2026 9/11 Heroes 5K Race Recap - Las Vegas, NV

Official Time: 29:03
Placement: 31st overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather:  upper 80's strong breeze from the west
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First Year for me.

Mile	Time	Comments
1	9:01	Legs felt a little tired. So hot and a breeze coming in at me.
2	8:52	Rebounded nicely here.  Took out some competitors.
3	9:53	Just dying here.  So hot and nothing left.
3.13	0:17	Finishing strong, I guess.
	Total Miles: 3.13 - 28:59

Introduction

Race day on Saturday in Las Vegas.  Finally, we have races!  I hadn't done a race since Mother's Day in the Las Vegas area and when I saw that there were two races this weekend, I was tempted to run both of them.  Fortunately, I only registered for one -- it was a hot weekend.  

I decided to sign up for the 9/11 Heroes %K Race in Las Vegas a the Mountain's Edge Park on the south west side of Las Vegas.  I've raced here before, for the Friday the 13th night race.  It is a multiuse park with soccer and baseball fields, but also has a wonderful nature path that meanders into the desert.  It is just a nice, flat place to run and hold a race at.

So with high hopes, I pulled the trigger and decided to see where all my summer training has led me to.

Race starting line.

The Race

I showed up at the race start at 7 AM for an 8 AM start.  It took a bit to find the location but it was in the same place as the starting line at the Friday the 13th race. I managed to get my t-shirt and bib in a few minutes.  

I had parked on the surface streets figuring that was the easiest way to get out of the race site after the race.  So I tucked my bag into the bushes and did some warm-ups.  

Park Amenities

First thing I realized was that it was breezy and hot; my car had read 88 or 89 on the way in.  I didn't realize how windy it was until the race started. I think I was so concerned about the heat that I forget to check in with the wind.

I did about a 20 minute warm-up.  Some strides, easy jogging and drills.  The heat was sapping my strength.  

I was ready to race at the start time of 8 AM.  However, it wasn't until 8:08 or so before the organizer started to explain why we were running, course instructions and the National Anthem.  By the time we assembled onto the start line, the temperature had probably gone up another degree or two and it was now after 8:20.

Stretch of Trail to run on.

The race was held on a side walk / bike trail and I was expecting the worst as far as being hemmed in and not being able to run at my own pace.  Fortunately, I think most people were fairly respectful and the race was chip timed so I never really ran into any problems.

We left the starting area and dashed towards the main road and jumped on a sidewalk.  By the time I had gotten to the sidewalk, the front runners were well ahead of me and honestly, I could run my own race.  Although the wind from the west was taking its toll and the heat intensity ramped up a notch.

My legs felt tired too, which surprised me given that I had taken the week pretty light.  The group of 20 people or so ahead of me were making ground on me and soon enough, I found myself running more or less solo.  They had gapped me and there was a small group behind me.

Views of the desert

The first mile yielded a 9:00 minute per mile.  Slow.  But looking at the gain of elevation, I had run up about 60 feet, which is substantial.

The start of mile 2 though, gave me some momentum.  We were on the bike trail that meanders through the desert and I was actually picking off people . One by one, I get behind someone, turn on the jets and move forward.  I had been scoping for people in my age group and most of the group were well under my age -- until a guy with gray hair pulled aside me and then cruised past.  Judging by his appearance he was in my age group.  My goal was to hang with him or break him.  

My competitive nature only lasted for a while and slowly the guy gained ground on me and left me in his dust.

Mile 2 came in at a respectful 8:50. Slower than I would've liked but the heat and wind were taking its toll.  Even with the wind at my back, it just seemed to blowing in my face. 

One of the quirks about the race was that we had to run to the finish line, which would be around mile 2.20, go under the arches, turn around, go out for about .45 of a mile and come back.  This seemed really complicated and I saw a few people go under the arch and disappear for quite a bit longer than a turn around.  Fortunately I had gotten the message and went back out.  Mentally, it was taxing to do this.

My pace was ruined at this point.  There weren't any aid stations on the course and my mouth was dry.  My head felt a little swimmy too.  It was just so hot. At this point, I was in survival mode as I shuffled along.  

The lead pack were already coming back to their finish (the winning time was around 19:30).  

I was worried about the turn around -- would it be clear as to where I was to turn around -- the short answer was yes.  The organizer had done a wonderful job at making sure the course was absolutely clear and more or less the distance was accurate.

I rebounded a little on the way in but more or less the race was over for me.  I lurched over the finish line just under 29 minutes.

Waiting for Awards

Conclusion

Well, this race didn't exactly go to plan.  I had put in a solid summer of work for this one and going in, I had reasonable expectations that if the weather was good, I'd have a shot at an improvement.  The weather on this one was dreadful (and no fault of the organizer's).

With the temperature just hovering close to 90F and with a stiff breeze that seemed to offer a headwind for most of the race, the day was going to be more about survival than PRs.

So a part of me is very frustrated with my experience.  I wanted to see a glimmer of hope that I had improved and it just wasn't there today.

The course was accurate and despite some of the initial confusion about an out-and-back, I didn't have anything to worry about in regards to missing a turn.  I knew the course and it is a scenic and fun one.  The organization that this race supports is also worthy and I was fun to be there.

Post race refreshments were pretty simple. They had a lot of post race beverages and snacks, but after the race I didn't really take advantage of them.  It took a while for me to feel well enough.  I had brought my own post race beverages as well.  I managed to grab a granola bar and a can of an energy drink.

Officer we were running for

The t-shirt was cool with a nice design.  It is cotton though, so one I probably won't wear too much other than bumming around the house.  The finisher's medal was nice as well.  Those supporting the race were friendly enough and there was a friendly vibe about the race.

Sadly, there weren't any aid stations (that I saw) on the course. As hot as the day was, it probably would've been nice to have at least one.  I am trained well enough to get through a 5K without needing one, but today was definitely one I probably would've grabbed a beverage -- at least to rinse out my mouth.  The age group awards were also too wide.  I was in the 41 to 60 age group, and the winners looked to be just over 40 and not closer to my age.  I think I would've placed 2nd in the 50 - 59 had they had 10 year increments and I think I was the only one in a 55 - 59 age group.

I had a good time at this race.  I love Mountain's Edge Park and I enjoyed the course and supporting a worthwhile event. As a competitive runner, it just wasn't my day.  It was nice to toe the line again and push it, but I was left with more questions than answers.

Upcoming Races

01/10: 2027 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

01/23: 2027 Sun Half Marathon - St George, UT (Confirmed)

02/21: 2027 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed) 

04/03: 2027 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Canceled)

2026 Friday the 13K Race (6.5K) Race Recap - Las Vegas, NV

Race location

Official Time: 36:23
Placement: 8th overall, 3rd masters, 1st in the 50 - 59 age group.
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Upper 70s, breeze from the west / north
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First Year for Me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	9:06	After a fast start, had to make a climb uphill and into the wind.
2	8:51	I smashed it at the turn around but this was worst of the uphill section.
3	9:15	Wish the entire race had been like this. Screamer downhill
4	8:48	Uphill and into the wind but did better here.
4.04	0:21	Uphill and into the wind but did better here.
	Total Miles: 4.04- 36:23

Running at night has its challenges

Introduction

Well, it's been a while since I've raced a night.  And I've never run a 6.5 KM race before.  So this past Friday the 13th of March 2026, I opted to toe the line at the Friday the 13KM Race held at Mountain Edge Park in Las Vegas (probably Summerlin).

The race had 2 distances, a 13 KM and a 6.5 KM race.  Given I was coming into the race a little fatigued from a typical week of training, plus still recovering from last weekend's 5K, I sanely chose the shorter race.

I was pretty excited about the race. I was going to explore a new course, in a new area and it was another opportunity to ingratiate myself into the Las Vegas running scene.  The thought of making it just beyond a 5K as well made it unique and it was on a Friday night.  The race checked off a bunch of new milestones for me.

Typical stretch of trail

  

The Race

I made the trip over to the race site -- a beautiful park on the south west side of the Las Vegas metro area.  It had a pair of soccer fields, playground equipment and even exercise equipment at the park.  There was also quite a bit of sweet smelling desert plants along a paved walking trail that went around the circumference of the park.  The park was crowded with a pair of youth soccer games plus families enjoying the warm night.

Parking was at a premium and I had to park on a residential street.  Fortunately, I was there early, so the walk to the park wasn't too bad.

It was super dark here in another 30 minutes.

Prior to the race, I made small talk with fellow races and wound up doing an easy 1 mile warm-up.  I got a sense of the race we were running and found out the entire route was paved.  With the race starting at 7 PM and sunset at 6:55, I knew we'd be running in the dark by 7:20 or so.  We were advised to bring a headlamp and I had brought a small flashlight.

Packet pickup was a snap and the race started on time. 

The course started off at the east end of the park and was run on a sidewalk surface.  There were about a 100 runners between the two races, so it wasn't crowded at all.

Initially the lighting wasn't perfect. The park itself was well lit and I could easily navigate the course.

Almost immediately, I ran into some headwind. My Garmin really doesn't indicate there was a wind, but it definitely was there and after the race people did complain about it.  We were on the edge of the desert and it was definitely blowing into our faces.  While I had done a good warm-up, my legs were slow in responding to race pace.  I had done a fairly hard workout on Tuesday and I think I was still carrying residual fatigue from Saturday's 5K.

I had surveyed my competition at the start and spotted a few over the age of 40 runners who might just be over 50.  The question was, which race distance were they running?

I didn't waste any effort looking at my watch. I was running by feel.  Besides, it is really hard to estimate your pace in the darkness.  I was working hard despite the fatigue and wind.  

After about half a mile, we left the park behind and headed out into the desert.  It got significantly darker, but there was still a little light left.  The course had a lot of loops and turns but none of them were what I would consider something that slowed me up.  It was actually kind of fun.

A little over half a mile an older fellow caught up to me and slowly put some ground on me.  He was my first competitor and while it was early in the race, I figured he would continue his progression and I'd regress.

But I was dogging him as best as I could and every now and then, I'd come up beside him, only for him to make a little bit of a gain.

Mile 1 came up at a low 9 minutes per mile.  Was I running that slow?  Given the darkness, the heat (it was in the mid 70s, and the fatigue in my legs, I wasn't outwardly surprised.  But I felt like I was working a little too hard for the time I was getting.  A little bit of panic started to settle in.  Where was my fitness?

Around mile 1.6, we jumped onto a sidewalk along a busy road and then hung a right.  Finally! The wind was at my back.  With the renewed sense of the worst was over, I picked up my pace.  I came side-to-side with my would-be competitor and surged past him, expecting him to come with me again.  But this time he didn't.  I didn't see him again except at the turn around.

I didn't know if the course was going to come in at 6.5KM or not, but I am happy to report that soon after my watch beeped 2 miles, that I hit a turn around.  It was indeed going to come in pretty darn close to a 6.5 KM race.  This was also the race's only aid station.

The turn around signified the race was half over and I was doing okay.  Not great, but I was holding it together.  Unfortunately, I was running into the headwind again and almost immediately, my pace slowed.  My 5K pace turned into slow half marathon pace.  I was growing frustrated.

However, once I made it off the sidewalk and was running on the bike trail with the wind at my back, my sense of vigor increased.  I began to look for people to pick off.  Some of the lead runners from the 13KM race were already heading out for another lap, so seeing them fly by was inspiring.  For a large segment of mile 3 I was running at 5K pace.  

It was incredibly dark out in the desert. Fortunately, the runner ahead of me had a headlamp.  And while he was my target he was very instrumental in helping me navigate the course.  I still had a flashlight but I suspect my large arm swing wouldn't make it too useful.  Once the park came into view and the floodlights illuminated the trail, I overtook him (and another runner) and sped forward as best as I could.

I didn't quite have the finishing kick I was looking for, but my 10K pace would have to do.  I kept looking for my age group competitor but he was nowhere to be found.

I crossed the finish line in 36:23, about a 9:01 pace or so.

Looking strong at the finish

Conclusion

So I was slightly disappointed with my time.  I felt like I had run hard though and I didn't give up on myself.  The conditions of the race were definitely harder than what I thought: residual fatigue, night running, warm, pretty warm out, and not knowing the course.  

I did feel like I had fueled properly for the race. I was worried that I had overeaten prior to the 7 PM start.  Around 3:30, I had a bowl of Cream of Wheat cereal, which happens to digest very quickly for me.  It was a good choice.

The course was also fairly flat and I didn't detect any hazardous situations where I was worried about tripping.  Perhaps the only spot was on the sidewalk near the turn around point.  There were a few non-runners along here and it required going off the sidewalk a bit to get around them at times.

Post race refreshments were granola bars and drink. Pretty basic stuff.  I had brought my own Gatorade for after the race and used that.  The t-shirt was optional.  Having run with the organizer for the Chilly Willy 5K, I knew it was a cotton one. I really only wear technical apparel and I would've gladly bought one as they have cool designs on them, but I really don't need another cotton t-shirt.

The medal was cool and they have a very generous award system, so I went home with a slew of medals.  I've been impressed with the race organizer with the speed of which they give out awards and their races have been absolutely rock-solid when it comes to organization.

Overall, I'd give myself a grade of "B-" for my efforts.  Definitely not a PR day but I felt my running time was underwhelming.  However, the race result was fairly predictable given the way I was feeling.

I am not sure how often they have this race, it would be hard to hold it annually given the nature of the race (i.e. running on Friday the 13th), but I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and would gladly run it again.

Upcoming Races

03/28: 2026 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

02/21: 2027 Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)