I ran this race for the first time in 2017. It's a great, family-oriented local race that takes place just before Christmas and will really get you into the holiday spirit. The race manager is incredibly detail-oriented and everything ran perfectly. The 5k course took us out of the park where the race started and through some lovely suburban neighborhoods. There were several water stations along the course, and all of the volunteers were extra friendly.

I thought the medals and swag bags were fantastic, especially for a short local race! The bag included reindeer antlers and one of the nicest race t-shirts I've received (it's a cotton tee rather than tech fabric, but is nice enough to wear out with jeans even though I'm not generally a tee-shirt person.) The medals are absolutely adorable and feature the reindeer logo; everyone gets one, including the kids who do the one mile run.

Other features included fake snow (it's Louisiana) falling at the finish line party, a costume contest and raffle with TONS of prizes, and lots of good food and hot beverages like cocoa and coffee. You could tell that they really went all out when planning this event. Since it's a family-friendly event, there wasn't any beer, but I didn't miss it. :) I really appreciated the opportunity to get a quick stretch and massage from a local physical therapist, as well.

Overall, this is one of my favorite races that I've done in Louisiana. If you're not from Pontchatoula, be sure and stop at one of the cafes either there or in Hammond and get something to eat after the race - I'm partial to the strawberry beignets at Berry Patch Cafe in Hammond, but there are a number of good cafes and restaurants in the area. :)