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Apr 27, 2024

New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon Runner Comments

Back to New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 315 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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C. G. from Lee's Summit, MO (1/26/2015) "flat course, great volunteers" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run 5 marathons and am typically in the 4 1/2 hour rangeso that's what i'm basing this review on. The Rock 'N Roll group is a pretty well-oiled machine and to that extent things ran smoothly. Pre-race info was adequate. The expo was average. The short-sleeve shirt they gave you for the marathon was boring. Philly's marathon shirt was much betteras were the shirts they had for sale. Very windy and chilly to start the race. Unlike other marathons, there was no security and I could have arrived at 7:00am for a 7:30 start. You run with the 1/2 marathoners for the 1st 12 miles, and I didn't think it was too crowded. The course is relatively flat and it takes you through pretty cool parts of New Orleans, including the French Quarter, Garden District, and by Lake Pontchartrain (sp?). There were long portions of the race without much musicsurprising for New Orleans. Also, long portions without much in the way of spectators. Those who were there were supportiveeven for a random stranger. I don't mind running alone; but that might bother some people. Since I just ran Philly in November, I can't help but compare the 2 races; and Philly had many more spectators who had much more inventive and entertaining signs. The medal here was only ok. You also received a marathon finishers jacket which was pretty nice. Not much in the way of post-race food. One plus were the volunteers. There were a lot and they were all very friendly and helpful. I love New Orleans; but I'd say the marathon is average.
s. f. from Massachusetts (3/24/2014) "The National Anthem did it for me!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Her voice helped me get through this humid weather. NOLA knows about music, that is one thing for sure, they also know how to organize a good fun loving race. Jello shots? Really? I passed but that still made me smile.
A. G. from CA- CALIFORNIA (3/10/2014) "Great run with, ironically, room for musical impro" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A great run! My 26th, my daughter's 1st marathon. Great organization, Expo, and support through the run. BUT, we should've had a band playing (or at least a rousing recording of 'When the Saints Go Marching In' as the starting horn was sounded, and many more bands and music throughout the course. The music was good, but sparse. How ironic for a NOLA event!
J. P. from Chicago, IL (2/5/2014) "A Hazy Weekend in NOLA" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and it certainly was a memorable one for a lot of reasons. Course is an out and back that begins downtown, heads west and then back on St. Charles, through downtown again and then the French Quarter, north toward Lake Pontchartrain, and finally back south to the finish in City Park. Came in to the race hoping to BQ, and I think this is a good place to do that (even though I came up short for a few reasons). As previous runners have noted, the road through the first half of the race is less than ideal. Lots of cracks, bumps, and holes that force you to be calculated with each step. In the past, I guess people have run on the dirt trolley path in the median of the road, but that didn't seem like a great option to me. There were spectators and security on the median, so you'd be hopping on and off. I saw some runners using it when I was running back downtown, but no one in the first few corrals seemed to give it a go. The course is pretty flat, but not as flat as the elevation chart on the official website would lead you to believe. There are a couple of climbs in the first half, but they're so shallow that you won't notice. However, between miles 16-22 there are around 8 or 9 quick climbs during the out and back near Lake Pontchartrain, each bringing 8-12 ft of elevation change. Certainly nothing killer, but could derail your time a bit if you're not aware of them and come out too fast. This particular year was notable because of the intense humidity (above 90%) and fog present throughout the race. We figured if the sun managed to break through (it didn't) everyone would be in a lot of trouble as the humidity would have been unbearable. My strategy was to put in some fast miles in the beginning just in case conditions were too oppressive later on. Not a terrible idea, but I took it to an unmanageable extreme. Should have realized that easily setting personal bests at 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances during a marathon was reckless, but I thought I was strong enough to keep up a decent effort in the second half. Wrong. Right around mile 14-15, I could tell the pain was coming. Around 16-17, I knew it was there to stay, and that the rest of my race would be simply about finishing, not chasing a BQ. I ended up finishing in 3:27, not too shabby for my first time, especially one in which I hit the wall in less than ideal weather. Overall, it was a great learning experience and I can't wait for my next attempt in Los Angeles. Overall, this is a good marathon to try for a PR, and New Orleans in February (usually)has good weather for a winter destination race. RnR makes it overpriced and a little lacking in local culture, but course support was solid enough, and the medals were pretty nice.
K. W. from NYC (2/4/2014) "Bad weather, great city, well organized" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 67 and humid at the start, rain at mile 13.... But New Orleans is such a. Beautiful city and the course was flat...definitely a race people should try...
M. D. from Georgia USA (2/3/2014) "Great race" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I completed my second running of the RnR Marti Gras Marathon. I have seen some negative reports on RnR events and since this is the only RnG race I have ran, I will limit my comments to this race only. In my opinion this is a great race. They have changed the course, since I competed 3 years ago, for the better. It runs through downtown and out to Tulane University and back to the French Quarter and then out to the Lakefront with a finish in City Park. The course is flat, but in the last 8 miles there are some short steep uphills over bridges. They had several timing clocks, plenty of water and Gatorade, and port-o-johns. In places fans support was great and the volunteers were outstanding. This race is highly recommended.
K. M. from Chicago (11/11/2013) "Nice city to run" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I don't enjoy the RnR races, but I love New Orleans. More half marathoners than full. Weather was nice...got a little warm.
C. F. from New York (3/9/2013) "Well organized race, butt-ugly medal" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first RnR marathon, and from an organization standpoint, I was very pleasantly surprised. The start was well situated from lots of hotels (mine was in the French Quarter), for an easy arrival. PLENTY of toilets (you all know how important that one is), refreshments at the start, easy bag check. The corrals and staggered start worked great for me I was in corral 5 out of 18 or so. I actually enjoyed being mixed in with the half-marathons, as it kept enthusiasm high and the pace quick. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I was in the right pace group no walkers or slow people. Other comments here are right on the money, so no comments on the expo or swag bag (both fine). I like the shirt, though it would have been nice to have a different one for the marathon than the half. Heed the notes on the rough roads it is no joke, especially miles 10-12 on Esplanade. It was hard to enjoy the scenery, as your footing required constant vigilance. After the marathon split from the half, the road was in excellent shape. The bands were decent! What a surprise. And the styles were quite different. Some rock, some jazz, a marching band, a blues quartet really fun variety. Dislikes: THE MEDAL. It's hideous. You have to be inches away from it to tell which marathon it is. It's a lump of medal, and that's about it. I almost didn't even take one. And it could have been so nice a giant fleur-de-lis, perhaps. This is not a souvenir I'll keep very long. And also missing was local color, apart from the bands. How about hurricanes or local Abita beer at the end? Or Mardi Gras beads? or beignets? Still, after a bleak New York winter, the 60-degree sunny day was a pleasure. I met some nice athletes along the route and enjoyed the city in general. Overall, RnR got the big stuff right: Clear instructions, organized start and finish, solid logistics.
L. N. from Sterling Heights, MI (3/9/2013) "Good but not a good value" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 30th marathon and I PR'd so you would think I'd be ecstatic about this race. Well I am about my effort but the race was very average. The Good: Well laid out expo, organization of the start corrals, interesting course good for PR'ing, Well run aid stations, and decent entertainment along the course. The Not so Good: Price, extra cost for everything like runner tracking, medal is boring, roads rough in some spots, too congested until the half/full split, post race food average and not anything to do with NOLA, crowd support for a big city marathon was mediocre for the most part. Did enjoy the city as it was our first visit there. I would recommend the marathon more for the city than the actual race. The race was good enough but I expected more for the money.
P. N. from South Bend, IN (3/3/2013) "Great race!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Thank you NO! I have finished 20 marathons, and really I don't have complaints regarding the race directors, I thank you all for your great efforts!!! I complain about weather, or the crowd (or lack of crowd). I don't like to be lonely, and for the most part, this was an active marathon. I like a big crowd to run with, I loved the out and back so I could watch the elite athletes firing into the finish! We were late getting into NO, and were unable to get to the expo :( and in 20 marathons, this had never happened to me. I tried to call the Convention Center (machine), and called the numbers on the website for RnR (it was a weekend, so answering machine), but thanks to a local contact who went into the expo to help me!, I knew to go to the 'solutions tent' in the am. What a relief!! Great job, and I received my t-shirt and bag after the race!!. I loved running 12 miles with the 1/2 marathoners. What a fun crowd. My only complaint: please put more toilet paper in the portable toilets. Seems so simple. Thanks for a great weekend.

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