The Great Huey P Long Bridge Race

I may have mentioned that there is a 3 bridge race series, where you can race over the 3 bridges that span the Mississippi River.  I ran the St Charles Bridge last month and really enjoyed the 10k.  This month was the Huey P. Long Bridge 5k.  I had wanted to run it, but none of my friends signed up for it and I didn't want to do it alone.  Plus, we had 2 extra kids hanging around and I felt guilt at the thought of asking Dan to handle things while I went racing.

At the last minute, some ladies in my running group decided to run it.  Dan encouraged me to join them.  Isn't he the best?!!  I paid my $35 and I was in!

Sadly, I have zero photos.  My lovely, easy-to-hold camera that I usually use in races is the self same camera that  got lost in the mud pit at the Warrior Dash.  So I was camera-less and sad about that.  There was a delightful couple we met in the parking lot and my friend Andie asked if they would take a photo.  It was dang funny.  The wife aid, "Only if I can be in it!" and she was serious!

The race started on the west bank and you ran just about a mile before you reached the on ramp.  Then it was a mile up, and a mile down.  Somehow, this uphill felt harder than the last bridge I ran!  And I could not get much speed on the downhill.  It was a little disappointing for me.  I was slower than I thought I would be, but not horribly so.

I clocked a time of 30:58 for 3.14 miles.  I was 439 out of 1228 total runners.  (The winner did it in 16:10).  I was 29th in my age category, but I don't know how many there were in the 35-40 age group. My friend Andie won the 40-45 ladies category, which was pretty cool!

This race had no medal.  The finisher's prize was a class.  I think they called it a lager glass?  you could take it and get it filled with beer.  The after party was smooshed in to an area way too small for all those people, and I had zero desire to wait in a lengthy line for jambalaya, and even less to wait for beer.  So I headed home.

It was a good race.  It was on my bucket list, and I'm glad I did it. It wasn't stellar in any way, other than it was a bridge across the MS River.  Would I do it again?  Only if I was trying to run all 3 bridges in the season, and if my friends were going.  I wouldn't do it just for myself, by myself.

(The third bridge in the series is the one I am saddest to miss again this year- the Crescent City Connection.  It is in June, after we move away.)