Las Vegas Half Marathon Brings Back Visitors and Safety Concerns

Posted on: March 1, 2022, 04:25h. 

Last updated on: March 1, 2022, 12:15h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Tens of thousands of runners took part in The Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas half marathon on the Strip this past weekend. The event went off without any noticeable issues, but Resorts World Las Vegas took extra precautions before the race.

Las Vegas Half Marathon
Ellie Stevens, 37, the woman winner of this year’s half marathon held on the Las Vegas Strip, pictured above. The Vegas resident celebrates after she crossed the finish line near the Mirage Hotel & Casino. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

On Sunday, the Strip was closed for the half marathon, which is just one of two times annually the iconic thoroughfare is shuttered to traffic. The other closure is for New Year’s events.

But before the race on Sunday, Resorts World inspected its Strip-facing rooms. The move was a “safety measure” requested by Metro Police, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Apparently, nothing of significance was seen. It is not known if other nearby casino hotels also inspected their rooms.

Tragically, such a precaution is found to be necessary. It was just over four years ago that Stephen Paddock fired upon the massive crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest country music festival on the Strip. He was perched in a 32nd-floor suite in the Mandalay Bay hotel. Many were either killed or wounded. He ended his life with a self-inflicted wound.

Participants Show Up

The race had been canceled the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But this weekend’s events attracted some 35,000 runners. An estimated 92 percent of the participants reside outside of Nevada, KVVU, a local TV station, reported. Thousands of spectators also came to view the races, the Review-Journal said.

I feel like there’s just an energy in big events coming back to Vegas, and so I’m so excited we can be one of the first to hold something big and on the Strip at night,” race director and Vegas-native Nicole Christenson told KVVU.

The 5k race was held in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday. On Sunday, a 10k and the half marathon were held on the Strip.

Vegas Local Crowned Winner

This year’s winner of the half marathon was local Ellie Stevens, 37. Originally from the UK, Stevens moved to Vegas four years ago and has participated in the Las Vegas race for several years.

I have run this race for so long, and I am so excited to win it…. I’ve wanted to win it for so many years, and I’ve always been sixth or eighth — but it’s just so [exciting] … to win at home,” Stevens told KVVU after crossing the finish line.

Her official time was 1:17:53 for the 13.1-mile race. The race began behind Planet Hollywood and finished at the Mirage Hotel & Casino.

But a 4-inch blister on her right foot almost kept her from running this weekend, the Review-Journal revealed. But just hours before the race started, she decided to take part. But she is no stranger to challenges. In past years, Stevens was injured by a foot stress fracture, a skin ailment, and suffered from chronic fatigue, the Bleacher Report said.

The men’s half-marathon winner was Justin Kent. He lives in Vancouver, Canada. His official time was 1:04:38.

“Oh, I love it, it’s my first time here — so kind of blown away being able to run down the Strip — [it] is a pretty cool experience,” Kent told KVVU following the race.