What a blast! The course was awesome, especially through the French Quarter. We didn't plan to have so much fun in the city afterward - don't go unless you plan to spend at least 3 days. I went with 3 other people, and 3 of the 4 of us had the wrong times recorded. It appeared to be gun time instead of chip time. Not certain about the 4th person in our party since he started within seconds of the start line, but it made more than a 2-minute difference for the rest of us. We're not lamenting over it, since we're not qualifying for anything but it could have made a difference to some poor soul. I'd still recommend it to anyone!

The course was monotonous during the park section, which stretched for 4 miles; and the cheering section should have been spread over longer distance. There was no food provided/sold for the families and friends waiting at the Super Dome. But the medal looks great.

From registration to course support to post-race Southern hospitality... definitely one of the top ten U.S. events. Starting with registration and a runners expo in the New Orleans Superdome, staffed by the N.O. Track Club members and guest speaker Jeff Galloway, and culminating with a post-race party featuring Subway sandwiches and Blue Runner cajun beans and rice... the event would be hard-pressed to offer more. Like last year, crowd support and traffic control were tremendous. Hats off to New Orleans Police and Fire Department volunteers... barely weeks after Mardi Gras and they are out there again insuring the safety and well being of 6,000-plus runners. No questions went unanswered, and no reasonable requests were refused by the marathon staff. If you have never experienced New Orleans and its great cuisine and hospitality, not to mention its history... then you should plan on the Mardi Gras Marathon in 2006. I know I am already marking my running calendar for next year's event.

I loved this one. The out-and-back is the only thing I could knock the course for. The organization was seamless, and the support was great. A few spots on the course made you feel like a rock star, the fans were well numbered and noisy. As a back-of-the-packer, everything was great. Self-serve beer trucks at the finish is a great touch.

The NOTC does an excellent job of sponsoring and managing this race. The members of the club along with the hundreds of volunteers make this not only a good race, but one that is so much fun for everyone. The back-of-the-pack runner is treated with the same dignity as the person who crosses the finish line first. Thank you all for being so kind and diligent. God bless!

From the e-mail of Feb. 23rd:

?Course Time Limit for the Half-Marathon is 4 hours and is 7 hours for the Marathon. After that time participants must use the sidewalk and proceed at their own risk. A pace of 16:30 per mile must be maintained in order to be covered by the NOPD course traffic control.?

This statement, plus others, leads one to believe that this is a walker-friendly marathon.

When the police passed us, the course effectively closed; and yet we had several miles to go. After that time, there were no course volunteers to direct the runners/walkers where the turns occurred. There were no people directing traffic so we had to wait for the lights. The water stations were closed and the water station workers were cleaning up. I?m not talking about the last stragglers ? a group of us walking together finished in under 4 hours (3:40), and yet we were at our own risk as if the course had closed. If it were not for the team that was running for an AIDS charity, we would have gotten lost, too, as the course took an unmarked left turn but their volunteers were there to direct us.

You cant advertise a 4-hour cut off, and then have the cut off actually be at 3-1/2 hours or less.

I loved the experience and would do it again. But I hope that the course is better marked, that there are volunteers on the course directing runners/walkers and that the water stations are open until the actual cut-off next time.

Oh, spectators. I have been a participant and also a spectator/volunteer at other marathons as my spouse runs about 3/year. The spectator turnout was very poor. We walked past a Jehovah's witness church, and I was surprised that their entire congregation wasn't out to let us know that God loves us and to cheer us on. They are usually so encouraging, it's annoying! And yet not one member was there to cheer us on. And no music, either. Those that did turn out were wonderful! One woman was sitting on her balcony blaring her stereo! That was great. But that's one woman over 13.1 miles of cheering possibilities.

It's time to kick it up a notch.

By the grace of God, the 90% chance of rain never appeared. The race course is great for a PR. There is only one spot on the course where you have to come to a near dead stop to turn around in Audubon Park. The mileage marking on the course did not seem accurate, as split times fluctuated by 30 seconds quite often. Still a great race if you want to run a fast time. Don't expect large crowds, but the water stops are very supportive, especially the Team Spottees in Audubon Park dressed in Mexican garb. Post-race food isn't exceptional, but plenty of free beer. The annual 'unofficial' post-race party at the Rock 'n Bowl capped off a perfect day.

Excellent organization. The tour of New Orleans is phenomenal. The course takes you through most of the highlights of New Orleans. The weather remained cool and was a bit wet in the beginning, but the drizzle stopped after 30 minutes. The best possible way to tour the city! The course is flat, althought the pavement in some parts is a bit uneven. No big crowds, but those out there cheering on were very enthusiastic. The themed water stops were fun and extremely well stocked. First-class event.

My wife and I enjoyed our first marathon ever. Great organization, flat course, perfect running weather, outstanding finish at the dome and lovely fans. Loops allowed us to check on each other! Thank you.

Great course and great organization. The weather even cooperated as the rain stopped just in time for the start. This is a great destination marathon and a fast course - what more could you ask for? If you need a lot of spectators you need to run Bourbon Street in the evening, as it seems much of the city isn't even aware the event is taking place. Kind of surprising that more notice isn't given to the event, as the economic impact seems pretty sizable. Be careful not to have too much fun in the French Quarter and forget to run the race.