New Orleans on My Mind.

So the course map has been revealed for the Mardi Gras Marathon. My wife and I are running the half. As we are looking at the course, we have realized that at mile 4, the half-marathoners split off from the group and cut across Jefferson Ave. to hit St. Charles. So, my concern is for the average runners who cut across are most certainly going to end up running into the elite runners of the marathon group. This should be fun. Now I am sure that most of the elites will blow away the course and be far ahead of the half-marathoners, but it should be fun having the faster runners getting mingled in with the slower half-marathoners at mile 7. Im envisioning a bottleneck of runners at the mile 7 marathon mark. In the past, everyone has just run out St. Charles and back, with no confusion of where to go. St Charles is a nice scenic run, and it's always been enjoyable.

This year, the Mardi Gras Marathon is now part of the Rock and Roll Series. I think its a great move for them, bringing more sponsors and people to the New Orleans race. I do understand that the course had to be changed a bit to add some specific details to become a Rock and Roll series race. I just hope this new course is just as enjoyable as past races. I do know the entertainment will be great at the end with Cowboy Mouth performing, a New Orleans band that my wife and I both enjoy and have seen locally here in Cincy.