ABOUT THIS RACE:
Race Starting Location:
Boulder Beach, Lake Mead Recreational Area, Boulder City, NV
The Hoover Dam Marathon is a Running race in Boulder City, Nevada consisting of a Half Marathon and Marathon and 10K.
All within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the run will start at Boulder Beach and lead you onto the paved Mountain Loop Trail until you reach the packed-dirt Historic Railroad Trail. Offering a Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K, this run will take you all the way to Hoover Dam and back to Boulder Beach. The December desert-temperatures and views of Lake Mead make this run a must-do! This course is just stunning in more ways than one! Start your race at Lake Mead's Boulder Beach, Special Events Beach at the BBQ area. The first 1/4 mile is a steady gradual uphill along a wide roadway, giving plenty of room for runners to find their position among the field before making a left hand turn onto the paved River Mountains Loop Trail. This section of the River Mountains Loop Trail is impeccably paved and about 12' wide, running parallel to Lakeshore Drive. The course is undulating through the spectacular Mojave Desert and joins up with the Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail just before your mile 3. This section of trail is breathtaking! You'll traverse a hard packed dirt trail leading you through several old railroad tunnels that were used in the 1930s to transport supplies to the workers in the construction of the then Boulder Dam- now Hoover Dam. The trail is perched atop of a ridge overlooking the crystal blue waters of Lake Mead and the marina.
After passing through the last tunnel, your next mile is through an area which is home to power plants- Hoover Dam is the main producer of electricity for Nevada, Arizona, and California. This is just a prelude to the Money Shot! You'll zig zag your way down 6 switch backs (see Course Saftey) delivering you onto the upper level parking garage at Hoover Dam. You will run a counterclockwise loop along the edge for a great view of the awe inspiring Hoover Dam and Bypass Bridge. No need to break stride- you get a great view as you run along the course, too. (This is the 10K finish line- you'll be bused back to Boulder Beach).
With the Dam now behind you, the Marathon and Half Marathoners will retrace their steps back up the switch backs, through the tunnels overlooking Lake Mead, then back on the paved trail. Arriving back at Boulder Beach access road you'll all continue straight continuing along the paved River Mountains Loop Trail to the turn around roughly 0.6 of a mile ahead, then back to Boulder Beach.
Marathoners make 2 loops of the above. (By popular runner demand) The finish line is back at Boulder Beach at the covered BBQ area where the awards and finish line food await!