Las Vegas Marathon moves to night start for 2011

AP Photo/Isaac Brekken

Runners participate in the Las Vegas marathon and half-marathon Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, in Las Vegas. More than 28,000 runners participated in the races.

By Sarah Feldberg

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | 10:10 p.m.

When thousands of runners take to the Strip this December 4 for the Zappos.com Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon, they’ll do it under the Boulevard’s bright lights and booming audio. While the race has taken the Strip route for two years now, this time, instead of kicking off in the early morning while most of Las Vegas is still sleeping, the race will begin at 4 p.m. with the half-marathon starting at 5:30 p.m. And the Strip itself? Closed to traffic. All eight lanes.

The new start time officially makes our marathon the largest nighttime running event in the world, a claim that only makes sense in a city known for scoffing at the ideas of last call and bedtime. It also means that while marathoners have typically run along a largely empty Strip with few tourists or locals out for the occasion, this year, they should have a larger cheering section thanks to the race’s primetime start. While the Las Vegas Marathon was purchased by Competitor Group in 2008, the race is actually 44 years old and last year resulted in an economic impact of more than $91 million, according to information released by Competitor Group. Taking over the Strip during heavy business hours is a kind of coming of age for the event—an acknowledgement that it’s reached a level of participation and impact to warrant shutting down our town’s main drag at an hour when it would usually be bustling.

As for what it will be like to race past the casinos as the city lights up, well, having run the half-marathon this past year in the daylight, I can only imagine it will be a very special thrill. And I have one request for the properties whose marquees will be watching over the racers come marathon evening: How about some motivational videos or messages, eh? Help a girl out.