The Las Vegas Marathon is preparing for its first run

The first Las Vegas Marathon will take place this weekend as organizers try to create a unique race like those in other major cities.

More than 6,000 runners are expected to take part in three races on Sunday. The 26.2-mile marathon begins on the Red Rock Scenic Route, travels down Charleston Boulevard and into downtown Las Vegas. The race ends at Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.

The other two races are the 13.1-mile half marathon and the 7.02-mile run, named and distanced after the original Las Vegas area code. Of the three, about 2,500 signed up for the marathon, about 2,000 for the half marathon and more than 1,600 for the 7.02-mile run.

According to Joe Jurisic, racing director at Brooksee, a Salt Lake City-based urban racing production company, the goal of the track was to highlight the diversity of terrain the Las Vegas Valley has to offer.

“I realize a lot of the attention is just on the Strip or even the downtown corridor, but some people don't know about the Red Rock and Downtown Summerlin scenic loop and the ability to walk through Symphony Park and the Arts District Jurisic said. “These are all things we wanted to highlight as landmarks of our city that tourists might not recognize.”

Starting at 4 a.m. on race day, the route east of Charleston between Red Rock and downtown will be closed to vehicle traffic for several hours. All three races start at 6 a.m. According to race organizers, streets in Charleston and downtown are expected to reopen at 12:33 p.m.

Las Vegas has hosted the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on the Las Vegas Strip for several years, offering a half marathon as well as 10K and 5K runs.

Brooksee recognized the demand for a full marathon and has been working on it for the past three years. The plan is to make this an annual event.

“If you look at any other sports city, they all have a typical marathon,” Jurisic said. “The LA Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, New York City. We deserve it. It’s a little unusual that we don’t do a marathon, especially one for the city.”

Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X