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May 17, 2024

Louisiana Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Louisiana Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.2

Number of comments: 83 [displaying comments 71 to 81]

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John Rankin from Bainbridge Island, WA (1/18/2012) "Excellent Race. Awesome Support." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was the inaugural race, but the organization was excellent. Start area had plenty of porta-potties and easy bag check. Finish and meet-up worked well. Perfect weather too - early January is perfect in Baton Rouge for that Gulf Coast state race. A really nice flat course, with enthusiastic aid station volunteers and plenty of cheering locals along the way. Baton Rouge PD covered every traffic intersection. Only improvement I can suggest is better signs/warnings of the half/full course split-off points. Stayed at the Belle of Baton Rouge and they were host hotel with the expo. When I asked, originally no race shuttle was planned, but after a discussion with the manager, they pressed their own bus into service on the Sunday morning. What a way to step up for their guests! All around a great experience. Check out this race for your Louisiana marathon!
A. D. from Chicago, IL (1/18/2012) "Great race and awesome Party!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For an inaugural race, LAM was absolutely amazing. Great T-shirt, nice medal, plenty of water stops, nice size. And once the race it done, it's party time. I can honestly say that LA Marathon had one of the best parties I have ever seen after a race. Lots of beer, probably 10 different kinds and yes, you can have as much as you want. Food was amazing, with all the typical Louisiana's favorites like jambalaya and great pulled pork. We had absolutely perfect weather, good bad, and a nice size park to spread out. No complains here at all. But, a few kinks to work out to make this event absolutely perfect. And some of them are minor... Goodie bag - contained nothing but the bib, then you got a T-shirt. I realize it's a new event and you need more sponsors, but anything, coupons, samples, etc. would be nice. Maps - yes, there was an email and all, but it would be nice to have a course map available at the expo. We stayed at the host hotel - breakfast - you are on your own. They sell croissants, but if you're not a fan (or simply don't want to experiment on the race day) you are out of luck. Also, there were really no other options walking distance to get anything. So... either make it clear that nothing is there or just have a vendor at the start line selling bananas or bagels. Lots of money could have been made had someone thought of it. Re-joining half marathoners several times - this is something that will be a huge issue if this event grows in size. Half and full start at the same time, which is fine. However, then they split up, and meet again... and split up and meet again, and... Each time you meet up slower group of runners/walkers. This year it was relatively easy to run around them, but... Sport drink - make the stops consistent - water first, then sport drink or the other way around. Also, not sure if it was the cups or what, but some of them smelled awful, industrial smell. Also, some were very weak and water was very warm. GU - if you offer only two flavors, stick to bland ones like vanilla. Finish line - only had water bottles. It should have sport drink at the very least and someone pointing to the party area. A lot of people get rather disoriented when done with the race, so this would be helpful. Food at the finish line - although phenomenal, it was quickly gone. All the slower marathoners were stuck with rice and beans, if that much. Solution - keep the area for runners only. That's it. Really loved the race and the comments above are just to make it even better going forward. One more word of warning - there is hardly anything open in Baton Rouge on Sunday. I would recommend moving the race to Saturday or - opening more businesses that weekend.
S. H. from Kansas City (1/18/2012) "Nice Winter Marathon Choice" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For an inaugural event, the organizers did a great job. Nice, scenic, flat course; plenty of aid stations, energetic volunteers. For the most part, there were spectators.cheering on the runners throughout. Nice finish, nice medal, results posted in real time and photos up the next day. Also, the weather in Baton Rouge this time of year is PERFECT for running. The pacers use an even pace strategy. I prefer SmartPacing which allows a warmup and figures in fatigue in the last few miles and also incorporates terrain so I didn't use the pacers. I would definitely recommend this event as a good winter marathon to run.
B. C. from Louisiana (1/17/2012) "Great first time event" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was an amazing first time race. None of the horror stories of running out of this or that or whatever. There were a few glitches I hope are corrected. First, there was no readily available paper map. The race guide was available as pdf but even then, the full course was hard to discern because the map was broken into segments. Second, due to the map issue, it wasn't clear where water or Gu would be. I realize gels are a luxury but... Finally, the finish was sorta confusing. I knew the area and right where to go afterward but the easiest way to get to the finish food and beer was to cut across the course, which could be problematic. But all in all, a great race. Spectators were thin in places but the ones who were there were extremely supportive. I've never seen so many random folks offering water on the side of a course. I hope this turns into a great race and great alternative to Houston for those looking for a January marathon in the Mid South.
A. S. from Ohio (1/17/2012) "Fabulous inagural race!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Absolutely loved this event and hope to make it back every year! Only negatives I can think of were the 4:00 and 4:30 pacers went out way too fast and if you were running sub 4:30, you got stopped by the train. The food, beer, and music at the finish were awesome! The pictures were posted the next day and you get a free finishers certificate. The Indigo and Hilton Hotels are both walking distance to the expo and start. Just wished they provided a later check out and breakfast.
B. C. from Asheville, NC (1/17/2012) "Great Inaugural Marathon/Great Future" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 From my perspective, everything with exception to finish line food, went off without a hitch. Of special note: Reasonably priced pasta dinner ($12), Jeff Galloway as speaker at dinner (I'm a fan), free breakfast buffet (nice for stayovers), EXCELLENT course protection by police), nice tech shirt, plenty of excellent local brew, NO FOOD at finish line if you were a 5 hour+ marathoner (What was the point of the food bracelet?)
Grace Thacker from New Orleans La (1/16/2012) "Impressive inaugural event" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For a first-time marathon, the Louisiana marathon was astonishingly well-organized and successful. I would have given 5 stars throughout except that the course had a slight issue: because marathoners left and re-joined the half-marathoners several times, marathoners running 7:10 or under ran straight into a wall of 10:00 pace halfers. This caused a great deal of dodging and slowing and was very frustrating. Other than that, though, the course was pretty and mostly flat; the support was superb and well-stocked (water and powerade at all the plentiful stations and two gels on the full course) and the logistics were a breeze. Props to the organizers for ample port-a-potties at the start, beginning on time, and having a first-rate after party. There was excellent live music and a whole host of food and local beers. Best of all - the awards were art prints and fleece jackets! Major awesomeness! I love getting useful awards! Thanks for putting on a great first-time event...I will be back.
L. G. from Pineville, LA (1/16/2012) "Great Marathon" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Since I am from LA, it was a no-brainer to sign up for the inaugural running of this marathon. The organization was flawless from start to finish. The route was great, with some of the best landmarks that Baton Rouge has to offer (i.e. Tiger Stadium, LSU Lakes, State Capital/Downtown area, beautiful homes, etc...). The course was well marked and all aid stations were well stocked with water and powerade. Gels and clif shot blocks were given out later in the race. The finish area was well organized. The food area was great. Various types of hot food, 8 different types of beer on tap, and live bands, all enjoyed in the park next to the State Capital Building. Perfect weather for the race. The crowd along the course was a little sparse at times. There were designated cheer zones that had a lot of spectators. My one complaint, and it is a minor one, is the frequency that the half and full marathoners merged to run together. At least 4 times during the race, the half and full merged, causing the full participants to adjust their stride on the open road to a much more conservative pace due to the excess people that suddenly entered the running lanes. All in all, the marathon was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone that has not run it before.
C. Y. from Denham Springs, Louisiana (1/16/2012) "South Louisiana at It's Finest!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Thoroughly enjoyed this race; very scenic flat course with minimal traffic; great volunteers and spectators; very well organized especially for a first race. Super nice race shirt and cool medal too! A big sign on the gear check trailer and more food in the finishers corral would make this a perfect event!
A. H. from Seguin, TX (1/16/2012) "Excellent Race" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Louisiana Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first inaugural! These folks did a fantastic job. There were plenty of water/Powerade stops, the course was shady in many places and lovely (so many pretty homes in BR), and in 26.2 miles, I only saw one unguarded intersection. I had some fabulous gumbo after the race, and the band was pretty cool. I liked the location of the start/finish also. The local residents were very friendly and came out to cheer. Several decided to play some music, which I thought was sweet. I ran into an unusual problem. Most restaurants and businesses in BR are closed on Sundays, especially in the business district. That lack of planning on my part (usually I look for a hotel with breakfast) meant I was running my race on a McDonald's Fruit and Yogurt Parfait. That did not feel good.

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