Lessons learned at the finish line of the Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon

Richard N. Velotta

What a week it was for tourism news last week:

An estimated 44,000 people ran marathon and half-marathon races on a route that included the iconic Las Vegas Strip.

Anticipation was high going into the race because it was the first time the Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon was scheduled at night. Most runners were enthusiastic about the prospect of enjoying their passion for running under the glow of the lights of Caesars Palace, the Mirage and the Venetian.

But like the Strip route itself, things went south at the end.

Runners and their support groups complained that the finish line at Mandalay Bay was a traffic nightmare.

Despite efforts to minimize jams (that day’s performance of the National Finals Rodeo was switched to the afternoon so that cowboy traffic wouldn’t mix with runners), the mass of humanity was overwhelming. It didn’t help that Michael Jackson Fan Fest was going on at around the same time.

Many marathon runners are swearing they won’t be back.

To them I ask: What exactly did you expect? There was somewhere north of 44,000 people on foot where the traffic flow around Mandalay Bay isn’t that smooth to begin with. And, it was dark.

Could organizers have done a better job of crowd management? Probably. But remember, this was the first time this had been done at night. Organizers were thoughtful enough to divert the rodeo crowd, apparently not anticipating what a huge response the Michael Jackson event would get.

The post-marathon horror stories got worse when it was reported that there wasn’t enough water on the course and that trash cans were being filled with water from fire hoses for runners. Clark County officials are trying to track down whether intestinal illnesses some runners experienced and the water from the fire hoses are connected.

To those who say they won’t be back, give the Las Vegas Marathon another chance. Organizers obviously learned a few things from the new race format. If you don’t come back, you’ll be missed. And you may miss a better event in 2012.

•••

The bid to legalize playing poker online suffered a blow — but probably not a death blow — when Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson announced he’s against it because he doesn’t think technology is good enough to detect underage players.

This from someone whose casinos operate wireless gaming platforms that use similar player identification technology. It will be interesting to see if the Venetian and Palazzo embrace in-room play that regulators are close to adopting.

Adelson has talked with Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., about his opposition. Kyl will likely oppose Internet gambling legislation unless he can be convinced that there would be some benefit to his state’s tribal casino operators.

Meanwhile, representatives of Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International will continue to push for legalization as well as organizations like the Poker Players Alliance, which is losing another key advocate with next year’s retirement of longtime supporter Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.

With governments in dire need of money, it may not be long before the tax revenue legalization represents will become a factor in the decision to OK poker play.

In the big picture of Internet poker legalization, Adelson’s move will be regarded as a roadblock but not a deal-killer in the effort to approve online play.

And don’t expect the Nevada Gaming Commission to put off approving regulations for play later this month.

•••

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to pin down the cause of last week’s crash of an air tour helicopter near Lake Mead within a few days.

The crash occurred, incidentally, in the same week that the National Tour Association was meeting in Las Vegas for the first time in its 60-year history. The NTA is an organization of tour operators that offer attractions — like air tours — in their respective locations.

Don’t be surprised to hear calls for the banning of helicopter tours near the Strip or Hoover Dam as a result of the accident. Public overreaction often follows a tragedy of this magnitude. Southern Nevada tour operators have a history of promoting safety first in their business.

Once the findings of the NTSB are disclosed, there will be time to determine what, if anything, must be done.

Banning tour flights shouldn’t be one of them.