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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 221 to 231]
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George Higgs from Memphis, TN
(2/6/2006)
"Way to go, New Orleans!" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I chose the Mardi Gras Marathon over Mercedes & others for the cause (of recovery) & to be part of the first post-Katrina convention. My only disappointment was that other out-of-state runners weren't of the same thinking, as the attendance was small-ish (698 finishers for the full, and something like 3,800 for all events, including the 5K & half). The organizers, including the local track club (NOTC), the police, & city could not have been any more accommodating or efficient. The local runners carried the message to "get your butts back to New Orleans" & "run hard, live easy." The layout let runners see the good (2 beautiful parks; stately mansions; quaint neighborhoods; & the quarter) & the bad (the flood destruction). And can a course be any flatter? Only a 7' differential in mile maker elevations. Fans were few but were creative & fun, offering everything from chili dogs & cigarettes to cocktails. I finally accepted a beer (just to say I did it) at mile 9 (& of course at 26.3). Never heard so many "thank you's" per capita, mostly directed to the police. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. | |
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D. B. from San Francisco, CA
(2/6/2006)
"Great race through a gracious city" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Yesterday I participated in the Mardi Gras Marathon and it was a GREAT experience. In spite of the lack of a prime sponser and with limited operating funds, the organization put together a fantantic race experience. The water stops were well staffed and stocked, the traffic control was first-rate, the finish line was on par with much larger races I have run and the after-race feed was wonderful. The course was flat and toured some of the flooded areas of the city as well as the French Quarter and neighborhood parks. The gracious Lady of New Orleans still lives and is waiting for you to come visit. You will not be disappointed with this marathon!! | |
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Colette Amedee from Baton Rouge, LA
(2/5/2006)
"Bittersweet 2nd time" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half-marathon this year (2006). This is the first major sporting event in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. At some mile markers, there was a ruler of how high the water levels had gotten in that particular area. I am a resident of New Orleans proper, and was used to the pictures of the devastation that happened here. There wasn't anything too saddening or gruesome. There was a lot of support from residents of the areas of the run, and from a local running store (Phedippiddes). The after party was located outside of the infamous Superdome, which looked quite normal (of course, we did not have access to the inside). Actually the city looked cleaner than it ever did before the storm. I LOVE N.O.! | |
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Ben S. from Memphis, TN
(2/5/2006)
"Mardi Gras, Baby!!!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is one great race! The course was flat and very scenic. We got to see areas of the city that were underwater during the hurricane. Some local runners were nice enough to give us a grand tour along the way. The finish line outside the Superdome was very nice. The walk up the steep ramp to get to the festivities hurt slightly but was probably good for me. Snacks and entertainment were great. Comments about lack of police were incorrect this year. They were stationed at every cross street. I applaud the NOTC for their effort and the race that they put together. I enjoyed the run and even PR'd. | |
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C. D. from Arlington, VA
(11/15/2005)
"Great Course for 1st Marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall I really enjoyed this marathon. It was flat and the food and bathrooms plentiful. The course was also very beautiful and interesting. Though I got harassed by some men because the police were nonexistent. Which brings me to my one problem with this race. It was advertised as a 7-hour race, but way before that time the police were on their bullhorns telling us our time was up and to get off the course. Very demoralizing to slower and first-time marathoners. Then when I reached the 1/2 mark back at the Superdome some organizers were yelling for me to go inside because I wasn't going to finish. Not having run a marathon before I started to listen to them but thank God I didn't and like Forrest I kept running. If I had listened to them I wouldn't have accomplished my goal of finishing a full marathon. I hope they don't do this to other people. | |
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Kristne Guderyon-Goetz from Oregon, Wisconsin (near Madison)
(10/16/2005)
"Beautiful, flat and fun! " (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Ending in the Superdome was a treat! The post-race food was much better than most races. The awards were ready in a timely manner. The GrandMaster's Division was a nice surprise. I will encourage my friends to run in 2006, to support the News Orleans economy. | |
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C. P. from Boston
(5/4/2005)
"The Perfect Balance - Course/Crowd" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If the weather cooperates and you run a smart race, you can run a fast race here. The course is FLAT...Chicago, eat your heart out. A nice mix of urban and rural running as well as crowd support and quiet to collect your thoughts. A hidden gem. | |
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J. K. from Monticello, Florida
(4/9/2005)
"Pretty Springtime Course and Fun Event" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Lots of hotels to choose from in the general area and beautiful time of year for the run with grass green and Japanese magnolias in bloom. As for the Superdome, finishing inside the dome was a neat experience. Having the finish in the dome also made for easy coordination of the post race activities and they were good. All in all, pretty springtime course and fun event. Would offer one challenge to other comments on the ease of parking. Sure, the dome has tons of available parking but having read comment after comment about how readily available the parking was I didn?t worry too much about it. What I didn?t realize was that I would have to pay $5 for parking on the package pick-up and race days and that during both events only 1 single access on the far side of the stadium would be open. The result of only one access gate being used was a rather lengthy line of single file cars waiting to pay to enter the stadium parking area. | |
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J. R. from Texas
(4/1/2005)
"Memorable" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Loved running through the French Quarter and it was great running in the stadium for the finish line. AWESOME! Not too thrilled on the turn-arounds because it is hard to see others already on their way back while I'm just going out. Not a problem, I just kept going. Everyone was so nice. Not as many people out to cheer us on like I had expected, but the folks out there were super, especially the volunteers at the water stops. Thank you for everything. Glad the rain held off and it turned out just fine. | |
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D. W. from Minnesota
(3/21/2005)
"Excellent marathon" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 About 2,000 marathoners finished, and 2,300 half-marathoners. Three of us took Amtrak from Minnesota to run the full marathon. The New Orleans course is about as flat as a marathon course could be. Weather is normally quite favorable, and it was this year. Wind doesn't matter too much because the course is entirely within the city. The advertised potholes were no problem at all. We loved running through the French Quarter and several parks, and past hundreds of unique & lovely New Orleans homes. It's an interesting city, hence an interesting marathon. The start and finish are both at the Super Dome, a major convenience. We stayed at an inexpensive hotel nearby and walked directly from our hotel to the start line. Water stops were plentiful and excellent, though the portable toilets were oversubscribed in the first third of the marathon. The stellar job done by the police was dimmed somewhat when they shut down the advertised 7-hour course in 6 1/2 hours, forcing runners to the sidewalks with no help at cross streets. Similarly, most of the food vendors (except Subway!) left before the 7-hour finishers arrived in the Dome. Bless their hearts, though, the organizers and ChampionChip people recorded finishers' times for 8 1/2 hours. Further, the finisher's medal is excellent and the age-group awards are superb. |
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