I chose this marathon for my Louisiana marathon because of the many positive reviews online and by the Marathon Maniacs. Overall it was a good experience and I recommend the race. BY FAR the best thing about the race was the number of aid stations!! I hadn't seen than many since the Boston Marathon. Travel tip: stay at the Hilton as they have a free airport shuttle and are closer to the race than the host hotel (Belle). Also, most restaurants were closed on the weekend and we couldn't find a grocery or convenience store within walking distance so keep that in mind. There was a great breakfast place across from the Hilton.

Pros:
-plentiful aid stations
-beautiful flat course
-enthusiastic volunteers
-nice expo (but crowded/need bigger space)
-excellent pre-race communication
-nice medal
-overall good traffic control (with 1 exception)
-plenty of porta-potties on course

Cons:
-road was REALLY rough in some sections
-hardly any food/drinks for marathoners despite heavy pre-race advertising about what would be available (I couldn't find ANY water after the bottle I got at the finish line)
-course hard to follow in some sections
-downtown was desolate on the weekend
-course map online was not zoomed in enough to be able to follow in person if you wanted to drive it ahead of time. Provision of turn by turn directions would be great.

If some changes are made (most importantly having food/drinks available for marathoners as advertised and rough sections of road marked with orange cones), this marathon could be close to perfect. We were blessed with amazing weather and the course is beautiful overall. I recommend you give it a look!

Wow, and this is only Year 2. I'd heard great things, but the driver for me was that (1) I wanted a January marathon and (2) I needed Louisiana for my 50 states. But those great reviews were spot on. Here's what I really liked:

1. Great Course. A really well-designed course that goes through the downtown, down to LSU, around the beautiful University Lake area and through miles of shaded neighborhoods. Those big, shady live oak trees were godsends, keeping the course cool.

2. Great support. Plentiful, well-supplied aid stations. The roads aren't lined with fans, but clearly, the locals know the race is going on- it's a big deal locally. Almost every road was closed with significant police/traffic support. I saw one car run a barricade only to be ticketed by a local cop. Thank you.

3. Easy Logistics. I had no trouble getting here from DC via Dallas, and BTR is drivable from New Orleans. Took a cab to the hotel from the airport, then walked to the expo, restaurants, the farmers market, museums, and most importantly, to the bag drop and start line only 10 minutes away. Easy, easy.

4. A bargain. The race came at a good price point: I paid $80, but got a hefty $26.20 military discount; they offered Maniac and 50 Stater discounts too. I got a great deal at the Hotel Indigo- very close and convenient. Airfare was reasonable to BTR and after the cab from the airport, everything is walkable.

5. VIP treatment. I loved the post-race VIP tent with great food and beverages- all open to Maniacs. And there were lots of us there. But Maniac or not, I felt warmly welcomed in Baton Rouge.

6. Great Winter Weather. It was sunny in cool, with early morning temperatures in the low 40s rising to around 60. We 'lucked out' with no rain, but an absolutely superior day to run.
Hidden gems like this one don't stay hidden for long. Would I run this one again? Absolutely- one of my favorites.

Pros:
* Excellent organization
* PLENTY of water stations
* Friendly volunteers
* Friendly spectators, albeit not that many
* Excellent post-race. Very tasty food and drink
* First half of the course was very beautiful
* Long out-and-back during the second half made it easy to cheer people on and say 'hi' to people you know

Cons:
* Second half was kind of 'meh', mostly running through residential areas.
* Second half somewhat poorly marked, making it a little hard to know where to run. There were little pink arrows, but not always easy to see.

I highly recommend this race.

I ran the inaugural Louisiana Marathon and it was so good I came back for 2013. The organization, volunteers, and course security were better than last year!! This race is organized by runners for runners!! The course has a good variety: downtown, LSU, around a lake and then the out and back in beautiful shaded residential neighborhoods; a great way to show off the city!

I don't repeat marathons very often, but this is one I might do year after year as long as the race doesn't sell out to a race company and take away the wonderful flavor of this race. Speaking of flavor: the post race party food and beer were superb! The icing on the cake was the VIP treatment for Marathon Maniacs!!

If you are looking for a great Boston Qualifier marathon, this is a great choice. There is parking available near the start/finish, ample 'facilities' near start and overall, just a stress free experience. The roads in the first mile or so have quite a few of potholes (so watch your footing), but after that no issues. Flat course with exception of overpass to navigate at mile 1.5 and again just before mile 25, but nothing extreme...so this course is FAST. Scenic course around multiple lakes, and thru scenic neighborhood streets with large trees that provided shade. Great race weather in 2013....temps in mid 40's at start. Perfect! I BQ'ed by over 4 minutes, so I was thrilled. Will definitely be back for this race and bringing more friends with me next time! They also had great awards! Tech shirts and jackets, and even hats to first finisher from each state (which I was thrilled to earn). Great Job Louisiana Marathon!

All superb! However, would like to see more pace clocks along the route, rather than at the three locations in 2013. Every mile or two would be ideal.

Of the 17 marathons I've done, including some 'majors', (Boston, Chicago and NYC), this ranks in my top three. In the weeks leading up to the race, the communication via email and Facebook was outstanding; weekly and often daily motivational quotes and photos were sent to runners. I sent a few questions through private Facebook messages and was answered immediately.

Upon checking in at the Hilton, I happened to meet the race directors in the lobby, who welcomed my friend and I to Louisiana. Craig Sweeney personally delivered welcome packages for my friend and I to our hotel room.

The race expo was small but had some excellent vendors, and we enjoyed getting a free 'finish line photo'! The food at the pasta dinner was good, but for $20 we were given only one small plate of food. This would be my only disappointment of the whole weekend.

On race morning, there was a huge spotlight on the State Capitol building of the Louisiana Marathon logo! The gear check was indoors and many people were waiting in that area because it was chilly outside (about 44 degrees). I used a portapottie 20 minutes before the start of my race and didn't have to wait in line!!! I loved that some of the music playing before the start of the marathon was jazz; you would just never hear that anywhere else.

When we first entered the LSU lakes area, the sun had just come up and there was mist coming off the lakes. It was absolutely breathtaking and several runners stopped to take photographs.

After the half marathoners split off, I expected the race to get very quiet, but was pleasantly surprised that the spectators appeared quite consistently, and were very supportive! I was wearing a Canada singlet and got a TON of cheers for Canada! The water stations appeared literally every mile, and local residents were also giving out fruit, donuts and candy. There was one water station where the volunteers were young girls on a local track team; before getting to them, an adult supervisor announced that we were inspiring her athletes! This gave a huge boost to my race.

Between miles 12-22, the streets were covered with a canopy of beautiful oak and magnolia trees, and the homes were spectacular. It was a truly beautiful place to run.

The finish line was incredibly exciting, and I loved having my name and home-city announced when I finished. I didn't have to wait in line for photos or to get my gear back. I didn't mind the walk to the post-race party because walking is the best thing you can do after a marathon (and it was only half a block!!)

What is evident about this race is that it's organized by runners who understand the real needs of marathoners and don't just cater to the half marathon, such as many of the larger races in the U.S. There was a lot of TLC put into the race and all you have to do is read the comments here on Marathon Guide to see the results. I could not be more impressed with the Louisiana Marathon; it was the best way I could have chosen to start my 2013 running adventures!

I ran this race as my Louisiana marathon and I'm glad I did. Its a very impressive race especially when you consider its only the second year for the race.

The expo was just what'd you expect from a mid-sized race (900 full, 1800 half) like this. Enough booths to maybe catch a deal or buy a last minute need but not a mammoth all day shopping event (fine by me). Parking was free and I got in and out effortlessly.

Race morning was also stress free. I arrived just before 6:00 (7:00 am start) and easily found free parking. I was able to use the port-a-potties up to 6:45 with very little wait. I didn't use gear check as it wasn't too cold so I can't comment on how that went.

The course is advertised as flat and it certainly is. We hit a few overpasses but otherwise even folks from the midwest couldn't complain.

One thing to be careful about is the road quality the first mile and a half or so. It may be the worst I've ever run on. I saw 3 people fall. Its made worse because of the normal early race crowding so its hard to see the potholes and cracks until you're upon them. This is only the first mile or so and after that I feel the roads are in very good condition. In fact I worried that I might encounter the same bad roads the final mile or so (a scary thought when you're so tired at the end) but they were fine.

The first half of the race is very pretty. We wind thru the LSU campus and thru some parks around a lake. There were some very nice views of the rising sun shining off the water. The second half of the race is pleasent enough but hardly scenic. Its mainly run thru a series of neighborhoods that do get a little monotonous. There is also a long out and back section from miles 15 to 22 that is mentally taxing.

There are plenty of water stops. In fact I bet there were more than I've ever encountered. They all had sports drink (Poweraid) and many had gels. Also the poweraid flavor was changed up from stop to stop, a nice touch. The stops were not all set up the same way however and all the cups said poweraid even if they contained water. I know it sounds nitpicky but late in a marathon when a runner is tired it really helps when every stop is the same and the cups acurately reflect their contents.

I thought there were enough port-a-potties on the course and the race directors wisely put more the early miles. So many races don't get that.

I had to catch a flight so I wasn't able to go the post race area but it seemed to be a lot of fun. I was handed a bottle of water at the finish line but there was nothing else. I would've loved a bananna or some other simple post race food right there especially since I couldn't make it to the main food area.

I gave the fans 4 stars. I admit that I'm grading on a curve but I was very impressed with how many folks were out for a smaller race only in its second year. Clearly the directors are doing something right to drum up community support.

You get a nice tech shirt and a very nice medal.

This is definitely one of the best organized race I had participated (#27)! Course is absolutely beautiful and flat, and the course support was unmatched at any other race! We were blessed with perfect weather as well. The only comment I have for the race directors is to give the marathoners better post-race support! You really have to look hard to find the jambalaya available, and there is nothing other than a bottle of water readily available for the marathoners who finished around 4 hours! No sight of oranges/bananas or anything else.

Kudos to the race organizers of this event - they did a fabulous job. What really set this race apart from the others I've done was the finish line party. Hands down the best post race party I've ever attended - a never ending supply of beer, jambalaya, ice cream, cochon du lait, red beans and rice, gumbo, and a dozen other local specialties. The music acts were great - the Hot 8 brass band was fantastic. I am from New Orleans and the party was very much like a mini Jazz Fest, only less crowded, more affordable, and better food! Highly recommened it for anyone outside of Louisiana looking for a destination race.