Las Vegas Weekly

December 5, 2008 · 10:16 AM

Fourth annual Las Vegas Marathon kicks off in Sunday morning darkness

By Robin Leach

Las Vegas Marathon.

Photo: TVT

It will take almost an hour in the dark to get the nearly 20,000 runners in place for the dawn start of the 4th annual Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday morning. I’ll be down at the Mandalay Bay starters’ stand at 5 a.m. to join the Blue Man Group, Frank Marino’s band and the political and track officials to encourage the runners before it all gets underway.

At 6 a.m., the world’s top marathon runners will slot into place at our front starting lineup. At 6:07 a.m., we’ll fire the starter’s pistol, which will signal the official start as fireworks explode all around us. Remember, other than New Year’s Eve, it’s the only day of the year the famed Strip is closed to vehicular traffic.

By 7:15 a.m., stunning 31-year-old ordained minister the “Running Reverend” Jamie Fitzlaff should be conducting “weddings on the run” as more than 50 couples at the 5-mile mark renew their marriage vows at her Special Memory Wedding Chapel downtown, which becomes a very short and sweet run-through ceremony! The other marathon highlight is the now-traditional turnout of the zany costumed Elvis Presley look-alike runners.

Shortly after 9 a.m., we should see the first runners back at Mandalay Bay to cross the finishing line. The battle this year will be between three neck-and-neck African runners: Abebe Yimer of Ethiopia and Gregory Kiprotich and Stephen Kibert, both from Kenya. Abebe, who has a personal-best record of 2:13:52 for a 26.2-mile marathon, will be the man to beat with Stephen hard on his heels with a personal best time of 2:14:10.

Nadezhda Tuptova of Russia should lead the way in the women’s field with her personal-best time of 2:41:58. In all, we’re expecting runners from all 50 states and more than 41 countries, including approximately 2,000 international runners.

It’s difficult to believe how fast the marathon has grown. The first year -- in 2005 -- there were 6,000 runners. It jumped to 11,000 the following year, and last year 16,000 registered. Next year The Competitor Group, with its Rock ’n’ Roll Marathons, takes over from the Devine Racing Group, so expect even bigger crowds. The new owners had 30,000 runners in their first San Antonio Marathon last month!

You can join the excitement as early as today when the Nissan-sponsored Quality of Life expo opens at Mandalay Bay. Admission is free -- and then again tomorrow when the marathon hosts its all-you-can-eat pasta and Elvis karaoke party at Mandalay Bay from 5 to 7 p.m. You also can attend the late-afternoon party, but the ticket price for loading up on carbs is $35.

We’ll have the full photo report right here at Vegas DeLuxe shortly after the winning runners break the tape and cross the finish line Sunday morning.

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