Jazz Half 2014 Preview

This Saturday, November 1st at 7:00 a.m. is the Jazz Half Marathon in New Orleans, benefiting the cancer program at Children's Hospital. Online registration is now closed, and for those of you who have already registered for the half or 5K, there' plenty info here to get you prepared for the race. Anyone who hasn't registered, there's still time to participate and support a worthy organization.

Pre-registered participants are guaranteed great weather on Saturday morning, in addition half marathoners receive a technical fabric tee shirt. All 5K participantsreceive a commemorative cotton t-shirt. Participants will have two opportunities to pick these shirts and their race numbers; however, organizers strongly encourage participants to pick everything up at the expo. The expo gives runners a great opportunity to peruse other upcoming races, get discounts, and score samples and info from partners and vendors. Plus, anyone with commitment issues can still get in on the fun, as registration in person will be available here until 6pm on Friday. The expo info is as follows:


Friday, October 31, 2014
11am - 7pm
Blaine Kern Ballroom
Downtown Marriott at the Convention Center
859 Convention Center Blvd. (Map It)
New Orleans, LA 70130

Please do not wait until race day if you can avoid it. If you need someone to pick up your packet for you, make sure they have a copy of your ID to show expo staff (a picture on their phone will suffice).

Should race-day packet pickup be required, it will occur from 5:30 a.m. 'til 7am near the start line under the white tent in Lafayette Square (500 Block of Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130).

To make this year's race stress-free, race organizers have partnered with Parking Panda, the nationwide leader in online parking reservations. Reserve your 100% guaranteed spot near the start-line or throughout New Orleans. Please be sure to note the arrival and departure time. Jazz Half discounted options ($4.00 - $9.00) require that you exit before 2 PM. Online parking spots are already available to reserve HERE. If you haven't reserved your parking yet, you may want to consider doing that now. Some of the lots have already sold out.

On Jazz Half Marathon & 5K race day, Saturday, November 1, 2014, the Half Marathon and the 5K will start at 7:00 a.m. (simultaneously). Runners will start in waves:

7:00 a.m.: Competitive Runners ( pace per mile at 8:00 minutes or under)
7:02 a.m.: Fitness Runners ( pace per mile at 12:00 per mile or under)
7:05 a.m.: Casual Runners, ALL Walkers (pace slower than 12 minutes per mile)

Both the Half Marathon course and the 5K course are walker and spectator friendly. The scenic out-and-back course along beautiful St. Charles Avenue allows spectators to cheer for their runners in multiple spots, and still make it back to the finish line in time to reunite for a post-race celebration. See the course map taken from my Garmin data during the 2013 race above. Post-race activities in Lafayette Square, including refreshments and live music by local musicians, will start at 8:30 a.m. and continue until noon.

Check out my previous year race recaps to see what's in store for you on-course:
2012 Jazz Half Marathon Recap
2013 Jazz Half Marathon Recap

All half marathon finishers and the first 500 5K finishers will receive a commemorative medallion, pictured here.

Get up-to-date race info from the official Jazz Half Facebook page HERE, plus expect race-day coverage on the NOLArunner.com Facebook page HERE as I'm very excited to be running the race for the sixth consecutive year!