The Louisiana Marathon Expo

The Louisiana Half Marathon Race Recap

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Congratulations, Karen! You just completed Goofy’s Challenge! What are you going to do next?

I’m going to Disney World….run another  Half Marathon!!

Wait, what?!

Yes, somewhere inside my crazy, Goofy brain, I told myself that running another half marathon the weekend after Goofy’s Challenge would be an “OK” idea.

You see, back in October at the Mandeville Half Marathon Expo, my friend Kelli and I stumbled upon a booth for the Louisiana Marathon. Knowing that both of us were running big important races the weekend before the Louisiana Marathon didn’t stop us from registering – you see, we were promised “In Training” shirts for signing up at the Expo. Did someone say SHIRT? We’re in!

…and just like that, I blinked my eyes and somehow I was registered to run the Louisiana Half Marathon. Whoops.

Fast-forward to Louisiana Marathon race weekend….

After meeting for breakfast at our usual Saturday morning establishment, we hit the road!

We had a very uneventful trip to Baton Rouge and were at the Expo in no time.

Welcome!

Ready to shop!

“I cannot believe I’m doing this!” 
Can’t tell you how many times I said that over the course of the weekend!

I saw two others wearing 2013 Disney Marathon gear at the expo and I told them that I was glad I wasn’t the only crazy one! See! I’m not the only crazy one! Right.

I was impressed by this Expo. For being a smaller race, the Expo was the perfect size and had just enough vendors to keep us busy for a while. I loved it!!

One of my favorite parts about the Expo was a booth promoted by The Advocate, the local Baton Rouge newspaper. They set up a green screen where runners posed for pictures….

The end result?

This craziness! SO much fun!!

Even better? They printed each of us a picture!  I was formulating a plan in my mind on how to scan the picture, print a 2nd one, etc when each of us were handed a photo! AWESOME!  Best part, this photo was free! Oh yes Louisiana Marathon, (and The Advocate) you ROCK!

After hanging around the Expo, we drove through downtown to find the start line and a parking area for the following morning. Gotta be prepared!

Our State Capitol and the start of the Louisiana Marathon and Half Marathon!

Since we had no dinner plans, a Twitter friend and fellow #runDisney partner in crime invited us to eat at Olive Garden with them!

We met up with Nicole, Stephen, Nick and his wife Becky, and…yeah…about 35 other area runners for a pre-race meal!

I really enjoyed dinner and I had a great time catching up with new/old friends!

Time flew by since we were having so much fun and before long, it was time to part ways! We said goodbye, then drove to Kelli’s cousin’s apartment which we called home for the night.

After laying out our clothes and double checking our necessary accessories, it was time for bed! We drifted off to sleep as dreams of the Louisiana Marathon danced in our heads. :0) Yep, true story – they really did!

Up next: Race Day!