24 February 2013 – 4 hrs 45 min
The Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon was an event that I had been looking forward to for some time as this day would represent marathon number 21 for the year and number 99 lifetime marathon/ultra marathon event since 2008.
It had been another very long drive with Michelle Tullous doing an incredible job driving across from the Surfside Marathon in Texas to New Orleans arriving into town after 9pm after stopping into the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant at Baton Rouge for the favourite pre race lasagne. I had been feeling absolutely exhausted after the early start and long day and had some time to strap myself into the Recovery Boots to help with muscle recovery prior to the next challenge.
The day in New Orleans shaped as one of the milestone events in 2013 and was also a pivotal day for a good friend in Jane Sturzaker who had travelled from Melbourne, Australia for the marathon. I have had the pleasure of knowing Jane for a number of years now and been in regular contact during a challenging injury time out that had required back surgery after a disc problem that had prevented her from completing the target events of the Sydney Marathon and Melbourne Marathon in 2012 to celebrate marathon number 100.
This day in New Orleans represented a big test for Jane’s back and more importantly the mind. It was great to meet Jane in the hotel lobby of The Roosevelt Hotel where we had a big hug as two lone Aussies in the US reunited. It was only a short walk to meet with others for the pre race Marathon Maniacs photo and prepare for the next great adventure for this incredible city following the recent NFL Superbowl and Mardi Gras events earlier this month.
The excitement of the morning was clear as Jane race walked out of the hotel and it was all a little early and fast for me. The discussions soon turned to the return to the marathon world for Jane and it was important for me to provide reassurance that all would be fine and that no matter what happened during the day her health was number one. The good news was that following the approval of the Doctor that this combined with my knowledge of how mentally tough Jane is that the job would be done. It was really just a matter of how it was all to fall into place on the day.
It was not long before we arrived at a park where a number of groups were gathered to share the fun of the day. It was great to see a number of familiar faces such as Lisa Cao from Brooklyn, New York who Jane and I had the great pleasure to meet a year ago to the day at the Tokyo Marathon and many new people competing in the Half Marathon, Relay and Marathon events.
After dropping the bags at the well organised UPS Trucks all organised by Surname or Last Name as they say in America it was then time to find our place in the corrals with my priority to share the special 21st Marathon for the year with my little Aussie mate and keep Jane company to hopefully help take her mind off the challenge at hand and provide a little support. It was clear that Jane was a little emotional following the challenging journey to this point with the apprehension clear in her eyes of what was ahead.
We were in the back corrals and had nine groups in front of us before getting off the start line almost fifteen minutes after the elite runners including the Great Britain middle distance runner Mo Farrah and US Marathon Champions Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan all running in the Half Marathon today.
The weather was ideal for running with the sun shining and cool weather greeting runners in the party atmosphere with the music pumping people up and many dancing on the start line.
After finally making our way across the start line we were in a large pack that made it challenging to pass too many people and Jane and I kept a good steady pace for the opening 2 miles taking in the scenery and talking. It was soon clear that Jane had a clear plan as to the approach for the day with a run walk strategy to be employed. It was not too long after the 2 miles point I wished Jane all the best and kept pushing on through the crowds with the majority running the Half Marathon.
The opening stages of the marathon did provide a logistical challenge when it came to the toilets, or as they are known the US – Port a Potties, as the queues or lines were crazy. It was not until the Half Marathon runners had exited the course later towards the finish line that things improved.
There were a number of people out supporting loved ones on the side of the street, school kids dressed up cheering and bands throughout the Rock ‘n’ Roll course to provide some great distractions. The opening stages of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in New Orleans were really colourful with some majestic homes and large trees lining the streets and runners on both sides of the road. The leading groups were now sweeping back on the opposite side of the street with the later groups still heading out.
I vividly recall seeing a girl holding a large sign that read “Single and Supportive” and almost made a beeline across to introduce myself although it was a little early in the marathon to stop and mingle! The purple, gold and green beads were seen throughout the race with some dressing the trees and street posts in beads along the course in the early stages. There was one tree that was so well covered people were stopping for photos at what was being referred to as the “Bead Tree”. I was interested to learn that the most common colours of purple, gold and green represented the Mardi Gras in New Orleans with each colour having a meaning – Purple representing Justice, the Gold representing Power and the Green representing Faith with these traditional Mardi Gras colours having been represented in New Orleans since 1872. I then spotted a girl with white face paint and a kimono running the Half Marathon and this made me smile remembering it was a year since running the Tokyo Marathon.
It was not too long before I met up with Ann Pulling a local girl from Louisiana who I spotted was striding out easily running the marathon and then confessed that she was actually planning to only run the Half Marathon following a recent foot injury. It was revealed that while the foot was not hurting at all right now it was actually walking that had caused the impact injury last time. I discussed the benefits of pacing out the marathon at the 14km stage of the marathon and left Ann to ponder the option of continuing on to complete the marathon and we agreed to see how she was doing a little closer to the Half Marathon finish.
I soon discovered Scot Barco carrying his pink flamingo on the course who I had originally met in Honolulu last December at a Marathon Maniacs pre race dinner and had the pleasure of sharing the course at the Surfside Marathon the day before.
Then this large inflatable Rock Star emblazoned with the Brooks logo was overhead with all runners passing through prior to running the French Quarter and passing the iconic Café du Monde with the recommendation that this was a must visit while in New Orleans.
The time had now come to check back in with Ann around the 12 miles stage as we had now been sharing the road for close to 6km and runners were bunching up a little as we approached the Half Marathon finish for a large proportion of the field. It had been a valiant attempt to try my best for Ann to see it through and continue on for the marathon although when the words “I think we might call it a day” were uttered it was not a great surprise. I congratulated Ann on a awesome Half Marathon run and as I have discovered is the standard runners catch cry said “Great Job …”
The Half Marathon runners and Marathon runners soon went in different directions and the road opened up for the marathon as we wound around parklands and out towards the ocean with wide roads and trees greeting runners. There was a great camaraderie on the course with many people providing support and in good humour as the journey continued away from the finish line and over a large bridge prior to the turn around to home.
It was not too long before seeing some friends heading back when first David DeNeire from Canada who had completed every Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series event in 2012 flashed past and then Julie Weiss the Marathon Goddess herself on the way to completing 52 marathons in 52 weeks in aid of The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network danced past.
Now I had not seen Jane since the opening stages and I had been looking out for her along the way. Hope she was ok is all that I could think! It was a very welcome surprise when on the return for home I spotted Jane only a matter of a few minutes behind me! WOW – How awesome was this … Here she was only a matter of weeks after back surgery and she was not only powering along at a good speed she was smiling ear to ear!!!
I was feeling over the moon and really enjoying the feel of the city and the runners as I turned for home over the final stages. Perhaps I knew what was ahead and had some confidence, perhaps it was sharing the journey with some good people, perhaps it was that feeling of achieving a significant milestone coming to the end of February and being able to bank 21 marathons over such a short period. Whatever the case, I was soaking in the atmosphere and looking to focus with some good tunes and share the moment with as many people as possible.
It was awesome to cross the line in 4:45:18 and shave close to 20 minutes off my time the previous day along the sand at the Surfside Beach Marathon. I had time to snap one photo when out of nowhere Jane flashed into sight and crossed the line only a few minutes later. Totally elated and hands raised pumping the air crossing the line this was some achievement and would be a moment that we would be able to share for a lifetime in New Orleans. It was great to meet up with Jennifer Crowson Parker from Mississippi after sharing the road together in the opening stages of the Honolulu Marathon in 2012 and then see other friends including Martha Corazzini, Colleen McDonald, David De Niere and Monica Olivas after the finish.
Now if this is what I was feeling in my lifetime marathon and ultra marathon number 99 then hopefully the feeling could be repeated next week in Phoenix for 100. At the end of the day, the one thing that is for sure is that it is all about the people. It is about sharing the journey with as many people as possible and forming friendships along the way. I have no doubt that the day was so good primarily because I was able to share it with Jane and see her do such an awesome job on her return to a world that we both share and love.
The best intentions were to party in New Orleans to celebrate the 21st marathon for 2013 in style although after checking out Bourbon Street the rain had returned and was bucketing down so it was decided that maybe a quiet night in with the Academy Awards live from Hollywood may be a better move.
The next day we headed into the French Quarter to find Café Du Monde on Decatur Street and experience the much hyped Beignets which is a French doughnut covered in icing sugar. It was a great experience with the rain falling and the band playing outside as the queue moved through quickly I was impressed with the business model that had people streaming in to test out these unique doughnuts with 3 valued at $2.42 and not much else served outside of Coffee and drinks. This sure was a true institution when visiting New Orleans. After a quick walk through some of the classic French quarter streets to take in some of the culture it really took me back to my time in Europe and was a really nice change up from recent travels. It was now time to hit the road and share the return 12 hour drive to Austin Texas.
Next Stop – Phoenix Marathon for the big Number 100 Lifetime marathon / ultra marathon, an event to remember …
Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon Gallery
2013 Statistics:
Marathons Run – 21
Total Distance Run – 886.1 km / 550.2 miles
US States Completed – AZ, CA, FL, LA, NV, TX, WA
Total Drive Distance – 3,009 km / 1,870 miles
Total Flight Distance – 17,168 km / 10,669 miles
