Louisiana > Rock & Roll New Orleans Marathon & Half Marathon
New Orleans, LA • Sunday, March 4, 2012 • Course Map • Series Calendar
 |
|
More than 17,000 runners came out to run through the streets of what is probably the country's most culturally, architecturally and musically interesting city at the 2011 running of New Orleans' Rock & Roll Mardi Gras Marathon & Half Marathon, which took runners on a course through the city in the days leading up to the annual pre-Lent party to end all parties.
For its 2012 running, the race features a new name (the Rock & Roll New Orleans Marathon & Half Marathon) and moves a few days closer to the start of spring, to the first weekend of March. The courses for both the half marathon and the marathon have been reconfigured as well, with a new starting line at the intersection of Poydras Street and St. Charles Avenue -- but with the same finish line in New Orleans City Park.
Runners start the race in downtown New Orleans at the corner of St. Charles and Poydras and follow what is largely a fast and flat route -- which you'll discover is no surprise, thanks to the fact that much of New Orleans lies at or even below sea level -- from the starting line through the city's gorgeous Garden District, where many of the city's true architectural jewels lie, from stately homes to churches and civic buildings.
Runners in the half marathon share the same course as those running the full marathon for nearly all of the race's first 13 miles -- those running the full marathon split off at New Orleans City Park between mile markers 12 and 13, leaving the half marathoners to head into the park and cross the finish line, while they continue around the park and head north to the shores of Lake Ponchartrain. They'll share a long out-and-back stretch along St. Charles Avenue, whose two lanes bracket the famous New Orleans streetcars slowly riding along the rails as they run.
After the out-and-back along St. Charles -- which hits its turnaround point at the northern end of Audubon Park -- the course continues in a roughly northeast direction through the city, taking runners up through the French Quarter (where the famed Bourbon Street and the site of Mardi Gras revelry takes place every year) along Decatur Avenue, and then turns left onto Esplanade Avenue. Runners continue on in a northwest direction along Esplanade all the way toward New Orleans City Park, where the finish line lies.
Runners in the half marathon make a brief pass along the edge of the city's St. Louis Cemetery, whose graves are all laid out in the cemetery in above-ground sites. The course then makes its way into City Park for the finish. With the exception of a single overpass, participants run the course at an elevation that's below sea level the entire race. Most of the course is fast and flat, just like the city itself, so there's very little in the way of hills or changes in elevation throughout either the 13.1-mile or the 26.2-mile courses.
Race
Weather & Climate
Nestled between the banks of Lake Ponchartrain and the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana, New Orleans typically sees March temperatures that average between 72°F and 53°F, while rainfall totals average just over 5.2 inches for the month. On the day of the race (March 4), the average high is 69°F and the average low is 50°F.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Rock & Roll New Orleans Half Marathon
Fees
$90 for the half marathon, if registered by October 31, 2011
$105 between November 1 - February 26, 2012
$150 at the race expo, depending on availability
Registration
To reserve your spot in the late winter 2012 running of the Rock & Roll New Orleans Marathon or Half Marathon race, register online at Active.com.
Official Race Website
runrocknroll.competitor.com
Leave a Comment
Ever run in Louisiana's annual Rock & Roll New Orleans Marathon or Half Marathon? Share your impressions, stories and tips from the event.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Recently Added
|
| Race Photos |
|
|
| |
 |
|
