January 20, 2013
4:30:32
This was just the second year for this marathon. I always thought I would run my LA marathon in New Orleans, but this fit better into my schedule this year. It was a well executed, no frills marathon.
Getting there was pretty easy, with an on time connecting flight from Houston. I checked in at the host hotel/casino, the Belle of Baton Rouge. This was kind of an odd fit for a host hotel. There was a very nice, small packet pick up and expo. The pasta dinner Saturday night featured two inspirational speakers, one woman battling recurring brain cancer while she competes marathons and triathlons, and a man who is a bilateral arm amputee who, despite his disability, has done nearly 100 tri's with a special bike and unorthodox swimming technique.
The race started at 7 AM in front of the state capitol. Conditions were cool, calm, and clear. It was a relatively small field of runners, which was nice. The course ran through the cypress tree lined parks and neighborhoods of Baton Rouge, and included a segment through the campus of LSU. I felt good and ran a very steady race, crossing the half mark in just under 2:15 and finishing in just over 4:30. Aid stations were well stocked and plentiful. There were very few spectators and basically no entertainment on the course. I don't need either one, but they are kind of nice to have. I have found that Sunday marathons in a southern city generally aren't well attended by local spectators.
The finish line was again in front of the state capitol. There was a great finishers area, with fruit, water, beer, and local flavors including red beans and rice and jambalaya. The latter two are just about the perfect recovery food, with a great combination of carbs and protein.
I had a flight to catch so I wasn't able to stick around for the post race party, which was getting a lot of buzz. After a quick shower, I headed back to the airport. Proud of finishing my 39th race, I was nevertheless humbled by the lady sitting next to me who just finished #361. Now she is crazy!
No comments:
Post a Comment