The last few years I have limited my 5K race participation. However, I never pass up a chance to run a unique race venue. That is what the Saints Kickoff Run 5K was for me.

There is no expo. Only bib and shirt pick up the day before at the basketball arena in the new Orleans Business District. It was easy to get too and there was plenty of parking for the packet pickup. The medal was the Saints logo ( a black and gold fleur de lis) and the shirt was a middling quality performance shirt with "Saints" across the front. The shirt was white with black and gold accents. For a September race it was still very humid, but it is South Louisiana so it is expected.

Now the best part of the race, and the reason I ran it, is the starting line. The race begins on the 50 yard line inside the Super Dome. The owner of the team, Gayle Benson, several cheerleaders and a few past players were present at the start line. This was very cool!!

There was 5,609 runners for this race. The organizers broke the runners into several heats. Each heat began with a countdown and some pyrotechnics. Again, very cool. Now this is the only part of the race that was frustratingly disorganized. Each heat had its own section to sit in in the stadium. The jumbotron announced the heat that should be lining up at the starting line corral. It was slow and difficult getting from the seats to the corral because of bottlenecking. I ended up starting with two heats lower than my original placement. The route was a good view of NOLA's business district. It follows Poydras Street towards the river, left on Tchoupitoulas Street, cross Canal Street onto North Peters. You u-turn on N. Peters and return the same way back to Champions Square. The after party was in Champions Square outside of the Superdome. There was free, unlimited Dixie beer (a local brew). Basic post race snacks. Cold towels. A local cover band played as well.

Overall the race is worth doing at least once if you are in New Orleans or just a Saints fan because you get to start on the Superdome Field and the fun after party.

Race Time: 27:27 min.
Race Pace: 8:51 min/mi.

CHEERS!

This race is all about the love of running. It is not glamorous. You do not receive any shiny bling. There is no fancy expo or crazy post party. But you test the limits of your endurance. It is as much a mental test as it is a physical test. It is HOT, it is LOUD, it is DARK, and it is usually WET.

I have participated in LUR's Hotter Than Hell for the past three years. It is a night-time trail race. I run the 10hr option which begins at 8 p.m. and ends the next morning at 6 a.m. The race director added a 4 hr option recently as well. You receive a nice quality t-shirt and a finisher's mug if you complete a minimum of 32 miles. The course is a 4 mile loop consisting of mainly single track dirt trail located in the Fountainebleau State Park in South Louisiana. The course is mainly flat with some rolling sections, but the vertical gain is negligible. The park is located near Lake Pontchartrain and the course circumvents a swampy area. The race is professionally timed and there is a large digital display located at the start of the loop keeping a running total of laps and time for each runner. The race director keeps one fully stocked aid station with all your favorite fuel such as candy, pb&j and fruit as well as sodas, water, and endurance drink.

The goal of the race is to run as many 4 mile loops in the 10 hr period that you can with the minimum target of eight for 32 miles. This race will test your limits. First, it is hot. July in South Louisiana is no laughing matter. The humidity is off the charts. Additionally the air can be stagnate as most of the trail is ran in thick canopy cover. There were only two short sections of the course that took you into the open. I will see plenty of night creatures, which will help you find some energy at 2 a.m. when you are dead on your feet, and the spiders begin spinning their new webs pre-dawn. One participant swears they saw an alligator near the trail. The swamp can be very loud in some sections (think every form of animal and bug sounding off at once), but also eerily quiet in others. The key to the race is planning your hydration and fuel intake. If you neglect either you will bonk.

This really is one of my favorite races of the year because it does test your toughness. The race director crew and the other runners are all good people to spend 10 hrs with on the trail. Overall it is a great experience for a no fuss race.

Distance: 50K (32 mi.)
Race Time: 7:47:27

CHEERS!

**Housekeeping note: this race is put on by a local ultra running group & sign up is through ultrasignup.com. The link is to the group's facebook page as there is no official website.**

This was probably my first half marathon that started my racing renaissance. I grew up running cross country, the 1600 and 3200 in track. I exited Army basic training clocking a 5:25 min mile for my final PT Test. I ran daily in undergrad for mental therapy and competed in a few sprint tri's. However, no one introduced me to the world of competitive road or trail racing until very late in life. But the great thing about running is that its never too late to start over. That is what I did at the tender age of 35 finding my passion for grinding out miles on the road and a new passion for the trails. I am making up for all the missed time though.

ENOUGH ABOUT ME GET TO THE RACE REVIEW!!!

This was an awesome first half marathon. The race is point to point, which I really like. It just seems to make the race go faster. The race offers a 5K on Saturday and either a Full or Half on Sunday. I ran the 5K and Half option (I will review the 5K in a separate review). The race takes place in December so it can be either really cold (as it was in 2016) or warmer.

PRE-RACE. The race directors are really organized and good at putting on a large race. They are also the crew behind the Louisiana Marathon weekend (Side Note: you can get an extra swag by completing the Coast to Bayou Challenge for any distance). The expo was held at the convention center in Biloxi, Mississippi. The expo was fairly extensive and had lots of great vendors giving free stuff away and also offering items for sale at a discount. I really enjoyed walking through the expo. There was plenty of parking at the expo and it was easy to find and navigate. Packet pick-up was well organized and fast.

THE HALF: I stayed at an AIRBNB in Bay St. Louis and my girlfriend dropped me at the starting line and drove to the finish line to wait for me. Therefore, getting to the start line was easy and painless. For those without a crew, the race offered parking at the convention center with busing to the staring lines as well and busing back to the parking lot post-race. Again I appeared to be an easy painless process for those using this option. I didn't hear anyone complain about it. As I stated the race is a point to point. The half started in Gulf Port and ended in Biloxi. It follows scenic Highway 90 so you have coastal views the entire run. The road is well maintained and flat so it is perfect for anyone wanted to PR. Because the course is open on the coast side (i.e. no building cover) there was a head wind. It was fairly cold this race weekend, however, that never really bothers me. The starting line was stocked with portable toilets. There was hype music and someone on the microphone providing updates and getting people hyped for the race. The race course is wide and after the initial start it was easy to find separation from the crowd. They also provided pacers for reference point. The course had ample aid stations and portable toilets along the course. Again the course is flat and straight until the last few miles. At about mile 11 you turn off HWY 90 into downtown Biloxi for a little loop into the finish line. The race ended in the minor league baseball stadium. I thought this was an excellent finish. You entered the stadium at left field warning track and run around the outfield to right field where the finish line was located. You collected your medal and walked right into the after party located on the baseball field.

AFTER PARTY: This was an excellent after party. First it free food and beer to participants and guests could purchase tickets. They had a great selection of craft beer with some options coming from the gulf coast area. Several local restaurants were preparing southern classics like jambalaya and shrimp etouffee. Additionally there was bananas, oranges and other post-race staples. The food and drink tent was well stocked and they did not run out while I was there. Additionally there was a stage with several local bands booked to play. The music was great. You literally just stretched out on the outfield, listened to live music, ate good food and drank great craft beer.

SWAG: The t-shirt was a very nice quality, very soft. However, I found the design and color to lack any imagination. So it was a bit boring and not something I wore daily other than around the house. The medal was very nice. It was large and very colorful. It was also location specific in the shape of a crab. The medal was designed to also function as a bottle opener. If you completed the two course challenge that weekend you also received a large, very sturdy plasic crawfish trey with the race logo on it.

OVERALL: This is a fun race. These race directors run a tight ship and put on a well organized event. The after party location and amenities were probably the best I've experienced at any race. The course had great coastal views to make the run pleasant and fast. This one is worth running and I would combine it with the Louisiana race to complete the challenge if you can swing it.

Race Time: 1:56:42
Race Pace: 8:54 min./mi.

CHEERS!

See my Review of the MS Gulf Coast Half Marathon for a more detailed review of the organization, overall race weekend, swag and expo.

I ran this 5K as part of the race weekend challenge. The race started at the Maritime Museum at the foot of the Biloxi Bay Bridge. The 5K course was a flat, fast out and back. We ran into the downtown area of Biloxi. The course scenery was generally old buildings and not very aesthetic. The road was old and contained potholes and loose gravel in places. So it was not as nice at the half course following Hwy 90. There is no elevation and the course was wide enough to eliminate any congestion issues. This allowed you to get a good pace going. The post race setting was very nice though. It was located at a very large pavilion that was well kept. There were food and drink vendors. The food was good. The drink options were hot chocolate, coffee and beer. There was also a band playing good music. The race directors offered a packet pick up for the Sunday runners. There was also a picture area with the race logo. One thing I really appreciated about both post race parties is we weren't rushed. We were able to take our time and enjoy the weather and area. The gf and I even visited the Maritime Museum after the festivities closed down. I absolutely recommend doing the 5K as part of the challenge, but would not make a special trip just for the 5K because the course itself was blah. As with the half, the t-shirt was great quality but a boring design. However, the medal was very nicely designed as a smaller version of the half medal.

Race Time: 23:28
Race Pace: 7:33 min/mi.

CHEERS!