Really enjoyed this city. Great food, charming people, wonderful architecture.
Rock and Roll did a great job. Organization was top notch. I did miss the turn for the full marathoners and I ran in with the half marathoners. Someone was about to put a medal on me when I asked where the marathoners went and I was sent back out, bummer, that was hard. I turned around and I ran an extra 1.8 miles, I guess I was not paying close enough attention.
I really enjoyed everything else.

I enjoyed this run, especially the beginning along St Charles Ave and even set a marathon PR of 3:32:12. The spectators are sporadic for several miles along lakeshore drive when you take turns looking at the water AND the field of runners on the opposite side of the street.

Flat fast course. Decent medals, and a competitive field. Expo was fast efficient and staging accessible from race hotels. Post race shuttle well organized to move 15-20,000 people...the Key here of course is New Orleans and the visit to the 'big easy': fun town, iconic music scene...plan on spending a few days and eating and dancing your way cross this fantastic city...

This was an awesome race! I'm even pretty skeptical of competitor, but they did a great job with this race. Here is my breakdown:

Expo: Large and with lots of vendors, as you would expect from a rock n' roll event. Packet pick up was easy, and the expo location was convenient to downtown and the quarter.

Pre-race: The location was very easy to get to, we just walked from our hotel. There was water and snacks available. Bag check was quick and easy. There was also plenty of room to warm up.

The RUN: I absolutely loved the course! From the chill little stint down the scenic St. Charles St, which was really nice because we could run on the softer surface where the streetcar normally runs. Then you get some of the scenery of French quarter, off through a more calm stretch through a park, off to the lake, and back. Though the last portion was mostly out and back, I still really enjoyed it. There were also tons of goodies to partake in along the course...beignets at mile 7, beer near the half finish, then beer and martinis?!? at mile 15/23. Although I was moving along quite nicely at mile 23 that a martini or beer would've killed me, it was still amusing and a fun touch.

Swag: The medal is cute, with a little N'awlins flair. The t-shirt was nice. I also appreciated that it is fitted for women, and regular for men.

Post race: it was easy to move through the finishers area, and they had the normal treats you would expect. The park that the race finishes in is huge, cute, and pretty perfect for post race activities. There was plenty of room to stretch, gear check was quick, there were two free beers to help ice the pain, and the band was really fun. The bus line to get back to the start area was quite long, but it moves quicker than you would think (they had soooo many buses!). Maybe grab a beer or snack to make your wait more amusing, and chat up a fellow runner on your accomplishment.

This was a great race in a fun destination, and I would happily run it again!!

This was my second time doing the Full marathon here and I loved it both years! Great weather and I loved the second half running by the lake! It was a beautiful neighboorhood and park! The only part I did not like is for the first half when we ran with the half marathoners because only one side of the road was open. Last year they had both sides open for the first 13 miles. It was terribly crowded and I could not wait until the break from the half marathoners for that reason. Last year the full had the other side and we didnt have to fight for space. NOLA is a really fun place to be before and after the race!

This was my second time doing the Full marathon here and I loved it! Loved the start better than last year! Great weather (but I hope next year it is a little earlier in the year cause it is usually HOT that late) I loved the second half running by the lake unlike some people! It was a beautiful neighboorhood and park! The only part I did not like is they only had one side of the road open and last year they had both for the first 13 miles I had to fight the half marathon people! Last year the full had the other side and we didnt have to fight for space. Great cheerleaders everywhere very friendly locals! Fun city to play in before a race! Very organized! Rock n Roll knows how to host a race! Will do again!

New Orleans...I get it. I understand why it draws so many people. The city is fantastic and the neighborhoods are superb. Fitting that the race, one of the RNR series, was the one that made it even more memorable. The course was flat, the crowd thinned in the middle but were very supportive, and the views of the various neighborhoods certainly highlighted the architecture of south. I had forgotten my headphones so this is the first time I really noticed there were great bands all along the course. The expo was held in the Morial convention center not too far from Bourbon St and the Waterfront Market which made traffic and parking ridiculous. But that was the worst of the event. All else was very well organized. I had just run hilly Austin 2 weeks prior and was expecting NOLA's flat course to give me the opportunity of getting a PR. But the body broke and the mind faltered and I ended up only 2 seconds faster than TX. Great race, infuriating performance.

As with most marathons, this race had both good and bad points. The good: it's hard not to have a good time in NOLA. After running in the morning, spending the evening on Bourbon St. is fine with me. Also, very laid back city which also translates to the crowds (what there was of them...). Not so good: Sorry, but the medal was boring. I think that's typical of RNR races. Not a big fan. Also, I twisted my ankle 3 different times from the horrible roads. Not cool. The food afterwards was not great, but again, I've come to expect that from RNR. Finally, I was REALLY disappointed with the lack of crowd support. Come on NOLA, you can do better than that! Those that did come out were great and boisterous. All in all, it was ok. But it's probably a one and done for me.

Loved New Orleans, loved PR'ing, and loved crossing LA off my list of states. It was a great experience, but RnR did nothing to enhance the experience. And it's pretty hard to screw up the NOLA experience, but RnR nearly did. My biggest beef is that the race is not runner friendly...here's why:

-Poor management of the website and Facebook page. The website left a lot to be desired. Additionally, it had some flat out mis-information. Advertised Cytomax, race day we were drinking Gatorade. The pace groups that were offered on the website were nowhere to be found on race day (I purposely start slow and turn it on the last 13; as part of that strategy I texted ahead to my mom who was waiting at mile 13 to have her time how far I was behind my pace group...only problem, there was no pace group!). Due to the poor website lots of racers were turning to Facebook for answers; problem- RnR wasn't responding on Facebook. So you had runners answering other runners questions, which only led to more confusion. Managing a website and Facebook page are SO easy to do; the inability to do so conveys the feeling that you don't care.

-Surprisingly horrible swag. Shirt was crap. Swag bag could only be called that because they gave you a bag (with no swag in it). The annoying part about it is that there were some great shirts, jackets, hats for sale; so you know they could design some good stuff, but they only care to give you the good stuff if you're willing to pay. When you're paying upwards of $100 for registration, you expect more!

-Other gripes: like everyone else has said, last half of the course was BORING. Good atmosphere at the post-race party but you have to pay for food and beer...seriously? You got free bagels and fruit and two small beers but if you wanted the jumbalaya and 12oz beers you had to pay. $85 for the digital download for pictures?!?

-Positives: great medals, wave/corral start was well-organized, course was clearly marked with adequate timing clocks, tons of cameramen.

It just seems as though RnR lost sight of the fact that the runners are their #1 priority. There are so many races out there that will treat you like the elite athlete that you are; unfortunately RnR won't. My advice- find some other runner-friendly events. My suggestions: Snickers Albany (GA), Mississippi Blues, Mercedes Benz Birmingham.

Loved New Orleans, loved the experience, loved crossing LA off my list of states, and loved PR'ing! But this will be my first and last RnR because I didn't feel like this race was runner-friendly at all. Here's why:

-poor management of website and social media. The website lacked information and was just flat out wrong in some regards (one example- website advertised cytomax; race day we were drinking Gatorade). Another example: website listed more GU stations than there actually were on the course. Their Facebook was poorly managed- many racers were using the FB page due to the poor website; only problem, RnR wasn't responding. So you had racers answering other racers which only led to further confusion. Maintaining a website/FB page requires so little effort; to not do so shows complete disregard for your runners.

-Shockingly horrible swag. Bad shirt, worse bag. When paying $120, you expect a little more. Positive note- medal was awesome.

-More gripes: ridiculous pricing for photos (something like $85 for the digital download). Pace groups advertised pre-race, pace groups invisible on race day (I purposely start slow. Texted ahead to my mom at mile 13 to have her time how far I was behind pace group, only to find out there was no pace group).

On a positive note: well-organized (smooth packet pick up, loved the corral/wave start), great atmosphere at post-race party, tons of cameramen.

Again, the experience was amazing. With it being New Orleans it would take a lot to screw that up. RnR did just enough to not screw it up but this race could have been so much better. RnR needs to prove that they're more runner-friendly before I'll ever register for another of their races...there are just too many races out there that will treat you like the elite athlete that you are; RnR won't, unfortunately.