Marathon aiming for 25,000 runners

Three months ago, Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon officials made a surprising announcement that the event had secured all lanes in both directions on Las Vegas Boulevard for this December's race.

Race general manager Adam Zocks said then the goal was to attract a total of 20,000 runners to the marathon and half-marathon in its first year under new owner Competitor Group.

Now, in the midst of a struggling economy and sluggish tourism, Zocks admitted he's had to adjust that number.

To 25,000.

And he fully expects that to be a reality come Dec. 6.

"Registration is going extremely well," Zocks said Thursday. "We're way ahead of last year's pace. In fact, we might be past last year's number. We're at about 14,000 right now."

That just short of last year's approximately 15,000 contestants, but that will change soon enough. The event record of 17,000 in 2007 also will tumble long before the starting gun.

"Our goal is to blow by 25,000," Zocks said. "With the buzz we are hearing, people are so excited about this Rock 'n' Roll event. And that's without knowing about the new course. Then they find out that it's all on the Strip, and they're even more excited about it."

Zocks is thrilled, but not surprised, by the response.

"I knew we could bring runners to this market once we started promoting it," he said, noting the financial issues of previous owner Devine Racing were the higher hurdle to clear. "The concern was locally, because of what took place the last few years. The local runners, local businesses and everyone around here were looking for a change, and now they're confident the race is in the right hands and the event is going more in the right direction."

Zocks also announced that one of the race's most popular staples would be getting a major upgrade this year, as the run-thru wedding ceremony will move to the Paris, with the Eiffel Tower in the backdrop.

"With the whole focus of this race being the Strip, we really wanted to bring this piece of the event into a higher-profile area," Zocks said. "We decided it didn't have to be at a chapel. We're bringing it to a more exciting location -- you can get married at Paris in Las Vegas."

Logistics played a role in the move, as well, as the ceremony will come just about three miles in, rather than at five miles.

"I think earlier in the race was something we thought was a really good idea," Zocks said. "It allows us to help keep participants together, and I think it will allow more people to participate and allow more runners to see it as it happens."

• TEAM CHALLENGE -- The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America is the race's official charity, and early signs point to what should be a successful fundraising effort with the foundation's Team Challenge.

"They recruit runners, concentrating on the half-marathon, and they are hoping to bring up to 1,000 runners. In terms of money, they will raise millions," Zocks said. "We give them a platform, and they are the exclusive charity of the event. We're driving as many runners as we can to join the Team Challenge."

• READY TO ROCK -- Zocks said the event continues to look for live bands to play on the course, and race volunteers still are needed, as well.

For information on both, or on any other aspect of the race, go to www.runrocknroll.competitor.com/, and click the Las Vegas link at the top of the page.

Contact reporter Patrick Everson at peverson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0353.