Sunday on the Strip, in the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon, NAZ Elite distance runner Alice Wright made a wager on her fitness in her return from injury and it paid off with a win in 1:14:10.
Not the speediest of times — two and a half minutes off her PR from 2019 — but the goal for Wright was to log a strong effort in her build toward a spring marathon, according to a NAZ social-media post. Her race has yet to be announced, but Wright, a Brit, may be headed for the London Marathon in April. NAZ Elite did not disclose the nature of her injury on its post.
Wright reportedly went through the first 10K in just over 33 minutes, already in the lead.
NAZ Elite has a history at this Rock n Roll race, which, frankly, is not considered a “major.” Kellyn Taylor won the half marathon in 2018 and Ben Bruce the marathon four years earlier. It’s a weird setting the electric atmsophere for the race. It started late in the afternoon, with the neon buring on the Strip and a built-in set of fans (gamblers) lining the course.
Full results have yet to be posted, but you can find them, eventually, here.
Update (Feb. 26): Wright told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in its race recap story: “I actually started feeling pretty dizzy the last four miles. Honestly, it was menstrual cramps. I felt sick. I felt dizzy. I battled the mental aspect of it all. Those last four miles nearly killed me, but here I am to tell the tale.” Alas, the Vegas paper gave short shrift to the women’s race. Full story here.
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