I started week 10 training with 25 and 30 minute rowing sessions Monday and Wednesday. I volunteered to work packet pickup from 2:30 to 8:00 at the CCC expo Thursday afternoon. I arrived at the expo around 1:00 and picked up my race number and T-shirt without any lines. I walked around the rest of the expo and then headed outside the expo hall to chill before checking in for my volunteer position. I signed in at the volunteer check in area before 2:00, picked up my volunteer T-shirt and then reported to registration around 2:00. I was assigned to work Late Registration.
The number pickup and late registration area was well organized. For registered entrants, volunteers would pull up the participants information on a computer and based on their estimated finish time assign a bib number in one of 8 corrals by scanning the next available corral bib. The first 3 corrals were reserved for seeded runners. In order to be seeded, runners needed to provide a proof of time from a 10k that was under 45 minutes.
For late registration, there were at least 10 computers available for participants to input their registration information. Late payments could be made in cash, check and credit or debit card. Once information was entered, my job was to assign a bib number based on the participants' estimated finish time. Seeded corral positions were available with proof of time as well.
Chilling by the Hyatt's glass elevators before starting my volunteer position.
Carbo loading at the 2013 expo.
CCC expo free red beans and rice.
CCC expo free Michelob Ultra.
CCC expo vendor.....first time I heard of this site.
2013 CCC expo Late Registration and packet pickup. 2014 had same layout.
Zulu king at CCC expo. You don't see that at every expo.
Volunteer bib for free entry into the post race festival Saturday.
After being on my feet six hours Thursday, I took it easy Friday resting up for Saturday morning's race. The course is a point to point course with the race starting in New Orleans' Central Business District and finishing in City Park. Free buses started running at 5:30 Saturday morning to bring participants from the finsh line to the start area. Most locals opt to park at the finish and ride the busses to the start as parking is free around City Park.
I arrived at the finish area around 6:30 and was able to get onto a bus without any waiting. The bussing to the start was very well organized. The start area wasn't as nearly organized. Other than corraling the seeded runners into the first 3 corrals, there was no attempt to corral the last 5 unseeded corrals. The race website clearly stated that strollers and wagons would be placed in the last corral. However, this didn't happen. It seems that race organizers should adopt the method used when I ran the Chicago Marathon in having seeded corrals and then one big open corral with everyone else. This is in effect what occurs every year.
While waiting for the race to start, a drone with a camera took video of runners all lined up. I also saw the drone around mile 5 when I was running near the City Park area. I went online after the race and saw a pic of the drone and its operator. This was a race first for me....I haven't seen any video yet.
Drone camera
The course was crowded the whole way for me but based on the start corrals not being enforced I wasn't surprised. The course goes through the Central Business District through the French Quarter and then takes Esplanade Avenue all the way to City Park for the finish.
No parking on the race course
2013 medal above 2014 medal below
Waldog showing off the 2014 medal
After the race, there is a post race festival with lots of food and beer as well as bands appearing on stage. I usually go to my car after the run and change into dry clothes before entering the festival. I opted not to make the walk back to my car this year. As a result, I got red beans and rice and jambalaya and a bag of Elmer's Chee Weez and left the festival early. I iced my right achilles a few times the rest of Saturday.
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