One of the things I enjoyed about this race was that it was a weekend, and consisted of two days of running. In most races if you complete more than one event you are rewarded with an extra medal, in the case of this race that extra medal is a crawfish tray for their Déjà vu Award.

Race communication: This race offered lots of pre-race communication including emails leading up to race week with final information, such as course/parking maps, expo information, bib numbers, race guides, etc.

Packet Pickup: you have to pick up your packet before the race. They do not offer race day pick up, but they do have a proxy pickup. Someone else can pick it up for you with a copy of your confirmation emails and ID.

Expo: It was your standard midsized expo. It has security, bib number look-ups, an area to pick up bibs, and a separate shirt retrieval area. Very organized. There was also a table set up to pick up VIP wristbands as well, or to purchase an entry into VIP. Upon leaving you are greeted by the fine folks of community coffee and I may have gotten addicted to their King Cake coffee. It’s just delicious. Right next to that area Tasc, who has all of the official LA Marathon clothing, had their area set up with goodies. The lines were pretty long and I decided that I would wait until race day to purchase. There were your standard vendors, including medal holders, KT Tape, local races, a bank, doctor’s office, etc.

Pre-Race: Very standard, it was a self seeding corral and was mixed in with the quarter folks so we all started at the same time. I was able to meet up with a local Texas runner as well as fellow Pro and packet receiver Jen. We took our official BibRave picture and headed to our spots.

Race/Course: It was crowded, but not nearly as crowded as the 5k/quarter run the day before. It starts out on the same course but continues on past the 5k turnaround point. You run through various neighborhoods of Baton Rouge with each one bringing their own unique spin to their water stations. The water stations were exciting, some had beer & champagne, others had donuts, or King cake. Heck! One even had some "grandmas" with donuts! The course spends a good chunk of the mileage running around the LSU lakes including running around tiger stadium. It was a very peaceful and serene course and I enjoyed the homes, and running around the lakes. If there's any complaints I have about this race it would be the roads. It was uneven asphalt and at some parts you had to be careful with your footing. It wasn't hilly at all, with the only hill being crossing over a bridge on your way out around mile one and returning back over it around mile 12. Other than that, the amount of neighborhood support you get is unreal. I never had to worry about a dull moment, or roads that weren't fully closed. It was a fantastic time.

Post Race: After collecting your designated medal you are given a bottle of water and sent down the chute towards the capital building and finishers party. Immediately exiting the runner’s corral there’s a recovery stretching tent and Core protein shakes. But the really good stuff is inside. If you ran the day before you could head over the the awards tend to pick up your Deja Vu Award ( crawfish tray). Each bib came with a tasting wristband that gives you six tastes at the local vendors. There was so much food and beer, and it was greatness. For the Sunday races they offered various VIP packages that included a catered lunch (oh so yummy) beer, bloody Mary's, mimosas, private gear check, massages and tables to sit and enjoy.