I’m back in Vegas for a conference. And to help my body adjust to the change in time zones, I run in the early morning even though it’s already warm. If you slow down your regular pace a bit, it’s a fun run.
I usually run here around 6am when the temperature is still comfortable. The advantage of running this early is that you can run the Strip when it is relatively quiet. The sun is just up and the buildings provide enough shadow to run in.
Running the Strip this early is an interesting experience. You will meet many other runners, but most of them will be too busy with their gadgets to even wish you a good morning. I always find a bit odd when fellow runners pass you by without a greeting, but maybe that’s just me. You’ll also see people just coming back from a night out and vagabonds who sleep on the street. There are people who got up early to get to work, cleaners, escalator repair men (lots of them), families with young children taking a nice stroll and elderly people exercising.
The Strip has some traffic lights with pedestrian crossings so you can keep your pace up. Some crossings are traffic-only and you’ll have to climb the stairs or take the escalator to get to the other side of the street. Which allows you to get some aerobic training in too.
It’s not difficult to run the Strip: Start at the Fashion Show Mall and run South to the Mandalay Bay hotel which is about 4km one way. You’ll pass all the large hotels with fountain mists to cool you off, you’ll inhale weird smells, from cleaning fluids to less legal smoke, run through welcome blasts of air conditioning when the doors are open, in short, an eclectic mix of sensory experiences. One of my all-time favourite streets to run and different every single day.
Do not run the Strip any later than 9am unless you are used to running in the heat. Once the sun is up, it heats up rather quickly. After 9am it’s also going to be too crowded because of pedestrians. If you can’t make it before that time and would like to run anyway, I recommend you take advantage of the airconditioned gym of your hotel and use the treadmill.
