Zydeco Half Marathon
Lafayette, Louisiana
Sunday, March 8, 2015

It turned out to be a perfect day for a race as the temperature varied from 53 to 58 degrees with overcast skies and little breeze. I was lucky with the weather again as Thursday before the race the weather was supposed to have a 90% chance of experiencing rain with temperatures ranging from 44 to 57 degrees. In fact the race director, Michael Howard was so sure of bad weather that he rented a coliseum ¾ miles from the finish line and moved the post-race festival there. There were about 1800 people in the half marathon and 500 people in the marathon in this second year event. The course was almost entirely flat and utilized roads in Lafayette that were completely closed to traffic and took everyone past the main sights of the city. Police and volunteers were stationed at the many intersections to insure the participants’ safety. Water/Powerade stations were located every mile and had plenty of enthusiastic volunteers to take care of the needs of the participants. The 50 States Marathon Club of which I am a member held a reunion at the event and I attended. It was nice to see many of my friends who I have not seen as much since I have been doing half marathons since September of 2009. Arturo Barrios was a celebrity at the event. He was an Olympian who has held the world record in the 10000 meters and half marathon and was the first person to finish a half marathon under an hour (59:59). I enjoyed myself at the well-organized event that was fun to do.