I traveled to The Louisiana Marathon from Maryland to run 26.2 miles at age 26.2 this January. One of the things that stood out the most to me about this race was the awesome course support — particularly the volunteers. There were so many water stops, which were needed on a humid day (particularly for someone from Maryland in January), and seeing those light blue shirts was something to look forward to. All the volunteers were very clear about what item they had (water, Powerade, ice or Honey Stinger) and were friendly. Because my name was on my bib, some volunteers would even cheer for me by name. There were also members of the community who came out to support the runners, with fun signs and even much-needed Vaseline.

I definitely noticed some hills in the course, but I still gave the elevation difficulty a one-star rating (least difficult) because I am from an extremely flat area. For someone not from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the elevation probably wasn't too tough. One of the hardest parts was going up a hill/overpass just about at mile 25 (Mile 25 was at the top of the hill). Of course, I was already extremely tired by then because of the distance.

My favorite part of the course scenery was running around the lakes in the first half of the course. It was also nice to go through the LSU campus. Much of the rest of the course was in neighborhoods.

It was very simple to pick up my bib and shirt. The swag we got at the expo included a shirt and bag. The reason I gave this a 4-star rating was because the shirt was a little big. However, I didn't ask to exchange it and it is very soft and comfy. I also thought the medal was really cool. At the expo, there were also some discounted items for sale, and I was able to get a $10 singlet from local retailer Varsity Sports.

Everything seemed well planned and organized. I didn't have to park, so I probably shouldn't have rated that, but my boyfriend dropped me off close to the start. We did have to walk a few blocks to get back to his car.

I had a lot of fun at this race and it was great to enjoy the Cajun cuisine and beer afterward as well.

For a full race recap, see my blog post: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2017/01/19/the-louisiana-marathon-26-2-miles-at-age-26-2/