Plasso, LV Marathon record holder, to appear

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005 | 8:21 a.m.

* Starting time: 6 a.m. Sunday

* Course: Starts at Mandalay Bay, goes 5 1/2 miles on the Strip, winds through the Fremont Street Experience and then heads west on Smoke Ranch Road, loops back to the finish at Mandalay Bay via Torrey Pines Drive, Twain Avenue and Frank Sinatra Drive

* Registration fee and venue: $105, at the Quality of Life Expo at Mandalay Bay

* Participant packets: Must be picked up at the Expo on Friday (11 a.m.-7 p.m.) or Saturday. It will include a timing chip, bib, official T-shirt and "goodie" bag

* Information: 731-1052

* On the web: www.lvmarathon.com

Frank Plasso Jr. will be in Las Vegas this weekend for Sunday's marathon. But don't look for him to attempt to finish ahead of everyone else on the new course that will end at Mandalay Bay.

This will be the 20th Las Vegas Marathon since he set the record of two hours, 12 minutes and 37 seconds -- in 1986. Three years later, he recorded the second-fastest time (2:13:13) in the marathon's 38-year history.

But Plasso quickly pointed out that he hung up his competitive running shoes for good in 1993.

Sunday night, a race official rang Plasso at his home in Park City, Utah, to request his presence in Las Vegas, and ask if he would give a speech at a race function.

"I'm excited," Plasso, 45, said. "I had a long, long history with the event."

The previous marathon route most often started near Jean and finished at Sunset Park. Plasso said he would have enjoyed running a marathon in his hometown that included the Strip.

"I think there's a good chance they'll go under that record (time)," he said. "With that many quality guys in the race, one person isn't depended upon to set the pace -- which it was in my case. They can work together and go after the record a lot easier."

But it'll be a new record they will be chasing.

"From what I understand, they'll retire my record intact and start a new record with the new marathon," Plasso said. "That's something to be proud of."

None of Sunday's runners figures to follow the barking instructions of a father from a vehicle along the way.

Frank Plasso Sr., a legendary running coach in Las Vegas, died Sept. 23 from complications after undergoing surgery on a cancerous kidney lesion. He was 87.

The Las Vegas Track Club recently informed Plasso Jr. that it will award an annual scholarship in his father's name to a top local high school athlete.

"I blink and remember it like it was yesterday," Plasso Jr. said. "I'll talk about my dad in the speech I give. My whole thing is, 'What do you leave when you leave?' He donated his time to hundreds and hundreds of charity events, and coached hundreds of athletes over the years.

"The way I looked at him is the way I hope my children look at me."

Earlier this year, Plasso moved his wife, Donna, and children, Franchesca and Christian, to Utah to help him operate his Elite Nutrition Centers empire.

The franchise consists of 15 stores in Utah, California, Nevada and Texas. Colorado and Virginia are among the states Plasso has pegged for expansion.

"The industry itself has gone nuts," he said. "There's a big call for anti-aging products, items along those lines. It's grown by leaps and bounds, and we have a wide selection of products."

Plasso ran at Bishop Gorman High and UNLV, where he earned a degree in business and marketing.

He said he could not have been in better shape, physically or mentally, for that 1986 marathon. For four months before the race, he ran 120 to 140 miles a week.

"I knew I'd do it because I had trained properly. When you're confident and know you did your homework ... that's how I felt," he said.

A Nike sponsorship and prize money were his only means of support.

"You had to do well to get paid," Plasso said. "That's how I made my living for quite a few years until I got into the nutrition business. I've never worked a day in my life. Hey, when you enjoy what you're doing ...

"Not a lot of people can say that."

Rob Miech can be reached at 259-4087 or at miech@lasvegassun.com