Happy's Irish Pub NOLA 5K: The 2013 Recap

Saturday evening was the inaugural Happy's Irish Pub NOLA 5K in downtown New Orleans. Starting in front of Happy's on Poydras Street, the route took runners toward the Mercedes-Benz Louisiana Superdome, around the venue twice, and then back to the finish.

Weather on Saturday was threatening, and sporadic downpours throughout the day had me concerned about what race-time would bring. I went back and forth all day about signing up to participate, but finally decided during one break in the weather to go out and get my run out of the way. With a 10K and half-marathon this coming weekend, I figured I should take the run easy and not race.

Of course not wanting to be completely left out of the event, I grabbed a friend and headed out to spectate while cheering on a couple coworkers. Standing on the sidelines was hard, but totally gave a whole new perspective of what goes on at a race when you're not participating. It was kind of cool to be there when the starting gun fired and the crowd surged toward you as they took off. It was even more intense to watch as the winners crossed the finish line.

The weather held out, and the temperature was shockingly cool for an August evening in New Orleans. Abita Satsuma Ale was on tap for participants, and runners stayed long after the race to enjoy a live band and party that spilled out on to the streets.

Below are numerous photos from race day along with a video from the start, plus video of the Male (Pat Gavin) and Female (Rosalie Teeuwen) division winners crossing the finish line.