers are awful. Half of the refreshment stations had just water and the other half had both water and Gatorade (Lemon Lime Gatorade- my fave!). At the finish line, they had a great spread of food including fruit, muffins, ice cold water and Gatorade, and cookies. The mini blueberry muffins were delicious.
I wore my new turquoise Team Sparkle skirt and got a ton of compliments! I'll definitely have to rock that color again soon.
The best part of the race in my opinion is when I was sprinting toward the finish line when I realized that I would be getting a new PR by about 9 minutes! I was ecstatic!!
Overall verdict: I would definitely run this race again. The weather was perfect, the course was great, and it was very well organized.
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment