Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Las Vegas marathon moves start line away from shooting scene

2016 Rock'n'Roll Marathon

Steve Marcus

Runners cross Tropicana Avenue as they northbound on The Las Vegas Strip during the Geico Rock’n’Roll Las Vegas Marathon Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016.

The upcoming Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon has moved its start line and race festival grounds, and organizers say runners will have several chances to commemorate the Oct. 1 shooting.

Competitor Group official Dan Cruz says Friday that the Nov. 12 evening race will start in front of the New York-New York resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

That's about 1 mile north of last year's start near the Mandalay Bay, from which a gunman killed 58 people in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Cruz says pre-race activities for the marathon and half-marathon will be between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo casinos and the T-Mobile Arena — not at the open-air festival venue across from Mandalay Bay.

The changes mean runners will twice pass the massacre site.