Revel Mt Charleston Race Review
The initial drawcard to the Revel Marathon in Mt Charleston, Las Vegas was the fast course, with a potential for a personal best finishing time. My girlfriend asked if we could do the race as she was aiming for a Boston Qualifier time, and Revel races have a good record of getting people BQ's by the bucket load.
Personally, I've been racing a lot of triathlons so my focus on running and particularly a BQ, was not really there. But when you get to the race, you realise how highly regarded running Boston is in the running community. During the race expo, registration, bus ride to the race start and pre race conversation is generally centred around people talking about Boston, Boston Qualification, or something else Boston related. I've honestly never heard the word "Boston" said so many times through the time I was in Las Vegas for the run.
Travelling from overseas for a race is a commitment, so Las Vegas is a big drawcard as a destination. Vegas itself can be a little exhausting but for me the Nevada desert is an amazing place to visit and was a bit of a no brainer from my side. Signing up for the race and communication with the race organisers was easy. All the information we got after signing up was relevant and not overkill and helped build the excitement for the race and holiday we were planning.
Race Expo and Registration
The race expo was a lot of fun. I wouldn't consider this race to be a big race, but there were enough vendors with some cool products on hand, all of which were not overly pushing in trying to get your attention. We spent about 2 hours speaking to all the vendors and spending up on new kit. The registration was also a breeze. Make sure you have Photo ID available and it will be a pretty seamless process. We also got a nice bag of goodies including some nice merchandise and some other free stuff from sponsors.
Race Location and Course
The race location was amazing and if you have a chance to see Mt Charleston, take it. Mt Charleston sits about an hour from the centre of Las Vegas and during the winter is a small ski resort. With some snow still visible on the surrounding mountains, the start line of the race is at approximately 2,300 metres(7,800 feet) above sea level. When you stand at the starting line, you can't help but be inspired by the surrounding cliffs and pine forest.
The run course then weaves down through the mountain and into the Nevada desert. The last 8km then take you through the outskirts of Las Vegas with the finish line in Sun City. The aid stations are about every 4km(2.5 miles) and are sufficiently stocked and have heaps of volunteers cheering you on. The course is scenic and beautiful with not very many supporters along the course, so if you need the extra motivation from a crowd, this race may not be for you. Having said that, a good crowd congregation at the finish line to get you through the last stage of the race.
Transportation, Extras and Finish Line
The transportation is well organised, although there were some busses arriving close to start time. I am not sure if the people on these busses would have been pleased with this, but I had no trouble at all. This finish line was stocked with everything you need and had a great atmosphere. Event photos were included in the fee and were delivered to my inbox in the next day or so and so did a reminder that registrations to next year's event were open(Definitely worth considering).
Running the Race
When it comes to running the race, the fact you are running down hill for a majority of the race does not make this course easy. Firstly there is the constant downhill you need to deal with and from about the 5km mark my quads felt like they were on fire. If you push to hard on the downhill, if will leave you walking the later stages of the race.
The second thing to consider is the altitude. If you're not used to running at altitude you will need to make an adjustment to your effort. I'd been trying to do some extra work to get used to the altitude but it was not until the second half of the race that I felt I was able to run properly without a loss of breath holding me back.
For me personally, my day went pretty well and I was able to take a significant chunk of time off my PB. I did get my BQ but still need to work out if I'll be entering Boston next year as a result.
Link to my Strava results:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1537300721
Summing It All Up
I know this is the only Revel race I have run, but if the other races follow this pattern of an amazing destination, scenic downhill course, with a well organised event, all of these events would be as amazing as what the Mt Charleston race is. If you are planning a destination race, I can definitely recommend this race as it will leave you buzzing afterwards.
Link to Revel Race Website:
https://www.runrevel.com/rmc
Any recommendation for a store that will assess your foot and tell you what running shoe to use?
I do but it depends on where you live. There were definitely some in the US(Dicks Sport), and I know of chains in both Australia(Athletes Foot) in New Zealand(Shoe Clinic) as well.
Let me know and I might be able to help.
Regards @run.vince.run
US... any info would be helpful I just started running
Sorry I cannot be too specific I'm sorry and we have a coaches corner set up on the runningproject discord site so there may be some more people from the US that can help. (https://discordapp.com/channels/420968382201069570/420999478074671105)
But having said that, I have just been in the US last week and know for a fact that that Dicks Sporting Goods has treadmills that they have for customers to use so they can asses and recommend a shoe for you specifically. If you try their site as you can find a location, hopefully near you(https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/s/stores)
Hope that helps.
Regards @run.vince.run
Thanks! I’ll look into it
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Thanks for the race recap. I can see from Strava that there must have been some beautiful views. Congrats on a good marathon time!
Thanks @marenontherun it was an amazing race.
Regards @run.vince.run
Nice