Thousands of runners enjoyed ideal conditions and an incredibly fast and beautiful course at the inaugural REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon and Half on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Participants described the Mt Charleston course as "beautiful and majestic" to "one of the fastest courses in the nation." With a Boston qualifier rate of 40%, "absolutely awesome" scenery, and "great volunteer support," it is easy to see why participants called REVEL Mt Charleston a "must do race."

The inaugural REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon and Half, on May 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a resounding success. In the marathon, over 600 runners began the race at the top of Kyle Canyon in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. Almost as if on cue from a movie director, snow began falling on the marathoners only a few minutes into the race, and then disappeared as the runners made their way past the first two miles.

Meanwhile, 13.1 miles down the canyon, more than 1,150 half marathoners began their race in ideal mid-40s temperatures and comfortably dry conditions.

Overall, the incredibly fast downhill course yielded impressive results and rave reviews from the marathoners and half marathoners, and remarkable finish times from the overall winners in both events.

Top Finishers

In the marathon, Gary Krugger, 31, was the 2016 Mt Charleston Marathon winner with a finish of 2:33:16. Amber Green, 35, was the second overall finisher in 2:35:24, which placed her first overall in the women's field.

Rounding out the top 3 men finishers were Ryan Achatz, 38, in 2:38:12; and Matt Orr, 40, finishing in 2:47:24.

Katie Guisinger, 36, was second woman finisher with 2:55:18. Laura Gonzalez, 31, was third in 2:58:15.

In the half marathon, Steve Chu, 33, won with a 1:07:47. Zach Watson, 38, and Elliot Ball, 41, rounded out the top 3 with finishes of 1:11:37 and 1:20:27, respectively.

Kristi Jackson, 27, was the overall female winner of the half marathon with a finish in 1:23:47. In second place, finishing with 1:27:16, was Maureen Kimsey, 33. Coming in third was Melissa Terry, 40, clocking a 1:28:58 finish.

The Runners Speak: FAST and BEAUTIFUL

“This is one of the fastest courses in the nation,” said marathon finisher Othman Doubiany. “Gentle downhill all the way. This is a great race and I will recommend it to anyone trying to improve their personal best or trying to qualify for Boston.”

Half marathoner Melissa Fischer from Utah ran a PR on the course, saying “My PR before this race was set in 2010 and I really thought I wouldn’t break it again. I didn’t just break it, I shattered it by 8 minutes!”

Fred Winkler from California, who says he will be recommending this race to his running friends, described the marathon course as “the perfect grade…the course just pulls you along, not so steep that you need to waste energy by braking.”

But the race was not praised solely for being a FAST downhill course. Runners raved about the remarkable BEAUTY of the race. “Beautiful, majestic, VERY FAST,” is how marathon finisher Patrick Kearl from California described the day.

Likewise, Danny Williams from Florida described an “awesome” day on a “gorgeous” course, celebrating that he ran a PR "by almost 12 minutes and met my BQ standard by almost 15 minutes!”

More Than A Race: A Destination

Charlie Nelson from New Hampshire not only enjoyed the “absolutely awesome” scenery on the marathon course, but also raved about the local dining, entertainment, and a visit to nearby Hoover Dam during his trip. Likewise, half marathon finisher Shae Deschutter praised finding “lots of shopping/dining nearby.”

Adam Eliason praised the half marathon for the downhill course and “great volunteer support,” as well as the family-friendly attractions in town: “First time our entire family ran a race together…Mom, Dad and 4 children. Nothing like training and doing a race to bring together the family.” Adam added, “A well planned event by REVEL that I’m sure will grow in years to come as more people hear about it.”

Outstanding Support Before, During, and After the Race

Brandi Noble praised the half marathon, saying “this was one of the best half marathon courses I’ve run,” with a “downhill course with lots of support.” She raved about how the finish line activities were "amazing – fruit, bagels, pretzels, pizza, pumpkin pie,” and how the finish line announcer “MADE this race…to have his level of energy at 5+ hours really makes a difference for those people who battled for every single mile.”

Jennifer Unick praised the organization, saying “This was the most organized marathon I have ever participated in. The buses were on time, portapotties were set up, race started on time, water stations were well stocked, plenty of law enforcement and friendly volunteers, great signage, awesome medals and plenty of food and water at the finish!! Super impressed with this race series all the way around!!”

Jeree Johnson, a veteran marathoner and half marathoner, summed it up well: “I am an older runner who has run every major marathon, and nearly every half marathon in the USA. Without equal this was the best event from beginning to end...The course management by race organizers and local law enforcement made the day very easy for the runners. Finally, the finish line with cold water, pizza and variety of pies was a welcome surprise. The after race setting was great, especially the photo options and the ability to print out your individual race results.”

Half marathon finisher Caroldene Garcia summed up the day simply: “Beautiful. It’s a must do race.”

The USATF course certification is complete and the certification numbers for REVEL Mt Charleston have been issued. NV16005LA and NV16004LA are the USATF certification numbers for the full and half marathon respectively.

Three words describe every one of REVEL’s marathon and half-marathon courses:

• FAST
• BEAUTIFUL
• DOWNHILL

Downhill running, especially FAST downhill running, can subject runners to higher stresses on the legs due to eccentric force, which is a major cause of delayed-onset muscle soreness, or "DOMS."

But with proper form and proper training, runners can curb the effects of eccentric force, and in turn lessen the severity of DOMS.

Sore legs are common for distance runners for a period of 1-3 days after a race. The pain, soreness, tenderness, loss of strength, and reduced range of motion are all familiar to runners after completing a marathon or half marathon.

Many runners will tell you that the worst soreness is not the day of, or even the day after a race, but is 2-3 days after the race. The culprit? Delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

The common misconception that DOMS is caused by "lactic acid in the muscles" is completely wrong. DOMS in the leg muscles is caused by eccentric force, where the muscles are doing two things at once: (1) acting like “shock absorbers” to absorb the impact forces of landing on your foot, while at the same time (2) lengthening like a spring to propel the body forward. The end result is that the muscles are pulled in two different directions at the same time, which results in microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers. The muscle damage triggers an inflammatory response by the body, resulting in swelling, stiffness, and tenderness in the muscles. The good news is that most of the symptoms of DOMS, which fade in a few days, are a result of the body’s inflammatory response, not damage to the muscles themselves.

Eccentric force occurs while running on any surface, but it is much greater when running downhill. Some research indicates that the impact forces of running increase by more than 50% when running downhill, while the braking forces of every foot strike can increase by up to 75%. The reason is simple: the body’s momentum, added to the force of the body moving downward, dramatically increases on a downhill surface. Consequently, the leg muscles - especially the quadriceps – are subjected to repeated and high levels of eccentric force as they lengthen with every foot strike, while at the same time shorten as they absorb the impact.

For runners who are not accustomed to downhill running, the higher levels of eccentric force in a downhill race can cause two major issues: early fatigue in the race; and higher DOMS effects after the race.

First, the increased strain on the major running muscles can cause those muscles to fatigue more quickly in the race. The benefit of the downhill course – gravity – ultimately can become a liability for a runner who is not prepared for downhill racing. Instead of running fast and efficiently in the latter miles of the race, the unprepared runner is struggling with worn out muscles.

Second, the added stress from running downhill can dramatically increase the effects of DOMS typically associated with running marathons and half-marathons. Instead of a “normal” recovery time post-race, the ill-prepared runner might need a few more weeks of recovery after a hard downhill race.

But this does not mean that downhill races have to “hurt more” than any other races, or that downhill racing has to be intimidating for anyone. With proper training, and proper downhill running form in the race, all runners can take advantage of a favorable downhill course profile and experience remarkably fast results, lower the effects from DOMS, and resume running after normal recovery times.

The best way to reduce the effects of increased eccentric force in a downhill race is to train using what is known as “repeated bout effect.” This training effect occurs when a session of running downhill in a workout (a “bout”) provides a protective effect in subsequent workouts of the same nature. After recovering from normal muscle damage and soreness from a downhill session, runners can recover faster, and experience less DOMS, after subsequent workouts.

This doesn’t mean that the best way to build “downhill running ability” is to go out for a couple of downhill runs a few weeks before your race. The “repeated bout effect” regimen should follow a measured and meaningful schedule that allows time to recover and adapt from one session before the next one. Moreover, the intensity of the downhill workouts should be very light in the early sessions, and with short distances. Over time, the intensity and distance gradually increase. Meanwhile, ensuing workouts should take into consideration the need for short recovery from the downhill intensity. Your body will need a little extra time for the inflammation and repair process to take place before you attempt any other type of intensity in a “hard” run.

All totaled, a proper training schedule for a downhill race should incorporate two major elements to maximize the gains from a downhill course, while minimizing the effects of eccentric force: (1) repeated bout effect sessions over a number of weeks, with gradually increasing intensity and distance; and (2) regular practice of using proper downhill form. With both of these training elements in your training regimen, you should be well prepared for any downhill race.