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Apr 28, 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 21 to 31]

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J. W. from Dallas, Texas (3/2/2013) "Great city but race a little below expectations" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Have run one prior marathon in Dallas 5 years ago and many half marathons including two R & R 1/2 marathons. New Orleans as a city was a great place to be. Multiple hotels in or around the French Quarter that were within a short walk to the start. The Expo was fair with few samples and was less than expected as compared to other Expos I have attended including others by R & R. A nice tech shirt with the swag bag but only samples were two tiny sunscreen packets and a small sample of a topical pain reliever. Was able to leave my hotel at 6:30 and was in my corral by 6:40 for 7:00 start. For my liking the weather was very nice during the race 50's to 60's. Plenty of water stations and 2 gel stations so I carried nothing with me except 2 additional gels. First 13 miles ran with 1/2 marathoners making it a little congested especially at some of the water stations. Very uneven road miles 10-12 where I had to focus more on where I was running. Course itself ran through scenic parts of the city and was flat with plenty of shade during the first half of the race. The second half the race was much more open and on better roads. Peaceful out and back along the lake and hills over the bridges not too bad but more to them than what I expected. Pretty last 3 miles in and around the park. Scattered cheer squads were enthusiastic and many bands along the course. Otherwise fans were fewer and less supportive as compared to other races I had participated in. Despite cramping the last 3 miles I had my PR under 3:45. Medal had a nice New Orleans flare to it otherwise looked like my other medals from R & R races. Great shuttle service back to the start. Not sure I want to do another R & R race. They are well organized but expensive, have a cookie cutter feel to them that takes away from the uniqueness from each individual race, and amenities have diminished over time. I would definitely go back to New Orleans for other races.
C. S. from Kansas (2/28/2013) "Fast, Fast & Scenic. But pricey" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have a love/hate relationship with Competitor Group who put on these Rock and Roll series races. I love the destinations, but hate the over-priced race entry fees. Don't ever forget they are all about the profit, and will nickel/dime you to death. Want to track a runner? OK, but you have to pay for it. You get a blah race shirt with your entry fee, but the really cool ones cost extra. Want to park within a mile of the finish? Sure for $20. Expo: Easy in/Easy out. They always have a ton of vendors and it's easy to burn an hour or more browsing. Start: The start was well within walking distance of the French QTR and CBD. With 15,000 people participating, the corral system worked well. Most people seemed to respect their corral placement and the number of walkers out of the gate was kept to a minimum. Course: Fast, flat and scenic. You hit a lot of the 'must see' places in NOLA. Watch out for Esplanade Avenue though. Poor road conditions and a steep camber make for interesting miles 10-13. Spectators are plentiful along St. Charles Blvd, but pretty sparse along the lake, miles 16-22. Water stops: Spaced evenly, but sporadic on street location placement. Sometimes they are on both sides, sometimes only on the left side. For example, the first at the 1.8 mile mark they only had water/Gatorade on the left side of the street causing a lot of congestion. Finish: Meh. Again, for the price I expected more I guess. Water, choc milk, green bananas, and protein bars. Nothing salty. This is NOLA, how 'bout some Abita and Red Beans/Rice at the finish? Nah, instead you get unripe bananas and Michelob Ultra (beer by name only). Post race music. 'A Bag Of Donuts' who came on after the headliner, rocked the house. They were just awesome. Bottom Line: I would recommend this race for those that don't mind paying the Competitor Group premium. It's a good destination race that is ripe for a PR.
D. G. from Detroit, MI (2/28/2013) "Better Organized than I expected" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 We have all heard the bashing of Competitor and the R&R series. This was my 19th marathon, but my first R&R race. Yes, it was pricey, and they charged top dollar for all the add-ons at the expo. But as for the race itself, the corrals were clearly marked, the start and traffic flow was pretty smooth - I was in corral 5 of about 18, and finished about 10 minutes slower than my estimated finish time, but was never in too much traffic. Post-race logistics were clear and logically laid out - but the walk to the shuttle buses could have been a bit shorter. The last 10 miles of the course through a soggy park got a bit tedious. Overall I did not encounter anything that would prevent me from entering another R&R event - despite the fact that the medals and t-shirts for the full and half were the same (except for a microscopic 1/2 in front of the word Marathon on the medal), which somewhat cheapens the full marathon accomplishment, but they were pretty nice shirts and medals.
J. T. from Texas (2/26/2013) "Flat, fast, and well organized." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I picked this race to PR and I did. TIP #1: run on the streetcar path while on St.Charles. Relieves the congestion from the mix of half and full runners, and is easier on you than the city street. TIP#2: the streets really aren't as bad as some report, but do watch the pavement from mi 10-11 on Explanade Ave. TIP#3: stayed at Sheraton (helpful staff, nice room, pick the river view) within easy walking distance of the start. There's a restaurant just across from hotel with great pasta for prerace dinner, Red Gravy. Make reservations.
L. W. from Mandeville, Louisiana (2/26/2013) "RnR, can you be more like Mardi Gras Marathon was?" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This is my hometown, and I'm glad everyone enjoyed NO. But, in NO we do races differently. We have unlimited free beer, red beans & rice and/or jambalaya at the post party. RnR bought out the Mardi Gras Marathon a few years back. I ran the first RnR and was sadly disappointed. I hoped RnR had learned that NO runners expect more than a banana or protien bar after huffing it 26.2 miles. This year proved that they had not. I will never run this marathon again.
B. W. from Brooklyn, New York (2/26/2013) "My first Half with Rock n Roll" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first experience with the Rock n Roll group. I was not to impressed with the expo. I did get some nice free samples but most of the things on sale I just was not impressed with. The men's gear looked better than women's to me. I only bought the stick because I could not pack my foam roller. I thought race day was well organized. I was surprised the corrals moved as quickly as they did. Some of the water/gatorade stops were not staffed fully to meet the needs. I was happy for the salt packet around mile 6-7 or so. I really enjoyed the course and the crowds were decent. The only real big negative was the bumpy roads. I'm from NYC so I am used to potholes but really this was something. I was afraid I would twist or roll something. I would run the half again and might even consider the full in the future.
Mark Fisher from Louisville ,CO (2/24/2013) "Great Event - Good work NOLA and RocknRoll" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very well run event! Lots of hotels (not to pricy either) within walking distance of start line....easy to take a bus from finish back to starting area.....the corral/wave system worked great - lots of runners but they were spread out well on pretty wide streets...weather was great...flat course...well policed - lots of volunteers passing out water and gatorade....not a ton of spectators but who cares...great job NOLA and Rock N Roll....very professional - no complaints!
K. N. from Philadelphia, Pa. (2/24/2013) "Great city for a race" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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.
J. L. from Washington, DC (12/14/2012) "Great small city with a lot of hospitality" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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.
J. A. from San Diego (4/2/2012) "Mardi Gras Rock n Roll-Worth the Trip!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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...

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