Mardi Gras Marathon
New Orleans, Louisiana
February 1, 2009

The Mardi Gras Marathon which was held on February 1, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the few marathons in which a competitive race walking division is held. I was fortunate enough to place first overall. It was a good day for a marathon as the temperature varied from 46 to 63 degrees, the wind was gentle, and the skies were overcast. The race started at the Super Dome at 7:00 AM. The first half of the marathon featured Bourbon Street and St. Charles Street. The rest of the course went out and back towards Lake Pontchartrain to City Park. The roads, which contained many pot-holes, street car rails, and rough spots, were completely closed to traffic and intersections were controlled by numerous police officers. Water/Gatorade stations were located every two miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. Music was played at several places and spectators cheered along much of the way. There was a major amount of energy in New Orleans as Mardi Gras was about to begin. I thoroughly enjoyed this well organized event.