Las Vegas: Run Down the Strip

This weekend we had a little get together in Las Vegas, Nevada to have my brother, Norbert, bachelor party. So basically it was a quite weekend, and I got the chance to do some running in a completely different city.

We arrived Thursday night after about 6 hours of flight aboard and old American Airlines Boeing 757. Still on EST, we went to bed right away.

The next morning I got up and looked over to the Encore, which is Steve Wynn’s new Casino/Hotel that stands next to the Wynn. Looks nice and clear for the start of the day. As I entered the casino from the elevator corridor, I was amazed to see the number of players gambling at this time of the day. I paid $3.00 for a bottle of Dasani Water which we can all get for a buck. Hopefully I can find someplace outside to buy water from.

I left the main entrance and made a right. Just as I was about to warm up, my phone rang. It was Gail from Team for Kids, the charity that I am running for in the NYC Marathon. Told her some of my successes and reasons for running and off I went in search of the famous Strip that Bugsy Siegel created 50 years ago. I was so excited to see the famous bright lights and signs flashing to entice passers by to come in and roll some dice or pull the handle of the slots. After 10 minutes, it was looking very dismal. Was I on the right street? So I asked a local, “Where is the Strip?” He looked confused and replied, “This is it.”

Are you kidding me, this does not look anything on CSI. Lots of small shopping centers, shops and wedding chapels were on this street. One day, I would like to get remarried to Irene with Elvis as the preacher. Anyway, none of the big hotels and casinos with flashing bulbs and extra oxygen to keep you awake to gamble more was anywhere to be found. Empty clearings of construction sites and old casinos bound both sides of this Strip. Television makes things look cooler, but this is really looks nothing to be impressed with. Even the Stratosphere Tower looked very dated. I ran another 10 minutes only to say that this is not right, reversed course and headed back.

Later that morning, I relaxed on the bus to the Red Rock Golf Course, and looking out the window. I realized that I ran in the wrong direction! I am definitely going avoid 2 days of disappointing running by making a left this time.

Still on East Coast time I woke up at 7am with a few hours of sleep from the night before. Was it all just a crazy dream last night… Anyway, I was amazed and happy on this route, all the famous landmarks that made it Las Vegas appeared. The Venetian with its Italian architecture, the Mirage, Caesars, Paris with its Eiffel Tower, MGM Grand and I ended it with New York, New York with it’s Manhattan Skyline. Definitely more tourists were on this part of the Strip! While it was still daylight, I was very impressed that they built a city around a single industry and still continue with more construction. Most city’s have office buildings casting shadows on the ground below, Las Vegas has hotels.

On the other hand, Irene ran a 4 miler for St. Charles Hospital two weeks ago. I am so proud of her running her longest distance to date and in great time. The kids were so excited as they jumped up and down yelling “Go Mommy Go!” as she climbed up the final hill. Both Zachary and Emily ran the last tenth of a mile to the finish line! Looks like Emily will be training soon to do a 5K in the future. She was very impressed by a 13 year old boy who won the race in 22 minutes.

Visit www.runwithnoah.com for more running stories.


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