Mardi Gras Marathon 2007
The Mardi Gras Marathon is more than just a road race. It is my link to the city of New Orleans, and the amazing people who live there. Like most of America, I sat in front of my television in 2005, unable to look away from the horror and devastation that overwhelmed New Orleans and the Missippi Gulf Coast. When I heard that the New Orleans Track Club was going to proceed with the 2006 marathon, I knew I had to be a part of it.
My first impression of New Orleans was a bit sinister, but as I walked the streets the next morning, I fell in love with the city and the people who live there. The people who occupied New Orleans in February, 2006 were a pragmatic lot. Their ability to smile in the face of adversity; to maintain their sense of fun while dealing with ruined homes and businesses, temporary housing, family members scattered about the country; and still show up to work and be gracious to visitors, touched my heart. I can only hope that I would exhibit as much grace and dignity under such extreme circumstances. Running through the streets of New Orleans, witnessing the cheering crowds and the ruined neighborhoods was the final step in the bonding experience. I knew that I would have to come back to see things recover, and to show support for my new friends.
This year we flew down a day early, so we could eat, drink and be merry on Bourbon Street and get the hangover out of the way before the race. We arrived on Thursday evening, and were pleasantly surprised to see people at the airport. Last year the place was practically deserted. We took a cab to our hotel, had a fabulous meal, and made an early evening of it. The next day I got up early and hit the treadmill for an easy 3 mile run. The expo didn’t open until late in the afternoon, so we wandered around the French Quarter, checking on businesses we visited last time. We were happy to see that most had survived. People seemed more relaxed this year, as if they were adapting to “the new normal”. We had lunch at a Cajun Barbecue place, and then headed to the expo.
The race expo was very small — about the same size as last year. We picked up our packets, complete with bottles of Tabasco and packets of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. An interesting combination! This year, full marathon participants received a long sleeved technical shirt in a very vibrant shade of purple. Half marathoners received a short sleeved cotton shirt, of the same shade. The photo doesn’t do the shirt justice, it is much brighter.
After the expo, Mr Diva decided he wanted to hit the gym for a final run. I joined him for 30 minutes on the rowing machine. Mr Diva likes to run in the races, but he doesn’t train between them, so he tends to get tired, and get hurt. He pulled a calf muscle in a 5K a couple weeks earlier, and it was obviously still bothering him. He looked like he was running barefoot across hot sand as he hopped gingerly from foot to foot. A nicer person would have been sympathetic to her suffering husband. I just tried not to let the laughter interfere with my rowing workout!
After the gym it was time to clean up, and get serious about fun! We headed to Bourbon Street for dinner and drinks. There were a lot of drinks, including the Hurricane, the Jester and the Hand Grenade. We enjoyed a variety of music in various night clubs before wandering into “The Bourbon Cowboy”. They say that people do things under the influence of alcohol that they would not normally do. I spent 4 hours in a bar where they were playing mostly country music. Normally I’m out the door in less than 30 minutes! We spent the evening watching people attempt to ride the mechanical bull. I was drunk enough to think I knew something the others did not, but I was wrong. I fell off just like everyone else. See the video . We got to bed shortly before 5:00 a.m, slept until noon, and then went out for a carriage ride and shopping. We had a lovely dinner at Dickie Brennan’s Palace Cafe, and made an early night of it.
We woke up at 6:00 on Sunday morning, lubed up, dressed and headed to the Superdome. It was a 10 block walk from our hotel, and the first blast of wind gave us cause for concern. It didn’t last long, as it was a lovely morning with temperatures in the high 50s, and only the occasional gust of wind. When we got to the Superdome, we learned that 4,000 people were participating in the full and half marathons, up from 3,000 in 2006. The attitude of the 2006 marathon was defiant. People dressed in wild costumes, and made political statements. The attitude this year was much more relaxed. In 2006 we were saving New Orleans one step at a time. This year we were taking a long run on a pretty day, with a large group of friends.
I sometimes have trouble pacing myself, and have a tendency to start too fast, but this morning it wasn’t a problem. We started toward the back of the pack, and jogged toward the Mississippi at a very relaxed 11:30 pace. My secret goal was to finish the first half in 2:30, and walk the second in 3:00. I say secret, because I didn’t mention this to Mr Diva. I have to give him a lot of credit. Not many people can get off the couch and run a half marathon, but he kept up the 11:30 pace for a 6 miles, before requesting a half mile walk break. There were water stops every 2 miles, but to my surprise, only one portable toilet per water stop. As we approached mile 10, I was beginning to regret some of my water stops. I decided it would be worth the wait, and got in line. It took more than 10 minutes, but it was in fact worth it. In addition to water, they passed out candy and ice cold beer at mile 10. It was getting pretty warm by then, and we were already off pace, so I decided to indulge. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but beer with ice after a 10 mile run on a warm day is just heavenly!
We rounded the “turn for the worse” and headed in to the ruined Mid City district. Things looked much the same as they did last year, but a few houses had been restored and were occupied again. The recovery process reminds me of the eruption of Mount St Helens. At first there was nothing but devastation, but eventually a few plants sprang up, adding a few dots of green to the harsh gray landscape. At time passed more plants sprang up, and then a few trees. As the plant life returned, so did the animals, and eventually the land was reforested. But it was not the same forest as before. The landscape, and everything that lived there had been changed forever. It is the same in New Orleans and Mississippi.
As we approached the half way mark, Mr Diva was needing more walk breaks. We ran past the Superdome, and tried not to look at the finish line. The clock said 2:45, which caused me a few moments of stress. Once we passed the Superdome, it was clear that Mr Diva needed to quit running, so we strolled through the arena area and out to the Garden District where we admired the lovely homes. The second half of the course was an out and back to Audobahn Park. We missed the winner, but were able to cheer for many of the early finishers as they approached. We completed a lap of Audobahn Park, and headed back toward the Superdome. By now the temperature was in the low 70s, and I was content to be strolling through the Garden District instead of running. We took a few short jogs, but mostly just walked at a relaxed pace until we rounded the Superdome and saw the finish line. Then it was time to sprint! The clock said 6:12, but our chip time was 6:09. The 6 hour finish time really bugs me, but I just keep telling myself that I’d rather have a good time, than a good finish time. Maybe some day I will believe it!
We collected our medals, had a quick cup of Gatorade, then headed up to the next level of the Superdome, to catch up with some of the people we met along the way, and enjoy the post race festivities. The people of New Orleans really know how to throw a party. I made a beeline for the red beans and rice, and when I expressed my appreciation, they gave me a can of beans. Yum! I had already purchased 3 different brands of pre-packaged red beans and rice, but was happy to try another.
We went back to the room to rest and clean up. We watched the evening news and learned that the race had been won by a brother and sister. The male winner, Meyer Friedman also won last year. He broke his own course record to set a new one at 2:27:37. His sister Michelle won the women’s race in 3:14:27. It was her first marathon!
To see the photos I took during the marathon, visit my Athlinks.com photo album
My love affair with New Orleans continues. I proudly wear my “Renew New Orleans” wrist band wherever I go, and I’m already planning to run the half marathon in 2008.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
[...] I started this blog a year ago, with a report about the 2007 Mardi Gras Marathon. My goal was to avoid writing the race report on each of the message boards I frequent. Since then the blog has taken on a life of its own, and I have had the opportunity to get acquainted with the community of running blogs. I don’t want to rehash the 2007 report, but I do want to explain that the Mardi Gras Marathon is very dear to my heart. Before August 2006, what I knew about New Orleans was limited to what I’d seen in movies and on television. On a Saturday afternoon in late August, I was running on a treadmill at the health club. The televisions were all set to CNN, and the story of the day was the evacuation of New Orleans. It was a very compelling story. I followed it for the rest of the weekend. Coverage went from the evacuation, to the storm, to the aftermath. It was horrible, but for 3 days, I couldn’t tear myself away from the television. I watched people wading up Canal Street. I saw people being airlifted from roof tops, and I saw the horror that was unfolding at the Convention Center. To my surprise, on September 15, the New Orleans Track Club announced that the marathon would be held on February 4, and that proceeds would go to helping rebuild the city. We decided that we wanted to be a part of it. Four and half months later, we were standing outside the Superdome, lookingup at the Convention Center. After two years, it is still difficult to describe the experience. Follow this link to see photos from 2006. [...]