Expo/Packet pickup: The day of the Expo turned out to be storming and raining, like any other day in South Louisiana. However, the Expo and packet pickup had originally been scheduled to be outside at Congo Square (Louis Armstrong Park). Thankfully, the venue was changed to be inside at The Hyatt Regency on Loyola Ave. The Expo was in a ballroom at the hotel and had your typical vendors, if I remember correctly, and of course a place to pick up packets and the t-shirt. I honestly don’t remember much because I was concentrating on not getting my hair wet, as I had just gotten it done for the wedding we were attending that afternoon. Just picture any other expo in a hotel ballroom that you’ve attended, and you have the idea. I must say however, management had EXCELLENT communication, texting and emailing the change of venue for the Expo early that morning.

Course: Due to being at sea level, the whole course is flat and fast. Since New Orleans is one of my favorite cities, I’m a little biased, but I think most people would agree that it is a beautiful and scenic city. Therefore, the scenery along this course, IMO is THE BEST DAMN SCENERY EVER. The course takes runners through some pretty cool parts of New Orleans such as the Treme district of New Orleans, the CBD (Central Business District), and St. Charles Street and the Garden District (the best part of the whole run). I love, love, love this part of the city for it’s history, mystery, and charm. The scenery and flat/fast aspect of the course gets an A+ in my book!

Swag/Bling/Goodies: OMG. If the race doesn’t live up to it’s name, the medal sure does!! I LOVE THIS MEDAL! It is high quality and HEAVY! Maybe even the heaviest medal I have to date. The design of the sugar skull is AWESOME and I of course love the colors (purple, how can you go wrong?). The shirt has the same design and color–bonus points, but the quality is a little low IMHO, as it is not a tech shirt and the material is a little flimsy. That being said, I get compliments when I wear it, so I will forgive the race managements decision to not make it a tech-type shirt.

Would I run this race again? Absolutely I would and for the following reasons: The pre-race communication was spot on, the race bathrooms adequate, great course support (thanks NOPD and volunteers!), the BEST DAMN scenery in Louisiana, and of course THAT MEDAL. Overall, I think it was a well-run, well-priced, and well-thought out course that I think any level of runner would enjoy.

For a detailed recap/review of the Best Damn Race--New Orleans Half Marathon complete with (many!) pictures, please check out my blog:

https://sarahwithanh.org/2017/10/09/best-damn-race-new-orleans-2017-race-recapreview/

Link to this review