Sep 20, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
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 191 to 201]
|
K. V. from Missouri
(3/2/2007)
"Awesome!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am from Missouri and have run many races in the Midwest, and none of them can compare to the Mardi Gras Marathon. Most importantly the weather was gorgeous. What I enjoyed the most was the support of all the locals. When we were done with the race my friend and I walked on Bouborn St., and the support continued. I definitely will be back next year. | |
|
L. B. from USA
(3/1/2007)
"FUN AND FLAT" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run 8 marathons, including Disney and Tallahassee, and I would say that Mardi Gras is the flattest there is and it is so much fun. The map they give you in your bag made it easy for my family to see me on the course (4 times). The course kept things fun and interesting, I loved running through the park, and the shirt and medal were really cool. Out of the 8 I have done, this is the only one so far that I would do again. The only problem I had with the race were the road conditions the last half of the race and the fact that I could not see or locate many of the mile markers. Most people were standing in front of them. They need big balloons or something to make the markers more visible, especially when trying to pace yourself by those markers. But overall a very good race. I will be back for the half next year. Thanks to all the volunteers!!! | |
|
Tom Stevens from Farmington, MI
(2/28/2007)
"Just about right" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This marathon had a lot of the benefits of being small: not too crowded, easy to find people, easy to get to and from. Since there weren't too many runners, we didn't overwhelm the city. In fact, we shared the roads with several locals out for their Sunday run. Post-race party was also easy to navigate. Because it's small, don't expect the amenities of a larger marathon. There were no bands on the course (strange for the birthplace of jazz) and the water stops were too few (website mentioned 1 per mile - not even close) and too short (no chance to grab two cups unless you stopped). That said, the volunteers were super! This was a fun marathon to run (provided you bring your own tunes and water), but was probably better to spectate. Plenty of folks were on their porch with their favorite beverages. Now that's a great way to spend a Sunday! | |
|
K. W. from New Jersey
(2/28/2007)
"Very disappointed" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran this race for the first time in 2007, and must admit I was very disappointed. First off, the roads were filled with potholes, so you had to always be conscious of where you were stepping. Very few specatators, particularly in the 2nd half. But, the most annoying part of this race was that there were no water stops between miles 12 and 15 (or mile marker at mile 14), and I thought this was totally unacceptable, especially on a relatively warm day. To top it off, after the race you had to walk up this long ramp to get to the refreshments - not really what you want to do after completing a marathon. I will say the shirts and medals were some of the best I have seen, but still would not recommend this race to anyone. | |
|
D. K. from The great Northwest
(2/27/2007)
"Fast course with potholes, warm weather, and wind." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Of the 5 marathons in the past year, I would rate this one my least favorite. The hospitality is good but the overall organization of the race could be improved. The course is flat and fast, with the exception of one overpass at mile 5 and 9.5. The weather this year, 2007, was around 60 degrees at the start with high humidity. This is tough unless you have been able to train in it over the winter months. There were headwinds on many parts of the course ranging from 10-20 mph. The course is not very scenic compared to other cities. The first half, out past the park and residential area, puts you on the fringes of a neighborhood with abandoned houses from Katrina. The second half of the race, through the Garden District, and out to the park and back, is nice, but look out for potholes. The police officers did a great job at the intersections with controlling traffic - kudos to them. The runners and spectators did get a little sparse on the second half of the course. The "red dresses" group with 2 miles to go was a good inspiration. Look at the website and other sites to get info on the race before you head to it. The race packet lacked any information other than a printed map of the course (the same one on the website). We were told by race officials, at the expo, that there would be no gear check, only to find after the race that it looked like a gear check was at the Superdome, although no bags were given out or any mention made of it. Mile markers were missing at miles 13, 15 and 26 miles. Some mile markers were manned with people calling out splits, but many of them were not manned. I beleive that some of the markers were not accurately placed, so do not totally rely on them for your splits. Do not expect much at the expo or any freebies. There were a number of aid stations and individuals with Gu, but this information was not available at the expo or on the website. It was an OK race to run but I would choose another the next time around. | |
|
S. H. from Austin, Texas
(2/27/2007)
"Well organized, but need more aid stations" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Dual-loop out-and-back course starting and ending at the Superdome. Mostly half marathoners. It's a little tough having to run past the finish at the halfway point and then head back out. Most of the last half is shaded. Need more porta-johns at the start. (A 5K begins 15 minutes after the marathon.) Aid stations are well stocked and have terrific volunteers, but the distances between aid stations were inconsistent and too far apart given the heat. Excellent and friendly police support keeping cars off the course. Felt very safe. Great post-race food - Subway sandwiches, red beans and rice, Budweiser, Coke and fruit. I don't know why the course doesn't run along Lake Pontchartrain since it gets pretty close. | |
|
M. B. from Durham, NC
(2/27/2007)
"Spirit of the City made it worth it" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, so I don't have much to base my opinion on. The course was flat, which made it great. But the pavement was sooooo uneven that I really could rate this about 3 stars. The organization was so-so. It was a small marathon (about 4,000 runners of which only 1,100 or so did the full marathon), but there were sometimes mile marks with no one announcing the times. The fans that did show up were amazing! The first half of the marathon was much more frequented by spectators, which surprised me based on the early start time. But the back half lacked a little bit from a fan standpoint. Overall though, I think this was a fun race and I'm happy that I gave back to the city of New Orleans. People in town were pretty supportive and the water station groups showed super enthusiasm! I wish there was more jazz music along the route. It was tough, too, because they could not find a lead sponsor, which was so sad and disappointing. If I worked at a large corporation, I would have supported this marathon. The city needs to draw tourists and sponsors need to step up to the plate to help. | |
|
W. E. from Salisbury, UK
(2/27/2007)
"Well organized and very friendly..." (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 A very friendly, well organized marathon in a sensational place. I loved New Orleans - food, atmosphere, scenery, people, etc. - combined with a fast (though quite warm at 70-75 degrees) marathon course. I traveled from the UK for this one and loved every minute of it... except for miles 18-23. :-(. Highly recommended. | |
|
Scott Brooks from New Jersey, US
(2/27/2007)
"Great running community puts on a great race!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 9th marathon and by far the best one for someone looking to "enjoy" the experience. Although the course was laid out so that you could really run a fast race, 2007 was a little on the warm side, which didn't set me up to have the best race I've ever had. But the organization, race community and after-party (all you can eat or drink with free beer and free food, which included great jambalaya, gumbo and pasta). This was one of the only races I'd come back to frequently. My only surprise was there were so few spectators on the course for a marathon run through the heart of the city. The spectators there were vocal and supportive of everyone, though. | |
|
R. J. from North Georgia
(2/27/2007)
"The Big Easy is back!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Carb loading on beignets, red beans and rice, and Abita Amber. There's only one race where you would do that: the Mardi Gras Marathon! The course is fast, flat and memorable. It starts at the Superdome, runs through downtown and the French Quarter, up and back along the east side of City Park, back past the Superdome, west through the Garden District with a loop through Audubon Park, then back to the finish at the Superdome. While downtown and the French Quarter look as good as new (as of February 2007), other parts of the city do not. I was frequently reminded of Hurricane Katrina, starting with the Superdome, of course, passing stretches of destroyed homes and businesses, many with trailers parked in front providing a place for the owners to live in the interim, and many others seemingly abandoned. The high water mark, about 8 feet above the ground, was still clearly visible on some of the homes. City Park appears to have been completely neglected; no doubt the city has higher priorities these days. Many residents are still living in FEMA trailers. If you think that the Gulf Coast has recovered from Katrina, you are wrong. The bad: Not enough porta-johns (true of most races, but really bad here) - the wait at the start exceeded 25 minutes. Organizers seem to have been unprepared for the number of runners. The website was a bit short on information and didn't mention race-day package pickup or drop bags, both of which WERE available but we could not plan on as we didn't know about it beforehand. Spectator support was sparse, if you need that sort of thing (I don't). Avoid Bourbon Street on the day before the race - it can really hurt your performance! The good: A sobering tour of one of the site of one of the USA's worst disasters (yes, I consider the experience a good thing). Aid stations were well-staffed and well-stocked with great volunteers and plenty of water and sports drink at all stations - and a variety of other goodies at some, particularly in the second half. Great traffic control, courtesy of NOPD. Nice race shirts, with a long-sleeve tech T for marathoners. A fast, very flat course; the only hill is an overpass. A big, beautiful finisher medal displaying the Mardi Gras theme. And the best thing - finish line party with Subway sandwiches, red beans and rice, and beer. No, on second thought, the best thing about it was the opportunity to spend some time in New Orleans; there's no place like it. Laissez les bon temps roulez! |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
