I’ve lost some steam in training for this half marathon and do not really know what’s next. Since I have the Fred Lebow Half this weekend, I’ll see where I am in terms of training for the New Orleans Half Marathon.
I’m really hoping that the weather gods are working in our favor to have non-freezing temps or snow.
Another Run Rock n Roll Rant:
Last week, I received an email from the lovely folks at Rock n Roll saying the New Orleans Half Marathon course has been changed.
They converted a course that would have been a nice tour of New Orleans to a basic in-and-out course along Lake Pontchartrain. This complete bullsh*t. The old course would have taken us along the Mississippi and through the French Quarter – two major things associated with New Orleans. I’m also annoyed that these changes were made AFTER I made accommodations within walking distance to the start. RnR says that they will have a shuttle to take runners to and from downtown NoLA. Knowing them, they’ll probably cancel the shuttle the night before the race.
Why the rant? Remember RnR canceled the full marathon after I registered for the race.
I get that we are still in a pandemic and adjustments have to be made at the last minute. However, I think this was a case of RnR not making sure everything was in order before opening registration.
Question of the Day:
Besides a last-minute race cancelation, how has a race organizer pissed you off?
Social Media Plug:
Run There, Drink That 
I’ve been waiting to hear (read) your thoughts on the course change after I received their email last week, too. The grand tour of NOLA was one of the reasons I ran it a few years ago – it showcased the whole city!
If I wanted to run along the lake, I would do that on my own time.
I’m sorry you’re feeling frustrated and disappointed. Is it a possibility to change your hotel since you’re still weeks away from the race?
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I wonder if RnR knew that they wouldn’t have the original course, but waited to tell folks AFTER we registered for NOLA (ie bait and switch). Perhaps, NOLA told them either have the in-and-out course along the lake or cancel the entire thing.
Since my hotel is in the French Quarter and the race is only one day, I’m not going to change my reservation. RnR will have shuttles to transport runners from downtown NOLA to the starting area. We’ll see if RnR cancels the shuttle service the night before the half.
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That’s really annoying! The Birmingham marathon had a rubbish route to start with (OK, up and down one road twice meant we saw lots of spectators multiple time and other runners we knew but argh) and then the night before, they took out a wiggle somewhere in the middle and moved the finish line to a bit further than it was originally. Being local, we’d practised the finish so it was so annoying to find it wasn’t where we thought it would be!!
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