The 2019 Louisiana Marathon was one for the books–because for the first time in the history of this event, races were cancelled. Me, my mom, and my fiancée Nick had registered for the quarter marathon this year, taking a break from our usual Deja Vu 5K + half marathon. Little did we know, the weekend wouldn’t pan out quite as planned.
The three of us drove to Baton Rouge from Alexandria Friday afternoon, stopping in Lafayette to meet up with family for dinner and music by Dynamic Duo at El Agave (gotta carb load, right?!).
The next morning, we were walking out the door when the email came through that the race was cancelled. After paying good money to participate, driving all the way to Baton Rouge, and waking up at 6 am on a Saturday, this was a huge disappointment.
The radar did look terrible, a bright red band crossing the state. By 8 am Baton Rouge was not only experiencing rain, but tornado and hail warnings as well. Clearly the race officials made the right call, but we still wanted to participate in race-day fun.
Although we hadn’t trained for it, Nick and I decided to upgrade to the half marathon the next day. We registered online, then went for a warm-up 2-mile run/walk. Mom opted out on running the half, as freezing temperatures were expected in the morning. Smart.
Last year the marathon weekend had record low temperatures in the 20’s. I swore I’d never run in those conditions again; but as the weekend wore on, the temperatures dropped drastically. Bone-chilling, gusty winds moved in. We headed to downtown Baton Rouge for lunch at Poor Boy Lloyd’s before meeting up with my aunt and cousins at the race expo.
We love the race expo because of all the freebies and running gear available. My mom, aunt, and cousin bought top-brand running shoes for as low as $60. We sampled Honey Stinger energy chews (they are delicious!) and Core Power milk (I’m loving their new coffee flavor).
It was dinner-time before we knew it, so we braved the chilly 20-mph winds to check out the street food festival just outside the Raising Cane’s Rivercenter. Once in the cold, we opted to go to an indoor restaurant–but not until after visiting Cupcake Allie’s food truck for some dessert before dinner.

It was a little too cold for a street food festival…but we can’t turn down Cupcake Allie.
The next morning, Mom, Nick, and I hit the donut shop at 5 am (because no one else is open that early). We ate our hot donuts while driving to the 26.2-minute mass with Father Allelo, a marathon-running priest, at St. Joseph Cathedral–just two blocks away from the start line.
At 7 am, Nick and I took our place at the back of the race corral. The windchill was 22 degrees, making it feel colder than last year! The crowd of thousands sheltered us from the wind, and after a couple miles the cold air actually felt good.
I crossed the halfway mark with a 10K time of 1:03. Either my lack of preparation for the half distance, or the fact that my new Hoka Clifton 5’s aren’t the best shoe for me, could explain why my legs were in pain after this point. I took a few walking breaks, but tried my best to stay near the 2:20 and 2:30 pacers.
Despite the cold, hundreds of spectators and volunteers lined the route–holding motivational signs, clashing gongs, handing out drinks and runner’s gu. My personal favorite was the Gordon McKernan posters: “Marathon? Get it done!”. Thank you to everyone who came out in the cold to support the runners!

We were determined to earn a medal this weekend, one way or another!
I crossed the finish line with a time of 2:27–not a PR, but not my worst either. Nick, on the other hand, got a personal best time of 2:16. After our October wedding we’ll be training together–because whatever he’s doing…works!
Mom cheered for us at the finish line, and led us back to the car for an hour of enjoying the heater and shelter from the wind (and video-chatting with my nieces). The sun came out and the temperature rose; it was a glorious day after all.
Sufficiently defrosted, we made our way to the Rendevous Finish Festival in Capitol Park, where we enjoyed jambalaya, Uncle Larry’s gumbo, beer, alligator sauce piquant, and pasta bolognese. We took photobooth pictures, we danced with the 610 Stompers, Nick took a nap on the lawn, and Mom and I boogied with Quiana Lynell (SHE IS AMAZING!).
Despite a disappointing start, freezing temperatures, and wind that would make Jack Frost himself want to curl up under a blanket, the Louisiana Marathon 2019 was a success. The weekend ended on a high note, with a glorious sunny day, Cajun cuisine, good music, and excellent sportsmanship–the elements that keep me coming back year after year.