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It’s a shame. I have had a few great RNR experiences, Seattle being one which was similar in size to LV – and it was a fantastic experience. The Brooklyn 10K also had it’s issues. I am VERY concerned about the RnR New Orleans especially after the record registration due to the Saints Promotion.

Also I am concerned about this being my first full, and I know that I will be looking forward to electrolyte, hydration and fuel stations, and is seems that in LV there was poor support for fluids along the course…UNACCEPTABLE.

Competitor – I will carefully consider the circumstances before signing up for any of your races, regardless of the additional bling earned from completing additional events. There are a number of local well organized races where runner safety is the priority, the RNR Series seems to be in it for the profit alone.

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My thoughts are similar in regards to the RnR Savannah inaugural race Nov 5th. 1) The route was not desirable – paths on narrow streets, behind industrial areas & small neighborhoods and 2) water stations were not organized well and/or didn’t have enough volunteers to keep cups of water filled. I was not impressed by the race; only grateful that it was a flat route. I’m registered for the RnR New Orleans race and hope it will be better since reading about RnR LV. I had considered the RnR San Diego race in June but that will all depend on my RnR NOLA experience.

Thanks for your report & look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!

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I totally agree. I was at the hot chocolate 15k in DC and it was awful. The participants deserve a refund. Over 22k runners, the race started an hour and a half late b/c traffic getting to the race was backed up for over an hour. The course was too narrow and the last mile was run over rocks and sand. I will never participate in the hot chocolate series again. Bigger races are not better!

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That is a shame. A coworker has posted on his Facebook that the LV event was grossly unorganized and very late! He PR’d though, which helped him feel a little better.

I ran the RnR in St. Louis and it was well-organized, with plenty of volunteers and hydration stations. The route as expertly planned as well.

Let’s hope for better success for RnR in New Orleans.

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I don’t disagree with anything you’ve mentioned here. I’m guessing that a lot of it has to do with how organized the running community is in these locations, too. Chicago’s RnR, for example was actually inherited from what used to be the Chicago Distance Classic (half marathon), a well-organized event owned/operated by running veteran John Bingham. I’ve run both Chicago’s and Seattle’s and was satisfied.

I originally signed up for this race but eventually opted not to go. I wondered about the quality of the race, and quite frankly, I’ve never liked their requirement to physically have to pick up the packet (and not allowing a fellow runner to do so…why must we ALL fly in early?) I decided to cut my losses at just the race fee instead of race fee, flight, hotel, meals, etc… RnR and RAM Racing both have grown very fast in my opinion, so I’ve begun to choose my races more carefully.

In Chicago for years there were only 2 half marathons around. Now there are quite a few to choose from. Some good, some bad. Race organization/experience are important. Sad to hear LV wasn’t all bright lights and fun.

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Wow, that’s a shame, sorry the race really kicked rocks and I am really looking forward to doing one, but I heard some of your concerns voiced on twitter too.

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I ran the RnR San Antonio Half in November. +33,000 runners but well organized despite a runner dying and the extreme temperatures. Hopefully New Orleans will be well run.

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I’ve never wanted to run a Rock n Roll race. I’ve heard they’re well organized, but the price was just way too high and I’m not very interested in traveling for races. I hope this doesn’t turn anyone off from running or racing. Most races are much better run.

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I ran this race as well and was appalled at how unorganized and chaotic it was. I barely made it to my corral because I got stuck in the hallways of Mandalay Bay with about a thousand other runners, and some of them were passing out and throwing up there from the crowds before the race even started. Once the race started I was shoved several times by other runners.

It is unacceptable for a race to be that expensive and to have that many problems. If they cant properly accommodate 44,000 runners, then they should keep the cap much lower. They ran of out fluids, medals, and shirts! I highly doubt I’ll be running another RnR race again.

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I ran the RNR San Diego race last year and it was well organized! I was so disappointed to hear about the Hot Chocolate race in DC. I understand that an inaugural race will have some problems, but that was ridiculous. I get mad when a race starts 5 minutes late, so an hour and a half late start would have made me insane.

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Ive signed up for 2 Rock n Rolls for 2012, DC and Va Beach… DC is an inaugural… hoping for the best as this will be my 1st half… I heard VA beach race was nice from a fellow BGR! sister… I hope Im not disappointed! I ran the hot choc 15K and it was a disaster. The race started over an hour late n we had to wait in the freezing cold…

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A bit concerned about the RNR in Orleans. A Louisiana native and only my second 1/2. For the registration fee expect better than what I am hearing.

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Sorry to hear about the Vegas experience. I did the Hot Chocolate one in D.C. and can say that I will never run another RAM race. I was told they would be coming to Atlanta in 2013. If any BGR ladies decide to do it I will be on the cheer squad but I know I won’t be giving RAM any more of my money.

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I plan to run the RNR USA in DC in March. Hopefully it will be great. It is replacing the National Half Marathon, so hopefully there are already mechanisms in place to make it run smoothly. At least the course should be flat and fast. I ran the Philly RNR and that was a great race. I was looking forward to running the RNR LV but after these reports, I don’t know. Yes, the Hot Chocolate Run was a disaster, but fortunately, we had a parking permit and were able to sit in our car to keep warm right until the start of the 15K.

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I lot of people felt the same way a out the RNR Brooklyn 10k.. And I have to agree it was very unorganized.. i will probably not run another RNR..

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I lot of people felt the same way about the RNR Brooklyn 10k.. And I have to agree it was very unorganized.. i will probably not run another RNR..

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OMG! I was not happy with the turn of events at LV! And at $155, I expected better! Waaay Tooo many people for the course. Cones in the path in the dark made for a very dangerous run. There were also people on bikes in the midst of the run. I understand there was a blind runner-awesome. However, using the bikers to yell “marathoners to the left, half-marathones to the right” was ridiculous! The powers-to-be should have NEVER had the two meetup after start up. We should have all started same route, then split at half way. The finish line chaos was unfortunate. Once you left the “secured area” (with no option of return), it was truly too dark to find anyone-my friend and I spent two hours looking for one another. We agreed to meet at the finish line..but finishers were pushed to move on. And to top it all off, some finishers did not recieve medals-were told they ran out and that they would be mailed! This was supposed to be a personal best perfomance. However; due to congestion, I lost a lot of time. Even the expo was crammed.

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Thank you for this, Black Girls RUN! I ended up having a pretty decent time, but that’s mostly because I got to BGR! members from around the country. But this comment of yours is especially powerful, given the number of registrants and the high fees that we paid: “If it was a matter of not having enough individuals to volunteer, it was the the perfect opportunity to decrease the city’s startling unemployment rate and pay people to man water stations, direct traffic or provide information to confused runners.” I mean, I don’t even believe that there were nearly the number of bands that they claimed, so it seems that they were just increasing profits and not caring much about the outcomes. It would’ve been better–and more ethical–to pay some people to work. As you say, a big part of what was compromised here was safety.

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In short: yes! I participated in my first (and only) RnR event in Brooklyn (a 10k), and it was a disaster. Then Vegas happened. I was not there, but everyone I know who went was very unhappy with their experience. RnR seems to be in it solely for the money, and if other people want to do it, fine, but I’m not convinced that they’re going to put on quality, safe, events. So, I choose take my racing dollars elsewhere. I was considering the Half Marathon in September 2012 in Philly. But not anymore. I’ll be running in the Yonkers Half instead.

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I appreciate your honesty regarding this event. I’m running my first 10k in January, yay! and I’m looking to find a cool half marathon after that. What have been your favorite races so far?

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I’m registered for RnR New Orleans, my first half Marathon ever. I’m a bit apprehensive now. I hope it’s not a bust. I really want to continue running races and reach my fitness goals, but if they are going to be poorly organized and such then I can save my little money and find some other active hobby for sure!

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I imagine the race organizers’ ears are burning! Every race recap I’ve read has discussed just how ridiculously overcrowded Vegas was. I wonder if RNR registration numbers are going to DROP…

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So sad to hear about the poor RnR Vegas race. My first half was the Country Music 1/2 in Nashville last year. I had a great time, but there was really bad weather coming and they actually cut off the marathon participants before they could finish. They announced that was possible and let some people switch to the half, but didn’t really specify a time you needed to maintain to finish the full. I had a friend get cut off at like mile 16, which sucked. I hope the DC race this spring is well organized. The running community here is very serious and we don’t pull any punches as you all know about the Hot (MESS) Chocolate 5K/15K/RAM Racing peeps found out.

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I agree with all of the comments above. Unfortunately, this was my first, and more than likely, last RNR event. After reading posts on several websites, there were way more issues than just the size of the race.
I feel like a large number of people weren’t out to enjoy the sport of running…they were there to party. I cant tell you how many people were drinking beer or talking on their cell phones on the course. The health department is investigating due to a large number of participants getting sick. And the CEO of the race and his wife supposedly completed the half marathon 10 minutes shy of the world record (despite stopping to renew their vows).
On a positive note, I ran past at least 1 BGR! member that was clearly identifiable. And despite tripping over feet and cones, being elbowed, and zigzaging my way to the finish, I was able to decrease my half marathon time by 23 minutes.

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I would have to agree with all of the comments pertaining to the LV RnR. I participated in the race the previous year and enjoyed the experience. The race was held during the day and I had no trouble getting to my corral even though the registered participants exceeded 20K. Last year it took me 45 minutes to even begin the race, but once I started I easily found my pace/lane and had a successful run.
This year I couldn’t believe how unorganized everything was and commented that I felt as if I was fighting for space the whole time. In fact, I finished 15 minutes slower than my time last year. Last year this was my first half so I anticipated finishing this race (my 11th) better than I did.
Because the race was scheduled in the evening, the temps were only in the high 30′s. This encouraged racers to congregate inside Mandalay Bay once they finished their run. BAD MOVE!! Runners began fainting and security had to divert us out an emergency exit. It was not pleasant.
The next morning as I watched the news reporters recant the events of the night before, they commented that next years race would not have a cap on the number of participants. I turned to my husband and told I won’t be here next year if that occurs.
I have run in several races this past year and ran the Los Angeles RnR. It is a shame that this race was not better organized as the venue is great for new runners as it is a fairly flat course. Hope that the organizers review what is being blogged here and other places so that they can make the necessary improvements.

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This is so ironic I was just talking about this topic this weekend. There are so many, many races and the fees are increasing and and sometimes exorbitant. There are several races in March that I was contemplating and I am grateful for the feedback before I punk down money on this one. I anyone running the ING Atlanta or the Nike Gasparilla in Tampa??

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I am so sad to hear this! One of my co-workers also participated in LV and had similar horrid stories to share- in addition to port-a-potty location woes.

I will say, in defense of the RNR series, I have completed Nashville (3x), Chicago and just Miami this month (which I was nervous about after everything I heard about Vegas). Each route was well organized, plenty of water, supplies etc. and both Nashville and Miami offer challenging hills for miles!! So, perhaps consider one of those cities or another persons testimony of a RNR race, before completely giving up on them. I personally love the cheer stands and the music along the way.

Happy Running and see you in Ohio!

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I did the RNR in San Antonio last year. It seemed like the beginning of the race was far more organized than the end.

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I paid for the race but was not able to attend due to a work conflict; I had to be in MN for training Monday morning after the race. After speaking with many people who did attend and having experienced a major medical service disaster at the San Diego RNR in June 2011; I am so very glad that I did not attend the Las Vegas event. I responded to the RNR survey for San Diego with many negative comments but I never received any response. Apparently, competitor just wants to take the money and they don’t care about liability once each participant signs the waiver. I plan to attend RNR New Orleans but I am very cautious and concerned. Hopefully the Vegas disaster is not repeated!