January (Re)Preview 2015

It's been quite a few weeks since there's been a new post on NOLArunner. Saying that the holidays and first month of 2015 have been busy is an understatement, but not a good enough excuse. Here's my chance to salvage as much of the month of January as possible with this last weekend of major racing just around the corner.

Before we get to the final weekend of January and the marathon of running that'll be happening in NOLA this Sunday, I'll quickly go through the first several weekends of the month to be used as reference next year. While I haven't been documenting the area's happenings very well as of late, I've been out at many events and recap blogs will be trickling in for most of these soon.

108th Annual Jackson Day Race 9K (Sunday, January 04th @ 8:30 a.m.) - The oldest race in the south follows the historic path that Lafitte's pirates took to come to the aid of Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. This year's event celebrated the bicentennial of that victory with a great post-race block party in the French Quarter.

Lake Town Ten 10 Mile & 5K (Saturday, January 10th @ 8:00 a.m.) - The final race in the "Run Around the Lake Series" is an out and back path on the Kenner shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Post race food included a pancake breakfast provided by the local rotary club.

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (January 8th - 11th @ 5:30 a.m.) - The New Orleans running community is always strongly represented at this weekend of racing in Orlando. Multiple locals compete in at least one of the distances available, with many taking on the Goofy Challenge (Half & Full Marathon). Runners looking for additional miles can tack on a 5K and 10K before the distance races to complete the Dopey Challenge.

The Louisiana Marathon, Half, Quarter, & 5K (January 16th - 18th @ 7:00 a.m.) - Celebrating its fourth year, the Louisiana Marathon weekend has expanded to now include a Quarter Marathon (6.55 miles) distance with the 5K and kids' races on Saturday. The Half and Louisiana Marathon on Sunday have grown, with the 26.2 mile distance coming close to capacity near race day.

Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon, Half, 10K, & Relay (Sunday, January 25th @ 7:00 a.m.) - The main event in New Orleans winter running is the long distance races of the Rock 'n' Roll marathon series. This Sunday's events include a marathon that features a new course, a brand new 10K distance, and an enhanced post-race party. Registration is still open at the expo on Friday and Saturday at the New Orleans Convention Center.