The half marathon begins at about the mid-way point of the full marathon, along Kyle Canyon Road with the peaks of Mount Charleston off in the distance. While runners in the 26.2-mile race will start at an elevation of about 7,500 feet above sea level near the Mount Charleston Lodge, a rustic hotel and resort known for its hiking trails and vacation village, the half marathon begins at about 4,600 feet.
From there, runners will follow Kyle Canyon Road for most of the race, descending to an elevation of just over 2,400 feet by the time they reach the finish line in Centennial Hills Park. Along the way, they’ll make turns on West Frontage Road, Elkhorn Road, West Cimarron Road and Deer Springs Way, before turning into the park for the race finish.
Runners should note that temperatures in the Mount Charleston area are usually about 20 degrees cooler than in Las Vegas, as the city lies about 5,000 feet lower than the mountain town where the race begins — so you’re likely to experience a big warm-up as you make your way down through the mountains of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and into the park, where you’ll be just minutes from the casinos of the Las Vegas Strip.
The grade for the half marathon is a steady 4% nearly all the way down, organizers note, and you’ll have a course time limit for the half of 6 1/2 hours — which equates to what organizers call “leisurely walking pace” of about 30 minutes per mile, and you’ll need to have finished your race by 12:30 PM.
