A new Las Vegas

As this writer walked to the starting line of the New Las Vegas Marathon, the bright neon signs of Las Vegas bid welcome to the 10,951 starters (out of 12,000 sign ups). I met two local runners, one in his first marathon and one in his sixth. " Why are you running the Las Vegas Marathon?" Their response would be repeated all day, "Because we get to run down the strip, and because it is new."

The December 4, 2005 date changed seven months before, and the focus on ONLY the marathon distance made this a sterling effort for a first marathon. That Devine Racing did the race first class, with no sponsor help, also made it quite unusual.

In the sport of running, innovation is looked upon in a quizzical fashion. There is a proving ground that is the event. The standard of entry into the major events in road running is high. Remember when Elite Racing started the RNR marathons? Remember how many people wondered if they would ever get the first one off the ground? Elite Racing is now the litmus test for destination marathons.

When Devine came into the running game two years ago, and the purchase of Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas, there were many quick comments, most fairly cynical. Devine also purchased a 10K and half marathon in Chicago and the buying game was on. Where would they find sponsors? Who are they buying next? Can they make their events different from others? Who is acquisition Racing? All of these were discussed in the media. What we in the media forgot was that the only thing that matters is if the running community is interested in the event they speak with race entries.

The final test is race day. Wheelchairs took off first, with the elite women second. 10,951 starters took off at 6:07 am, with the elite women 14 minutes, 40 seconds ahead of the regular start. There was a $50,000 prize to the first finisher, man or woman, who crossed the finish line.

"I live in Vegas, and I have been running for six years. I never thought of doing a marathon until Las Vegas. I wanted to do something different." said one runner just prior to race start.

Elvis is not dead

Race morning came in windy and cold. Just under 40 degrees with wind gusts as high as high as 20 miles per hour, even knocking off part of the start sign. But just after the elite women left, the wind gave the race directors a break.

The runners had been lining up and they came in all shapes and sizes. As this writer crossed the Mandalay Bay parking lot, where the finish was and just a half block from the start, a large group of Elvi (plural of Elvis) was spotted. Talk about all shapes and sizes, but the white jump suit, long side burns and huge black wigs accented by white jump suits, was de rigeur.

When queried, the Elvi told this writer that they came from all over the country, but New York, California and Michigan Elvi were identified. Right behind a group of nearly 50 Elvi, a couple was getting their wedding party together, one of several who were professing their vows on the course.

And they're off

The main race took off at 6:07 a.m. and they were met with fireworks along the Strip, which they ran on for 7.2 miles. Fireworks covered the sky as the runners headed onto the new Las Vegas marathon course. It took nearly ten minutes for the entire field to cross the starting line, and the runners were dressed for the occasion -- there were were Santas, Killer Bees, and a curious group of dancing girls with feathers sticking from the tops of their hats...all were here to run down the Strip.

The majority of Las Vegas had started the race and the announcer gently reminded the runners that, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

What happened were two exciting elite races followed by 10,000-plus individual stories. The runners were forced to be conservative early on because of the headwinds, mostly around 10-15 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph for the first 17 miles. But there were lots of personal best this day as runners had some energy over the last half of the race.

Stephen Kiogora vs. Titus Munji

The pack of elite men gave chase on the elite women, who were 14 minutes, 40 seconds ahead of them already at the start. The pack of ten men went after the first runner bonus of $50k very hard from the start. The men hit the half way point at 1.08.29 and then came back in a sizzling 1.03.29!

The class of the field was Titus Munji, the 2.06.15 marathoner and fastest marathoner in the field. He was near the front the whole day, but this was not to be his day, it was to be the day of Stephen Kiogora of Kenya, who ran stride for stride with Munji for 23 miles, before getting some ground.

The men's elite runners caught the women's elite field, led by Helena Karmatsevich of Belarus, between 17 and 18 miles. The pack of elite men, which numbered ten at the halfway, reached in 1.08.26, but Stephen cut that pack down with his 1.03.32 second half!

Munji and Kiogora were inseperable for 23 miles. The crowd of ten at halfway had quickly broken down to the final two, and running a 2.06 pace for the entire second half of the marathon took its toll. Step for step, two determined marathoners pushed each other to the brink, neither one making a definitive move. Who would be the victor? Runners duking it out at the front, most of the betting (legal in Vegas) would have been on Titus Munji, but, just after 23 miles, Stephen Kiogora made a tough move up a 50 meter incline and Titus Munji was relegated to second.

Munji would later tell elite race coordinator Larry Barthlow that he just could not cover the move by Kiogora. "I was tired and Stephen moved fast, " Munji related.

Kiogora just kept pushing the final three miles at the 2.06 marathon pace. But he must have had some relief as there was no longer any footsteps and his need for a determined sprint at the end had gone away.

Stephen Kiogora kept his relentless pace up through the cheering fans at the finish line, which he hit in 2.11.58, breaking the old Las Vegas record of Frank Plasso, Jr., a Las Vegas resident. Stephen Kiogora walked away with $100k for his efforts. Second place was Munji in 2.13.21, third went to Tekeste Kebede of Ethiopia in 2.14.38, with Gimma Tola of Ethiopia in fourth (2.14.50) and Araya Haregot of Ethiopia in fifth (2.15.30).

The top Cook County resident on the men's side was Abeba Yimer, who ran 2.26.12 and took the $10,000 purse for the first local county resident finisher.

Down to a four-way kick

The elite women's runners were the first to encounter the winds that played such a role in the race. The leader, for 17.5 miles was Helena Karmatesevich of Belarus. The lead pack of Adriana Fernandez, 1999 ING NYC marathon winner, with Galina Bolgomolova of Russia, Dorato Gruca of Poland, and Nuta Olaru of Romania tried hitting six minutes per mile, but the gusts slowed them down, to where they hit the half way at 1.20.16. They passed Karmatesevich just after 18 miles and the race was on. However, this slow pace early on made for a thrilling last half, as the women ran 1.11.38 for the second half.

The pack of four stayed together to the finish. 26 miles is 26 miles. The body gets tired and the focus is challenged, but a the elite level, the race came down to 26.2 miles and a hundred meter dash betweem the top four women. Adriana Fernandez showed her 10k speed by holding onto a less than one second win over Galina Bogomolova of Russia, both timed in 2.31.54! Dorota Ruma of Romania held on for third in 2.31.55 and Nuta Olaru of Romania was fourth in 2.31.57.

The first local resident was Angie Bestwick, an assistant track coach, running 2.54.26, surpassing her goal of sub three hours, and taking home a nice check for 10,000 dollars!

Putting together an elite field is an art, and not a science. The elite field manager has to look at budgets and the need of event and bring in enough guaranteed performers, but also take some chances on elites who may have not performed at the big table yet, but are in tremendous form. Those spoilers sometimes make the best stories. Larry Barthlow, a former 2.13.09 marathoner, did a nice job here, and provided the media with two elite races worth writing about!

Rave reviews

This writer stayed around the finish through five hours and the responses from finishers were repeated over and over:

"Gatorade and water the whole way....Loved the Strip....The fireworks and lights made it feel later in the day so I was not so tired....The winds had us run smart....We had alot of people cheering us the whole way, loved it....We'll be coming back!"

Other observations: Many new runners in this event who had never run a marathon before. Also, the strength of training groups that keep runners going in the hard weeks of training needed to pursue a healthy marathon finish.

That last response is music to a race committee's ears. Chris Devine, Bruce Bozill and Steve Miller, the trio who are challenging our sport's modus operandi, were happy at both the successful start, but also the feeling of accomplishment that completing a marathon gives runners. They were quick to thank Oscar Goodman, mayor of Las Vegas, and Chairman Rory Reid and the Clark County Board of Commissioners for their support on the innovative course and event.

The Torch Run

The Las Vegas Police Department supported a torch run to honor late LVPD officer Don Albietz, who was killed in a tragic bike accident. A fund has been established to help his two children, and information can be found at www.lvmpd.com, where you can find a link to the scholarship fund for his children.

Where do they go from here?

Devine has proven itself. They can take over events and make them new and exciting. The Devine impramatur means something and has streed cred and value. Devine is now a brand of running entertainment.

In speaking with Steve Miller, New CEO and President of Devine, he promised new innovations and a focus on making the experience of the running consumer even more exciting. "We have some exciting innovations for next year and beyond," Miller said with a smile.

Miller is an innovator and after being away from the sport of running, he is obviously happy to back. Newly elected to the U.S. Track Coaches Hall of Fame, Miller is in a position to change how marathons are marketed, sponsored and viewed by the sporting public. We should look for more innovations from Devine in the future.

Devine has made the first step: producing a successful event. Now it can begin the journey of defining its mission and its brand.

Rod Dixon,VP of Devine Racing, Olympic great and marathon champion at New York City, was seen along the finish line, watching the 500 runners that he and coach Pat Connelly trained to run Las Vegas. He had this to say about the Vegas race: "We have an opportunity here to bring many new runners into the world of marathons and good fitness. I am looking forward to the challenge. At our age, in our 40s and 50s, fitness is key to the quality of our lives. We want to make a lot of new marathoners, that is our challenge."

For more information on devine racing, check www.devineracing.com.

For more information on the new Las Vegas Marathon, visit www.newlasvegasmarathon.com.

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Copyright 2005. Use of this piece is allowed with attribution of publisher.