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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 121 to 131]
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M. D. from Oxford, MS
(2/3/2009)
"Nice race, poor road conditions, weak water cups." (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Water stops had five-ounce cups of water with two to three ounces in each cup - unacceptable for this large of a race (and with this heat). I have run 800+ races, and never cramped up until Feb. 1st.... Post-race festivities fun. The French Quarter was way too crowded/slippery for the start of the race. The road surface before the bridge was atrocious.... | |
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C. H. from Baltimore, MD
(2/2/2009)
"Very organized" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I visited New Orleans for a professional conference and signed up for the half-marathon when I found out it was the same weekend. Overall, I had a great time. The expo, baggage check and race start were extremely organized. Running down Bourbon Street was very cool and something my running buddies are jealous of. Food selection at the finish was great! My only complaints are the cars parked on the race course through the French Quarter, especially because the streets are so narrow. You also have to be careful - dodging potholes and train tracks took a lot of effort. Also, crowd support was a little sparse for my preference. Lastly, the Brooks technical shirt that we received was very nice, except that I'm a tiny girl and cannot wear it due to unisex sizing - despite getting a small. | |
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B. W. from Florida
(2/2/2009)
"Very well organized with awesome volunteers!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 4th marathon and most enjoyable yet. The volunteers were great, the fans were awesome, and the course was extremely flat. Even the hiccup of locking my keys in the truck turned into a better than anticipated experience. Immediately after we parked our vehicle in the SuperDome, I realized I had locked my keys inside. After the race, one of the many police officers allowed me to use his personal cell phone to call for a locksmith. He was extremely helpful and assured me that locksmith would be allowed through the barricades. Ten minutes later the locksmith was at my vehicle and had my door open. I have no negatives to say about this race and will definitely be back next year. | |
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J. M. from Lake Charles, LA
(2/2/2009)
"I have mixed feelings." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I visit New Orleans frequently. The first half of the course is well thought out. The mile signs are too small and too close to the street level. Try a balloon next year. Volunteers were great. I ran the half-marathon. I would suggest adding some entertainment along the route, i.e. jazz, blues, or zydeco to go along with the Mardi Gras theme. Houston has mixed entertainment at various locations and it is very popular. | |
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R. B. from DFW, TX
(2/2/2009)
"Definite must-do" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you are looking to run a PR, this is your race. It is really FLAT. That is not an exaggeration at all. There was a bridge on the back half of the course and that's it. Don't let the comments about beat up roads sway your opinion on this race. Watch your step and run with your eyes open. :) There was a road that had just been milled over in preparation for resurfacing, which will probably get negative comments. I was told by a local that they just started working on the road project a few weeks before the race, which is really bad timing. My guess is that it will be finished in time for 2010 race. Positive points for this race include the fact that New Orleans is a great place to visit. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, which, if you bring family that is not running, is close to the start/finish. The race will even run past the street that intersects with the Hotel. Also, this hotel is really close to Bourbon street. Very friendly staff. The race this year provided a nice, long-sleeve tech shirt. The spinning finisher's medal is also pretty neat. This course is a must-do. | |
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L. C. from Indiana
(2/2/2009)
"Overall a great marathon!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pre-race packet pickup was a breeze - very organized. I stayed at the Hilton Riverside, so that made it easy also. No complaints about organization. All volunteers were friendly, helpful, supportive - THANK YOU! Course cons: a bit crowded at the start. Bourbon Street had just been hosed down with foam, and I was forced onto a slippery sidewalk. Trash cans, water and congestion made making time through the French Quarter almost impossible. Streets were a bit rough - uneven pavement, so the flat course was a bit of a relief. I couldn't sight-see from having to watch my step, though. I loved the fun spirit of the aid stations - beer, martinis, cocktails (really, alcohol was served at aid stations), cigarettes, and men in red dresses for the back half. The comic relief was much-needed and appreciated! The crowd definitely thinned out on the back half but the few who were there cheered like fools. Thank you! There is one hill on the course, an overpass. It's maybe around mile 14 or 15 but it took a bit of energy to climb at that stage. Despite the course being rough, I was on track to PR until I twisted my ankle on some rough pavement at mile 20. I finished with a disappointing time. During the run, I had a hard time finding the mile markers early and the time was called out every other mile. The folks yelling times did so sporadically (not continuously as you passed the markers), so if you are anal about times, take your own watch. The post-race was very nice. Red beans and rice - perfect. Subway sandwiches, energy drinks and more beer. My other complaint: this was supposed to be a sanctioned race with no headphones, so I left mine in the room. However, LOTS of folks had headphones and no one seemed to care. Even with my disappointing finish, this was a fun race in a fun place and I'm glad I did it at least once. | |
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D. Q. from New Orleans, LA
(2/2/2009)
"Great Race in a Great City" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first MGM. The expo was first-class, with a lot of exhibitors, and nice Brooks tech shirts. My only complaint is that I wish registration could be a little cheaper, but it's also my fault for not signing up earlier. I gave the course 5 stars. The first half is incredible and I think one of the best half-marathon courses to run - in terms of fast times for competitors, and scenery/locations for the more casual runner. The second half can be a little lonely with long stretches of road with not much to look at. I wish we could have wound our way through City Park a little more. I also wish there wasn't that 400-800 yard stretch of road construction. The first half is so awesome, though, that I still gave the race a five despite the knocks on the second half. Organization was great. My complaints would be that a couple of the turns should have been better marked or volunteers should have done a better job of directing. I also wanted to see bigger cups for the water and have the stations organized so that Gatorade came before water. But once again, those are small things, so I am giving it a five still. The after party was awesome, with a lot of great food and drinks. Plenty of beer too. There was free Subway sandwiches, red beans and rice, Chee-Wees, fruit, water, Gatorade, energy drinks, etc. I gave spectators a 4, based on a race like Boston and NY getting a 5. There were good crowds and a lot of support, but there are some lonely stretches, especially on the second half. All in all, a first-class marathon that is sure to continue to grow in size and quality in the coming years. | |
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C. C. from Shreveport, LA
(2/2/2009)
"I prefer The Crescent City Classic 10K" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my first time running the Mardi Gras Half Marathon. It was a great course and went down all the touristy spots (Bourbon Street, St. Charles, etc.). Bourbon Street is VERY HARD to run on. I was trying so hard to stay in the middle... not to mention that they had just cleaned it and we were trying not to slip and fall. A lot more people showed up than I expected. Crowd support?????? Not great. Oh, and bathrooms????? We had to stop at some ghetto gas station on the course. They had 5 port-a-potties at every other mile with a 10-person wait. Very poor planning on that part. The finisher medals were very cool. Good post-race party... FREE SUBWAY!!!! All in all, it was a fun race. I am very glad I did not do the whole marathon. I would definitely recommend the half. The split was at the finish line for the half marathoners... (not a very good place for a split... let's try the middle of the race). If it were not in such a cool city like New Orleans, I would not do this race again. | |
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Stephania Duplechin from Jackson, MS
(2/2/2009)
"Fun in the City" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have not run a 5K in six years and ran this one cold turkey! It was lots of fun the volunteers were great. The only thing that I'd suggest is to have at least as many blues/jazz stands as we do in Jackson, Mississippi at the Blues Marathon! | |
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P. L. from Tenants Harbor, Maine
(2/1/2009)
"Most organized and friendly race I've done :)" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Packet pickup was quick and easy. Marathon parking was quick and easy. Lots of bathrooms at the start, lots of drinks along the course, yummy snacks after the half. VERY nice race volunteers. Plenty of food to pick from at the finish. Great weather. Would recommend this to everyone. |
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