Semi-Marathon de Lake Mead

Lake Mead Half Marathon is held in Henderson, Nevada, on January 11, 2027, with views over Lake Mead throughout. Four distances are offered: a 5K, a 10K, the half marathon (13.1 miles) with about 2,490 feet of climbing, and a marathon (26.2 miles) with roughly 4,980 feet, which can also be covered by a relay team. The route runs through open country of lakes and ponds on the edge of the Nevada desert.

Those climbing figures change how you should read the distances. A half with nearly 2,500 feet of gain is not a personal best course, and a marathon with close to 5,000 feet is far closer in effort to a mountain event than to a flat city race. Train the uphills and, just as importantly, the downhills, since the descents will decide how your quads feel in the closing miles. The relay is a reasonable way in if the full distance on this terrain feels like too much for now.