Las Vegas Marathon: Course, Route Profile & Map

Course & Elevation

All three distances start at 06:30 at The STRAT, before sunrise. The first three miles head north on Las Vegas Boulevard and briefly through the canopied Fremont Street Experience, after which the course leaves the tourist corridor. Between miles 4 and 16 you run through the neighbourhoods around the Rancho Oakey corridor and Bob Baskin Park, and from mile 8.5 to 11 through Springs Preserve, the conservation area at the springs the city grew from. This part rises gently by about 40 metres and gives it back on the return.

From mile 16 comes the Strip: past the Wynn, the Venetian, Caesars Palace and the Bellagio fountains to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign at the south end, then back north to The STRAT. Southbound the road rises barely noticeably until about mile 21, and the last five miles drift slightly downhill to the finish. The time limit is six and a half hours, and January mornings in the valley sit around 4 degrees Celsius.

Pacing Strategy

The course is flat enough for even pacing, but its atmosphere is unevenly spread: the neighbourhoods in the first half are quiet, the Strip at the end is loud. Do not get carried away on the boulevard in the opening miles, and run the gentle rise towards Springs Preserve by feel rather than by watch.

The marathon is decided between miles 16 and 21, running slightly uphill south on the Strip with the scenery urging you to speed up. Hold your pace there rather than pressing; after the turn at the Welcome sign the road falls gently, and if you still have reserves the last five miles back to The STRAT can be run steady or faster. The organiser's pacers use an effort-based strategy that adjusts to the elevation changes.

Training plan for Las Vegas Marathon: 12-week build

For most age-group runners the marathon means three to six hours of steady aerobic work on tarmac. The course has no real climbs, just long, very gentle grades that add up over miles and are only felt late.

Long runs of 30 to 35 km are the base, ideally with a stretch at marathon pace in the second half so you learn to stay calm from mile 16 as fatigue builds. Practise your fuelling exactly as you plan to use it in the race.

The 06:30 start in January means cold in the corral and often dry desert air. Do some long runs early in the morning, plan throwaway layers for the start and drink deliberately even when the cool air does not make you want to.

With the race in January, the training block falls in winter. Plan treadmill sessions for snow or ice so the long runs do not drop out.