Just tap your own contactless Visa/Mastercard, Apple Pay, or Google Pay directly on the reader when boarding any RTC bus (including The Deuce on the Strip) — no card purchase needed at all.
Getting to the start
No train/subway station near start; no parking permitted at start lines
The Marathon starts at the Scenic Dr entrance to Red Rock Canyon;
Half Marathon starts at the Visitors Center.
Both are accessible only via the mandatory event shuttle bus — there is no rider drop-off or parking option.
Date confirmed as Saturday, January 23, 2027 on the official Calico Racing website.
Getting to the finish
Same as start area (no station) — shuttle-only access
The Marathon and Half Marathon both finish near the Scenic Dr entrance.
Runners take the return event shuttle back to the pickup point / Strip.
Road closures
Round-trip Strip shuttle tickets can be purchased separately for $35.
More details
Yes, mandatory.
Half Marathon start buses run from 6–7 AM from the main pickup point.
A separate Las Vegas Strip shuttle ($35 round trip/person) departs the Strip at 6:45 AM,
picking up at Horseshoe Las Vegas, 3645 Las Vegas Blvd, Flamingo Rd side.
IC card
RTC Tap & GO (a reloadable card exists, but is optional — open-loop bank-card tap is fully supported system-wide)
If you still want a physical Tap & GO card, it's free from the Bonneville Transit Center or RTC Administrative Offices;
reload via the rideRTC app or at 350+ retailers.
Works directly at the gates
Alternative: 24-Hour Pass $8 (2026);
The Deuce/Strip single ride $4, standard local single ride ~$2 —
Since single-ride taps aggregate and cap automatically over a 24-hour period from your first tap, a pre-bought day pass usually isn't necessary —
just tap your bank card for each ride and let it auto-cap.
More details
RTC's own newsroom confirms system-wide EMV open-loop acceptance: RTC transit customers can pay with their debit/credit cards,
mobile wallet, or smartwatch across RTC's entire bus network, including The Deuce.
This does not apply to the privately run Las Vegas Monorail, which uses its own separate ticketing.
Cash is still accepted on board with exact change.
