Thursday, January 2, 2014

January 2014 Preview

The New Year kicks off with a new race this weekend and continues with several mainstays on the NOLA running calendar. Traveling outside the parish lines is once again a great idea for those runners who are looking to tackle a new challenge.

A noticeably absent race is the New Orleans Track Club's "The Wall 30K" that traditionally acts as a final long run before the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Because of the early date of the marathon this year, and all of the events leading up to it, this race had to be sacrificed. My hope is that we see a return of this event in coming years as the schedule allows.

Whatever your training plan entails, one of these events would make a great addition to your workout routine:

Lake Town Ten 10 Miler & 5K (Saturday, January 4th @ 8:00am) - Brand new on the racing scene, the Lake Town Ten takes the place of the Rivertown Half Marathon. Construction on the river levee has allowed this event to move to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain in Kenner. The pancakes at the finish are reason enough to complete the race as fast as possible!

Larry Fuselier 25K & 5K (Sunday, January 5th @ 8am) - For those of you that share my inability to do simple math, I've broken out the calculator to determine that 25K is 15.5 miles. Those miles will also hit the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, starting and ending in the picturesque Bucktown area of Metairie. All finishers of the races receive commemorative gloves.

107th Jackson Day Race 9K (Sunday, January 12th @ 8:30am) - Commemorating Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans, the 9K course roughly follows the route taken by Lafitte's Pirate volunteers after they were called to action to protect the city. A post race party with food from the new French Quarter location of New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co. is an exciting addition.

The Louisiana Marathon, Half & 5K (Saturday, January 18th & Sunday, January 19th) - Head to downtown Baton Rouge for this two day event with the 5K on Saturday and Half / Full Marathon on Sunday. In its third year, this race has earned its place as one of the best distance events in the south. Check out some of the amazing medals finishers will earn HERE.

Run on the Bayou 10K, 1.5 Miles, 1 Mile (Saturday, January 18th @ 8am) - The sights and sounds of the Westbank are brought to life on a course through Bayou Segnette State Park. The 10K race is also one of the few local options to use as a qualifier for the spring Allstate Sugar Bowl Crescent City Classic 10K.

Elmwood Classic 10K, 5K, 1/2 Mile (Sunday, January 26th @ 8am) - Another qualifier for seeding at the CCC10K, this race makes for a great final tune-up run before the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & Half the following weekend.

2 comments:

  1. Great race preview for the month ahead. I may have to join you for a race to get back into the swing of running. Don't let me pick a race with post-race pancakes, though. haha

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    1. I fail to see the issue with pancakes. They're flat, so that means there's no calories. Right?

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