One of the awesome things about Rock 'n' Roll races is that the draw crowds from around the country (and world) so I got to meet a few ambassadors that I had been friends with over the interwebs for a while, but never met in real life until now. SO COOL!
Just after walking around New Orleans some on Saturday, I knew that this city is fully of beautiful architecture! From beautiful building that you could tell have only been kept up over the years to ones that obviously had a good amount of modern updates done to it, the lines and details in the structures are just breath taking. I will admit it, it was super distracted along the way by some of these beauties. I love how even though the design is from the same era, each building or house seemed to tell its own story. Since Mardi Gras is just around the corner, there were a lot of houses gearing up for the celebration.
To say that the course support in New Orleans was great is an understatement. There were so many people out with signs, cow bells, snacks, and even 'beverages' along the way. Sometimes running can feel lonely, but the people of New Orleans and runners' friends and family came out in full force to make us feel loved on race day. This was some of the absolute best course support I have seen and I could not be more thankful for each and every person out there.
Next, a shout out for the the HUGE "King Cake Crew" as I called them. I have no clue how many King Cakes they had out there, but man oh man did I enjoy getting some at mile 4.5. I didn't get the baby in my piece :(
Finally, I forget your name, but to the sweet yellow lab that gave me puppy kisses at mile 6, thank you.
The course took you through some pretty great and unique parts of New Orleans. A lot of the first 7 miles or so were through residential areas (which were GORGEOUS) out towards Loyola University and back. Around mile 9 you arrived to the French Quarter and French Market areas. One of my favorite points on course though was the final stretch through City Park - BEAUTIFUL! City Park served as the perfect backdrop for the finish line and home for the post race party!
After crossing the finish line of 6.2, 13.1, or 26.2 miles, it was time to kickback and CELEBRATE! Huge shout out to Chocolate Milk to having the goods on hand to help me get recovered (psssst - it takes AMAZING too!). This was one of the best finish line areas that I have experienced in the Rock 'n' Roll race series simply because of how much space there was. City Park is HUGE and gave runners and spectators ample space to spread out and enjoy some sunshine and enjoy the concert by Dirty Dozen Brass Band. I really wished that I had more time to spend post race, but I had to get checked out of my hotel room and catch my shuttle to the airport. (Poor planning on my part).