The Louisiana Marathon is so much more than a run, it’s a culturally rich festival that celebrates both running and the unique, festive culture that defines the state. Louisiana is well known for its festivals, where we celebrate the incredible food, music, and dancing that surrounds us. The Louisiana Marathon …
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The Louisiana Marathon is so much more than a run, it’s a culturally rich festival that celebrates both running and the unique, festive culture that defines the state.
Louisiana is well known for its festivals, where we celebrate the incredible food, music, and dancing that surrounds us. The Louisiana Marathon adds running to that mix for a truly unforgettable weekend. Come run a fast, flat, and fun race course, and then enjoy a true Louisiana Festival featuring local musicians, cold beer, and some of the best southern cuisine around.
As a multi-race format, there’s a race for everyone: Marathon (26.2 miles), Half Marathon (13.1 miles), Louisiana Quarter Marathon (6.55 miles), Louisiana Marathon 5K (3.1 miles) and a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Kids Marathon (1 mile).
Friends, family, and curious spectators line up along miles of picturesque roadways, filled with inspiring Louisiana sights and sounds to cheer on runners. The Louisiana Marathon course takes runners from downtown Baton Rouge through the University Lakes, the LSU campus, and through historic river town neighborhoods.
Post-Race Celebration
The Visit Baton Rouge Finish Festival is open to the public and features mouth-watering Louisiana food and an eclectic variety of local music. Thousands of runners, spectators, foodies and music lovers enjoy the two-day festival each year.
The VBR Finish Festival cranks up when runners participating in the Louisiana Marathon 5K, Quarter Marathon, and Kid’s Marathon cross the finish line on Saturday. The Finish Fest continues on Sunday, following the Louisiana Marathon and Half Marathon. The VBR Finish Festival showcases some of the best cuisine including Wally Tallin’s award-winning Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Vegan Gumbo at our showcase tents.
The Finish Festival will also spotlight funky, eclectic Louisiana bands that attract visitors from around the globe year-round. There will be an incredible line-up of outstanding local talent on both festival days. Like previous years, the festival anchors the experience and complements the course.
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Well supported entertaining race
The runners below described it very well. About 2500 runners but has quite a small expo. Multiple water/electrolyte stations with fantastic cheering volunteers. The celebration at the end was quite … MORE
The runners below described it very well. About 2500 runners but has quite a small expo. Multiple water/electrolyte stations with fantastic cheering volunteers. The celebration at the end was quite good with excellent local bands playing. This is a fantastic alternative to check off Louisiana out of your 50 state goal…. and yes, we were quite lucky this year as we beat a rare snow storm by a day!
Fun race, fun weekend
It was our first time in Baton Rouge, and we enjoyed it. The downtown area where the race is held is walkable and not far from the airport. Race weekend … MORE
It was our first time in Baton Rouge, and we enjoyed it. The downtown area where the race is held is walkable and not far from the airport. Race weekend was well organized. The expo wasn’t very big, but we didn’t have to wait in any long lines. The Catholic church right by the starting line had mass just before the race, and that was a lovely way to start the day if that is something you enjoy. The course was scenic and went through the LSU campus and some pretty neighborhoods. The neighborhood parts had plenty of crowd support which was nice. The aid stations were plentiful and had enough volunteers at each one that none of them were crowded. I never felt at any time that runners were bunched too close together. At the end of the race there was jambalaya and gumbo, and they were both delicious. Race day was chilly this year so the warm food was very welcomed. The medal is beautiful. This is a great race to do in Louisiana!
Good race for a short weekend
Well organized race, scenery in and around LSU campus is nice to run through and not very difficult. Weather wasn't too cold but we beat an ice storm by a … MORE
Well organized race, scenery in and around LSU campus is nice to run through and not very difficult. Weather wasn’t too cold but we beat an ice storm by a day.
Awesome event - thanks Louisiana!
I had an AWESOME time at this race!! I thought the course was really beautiful - takes you through LSU/lakes with a few rolling hills in the neighborhoods, then the … MORE
I had an AWESOME time at this race!! I thought the course was really beautiful – takes you through LSU/lakes with a few rolling hills in the neighborhoods, then the back half is more or less flat until the one small overpass near the finish which adrenaline will get you through! The course makes it pretty doable to stick to your goal pace. Awesome to see trees with leaves having trained up north all winter. Thank goodness for the gumbo and jambalaya at the finish – truly brought me back to life. I really recommend this race for someone looking for a low-stress but fun environment. Lots of cool things to see in Baton Rouge too! I was originally considering Houston, but it sold out, and I’m honestly glad it did – this race had a lot of “local pride” (tons of signs all over town!), a low-stress but celebratory environment, and a very supportive vibe the whole weekend for a much more affordable price. I ran and bonded with many a stranger.
The expo folks were really helpful especially since this was my first time in Louisiana. VERY easy gear check day of and pick-up – totally stress free and no lines. Also, there is an optional 26.2-minute mass at a nearby church before the race if you are interested. Although I’m not religious, my husband is and we thought it was awesome and welcoming to everyone – it’s more or less a low-key pep talk and reminder to choose to be joyful and supportive of one another and celebrate the journey no matter what happens!
The one thing is that the gels were a little hard to identify at the aid stations, so if you aren’t carrying your own and relying on those be alert as to which stations have gels. I had no problem since I carried my own and got plenty of Powerade and water, but my husband didn’t, and it took him a bit to find them. Overall though SUPER nice volunteers and an event I’d recommend to anyone. I’m still reminiscing on all the great memories we made in Baton Rouge, and I hope this race continues to grow in the future!
I wish I could provide a positive review
I was looking forward to running this race as part of my quest to run the 50 states; however, that wasn’t possible when the organizers made me turn around to … MORE
I was looking forward to running this race as part of my quest to run the 50 states; however, that wasn’t possible when the organizers made me turn around to do the half marathon. All the information in their website and athlete guide mentions that you need to keep a pace of 13:45 in order to finish the marathon in 6 hours. I was keeping a pace of 13:20-13:25 but at mile 10 a guy (with a really bad attitude) said I had to turn to run the half marathon because they had done a cutoff 8 minutes ago??? A cutoff that is not mentioned anywhere. Very disappointing.
For the positives: The course for the half marathon had a lot of support thanks to the nice people in Baton Rouge out even with the cold and the food in the after party was okay.
Worth the trip
This is an easy race logistically. The airport is close, you don't need a car. The hotel I stayed at was very close to walk to the start and the … MORE
This is an easy race logistically. The airport is close, you don’t need a car. The hotel I stayed at was very close to walk to the start and the expo. The expo is small, don’t expect too much but at least i could get gels or socks. The course was flat with one overpass hill that you do twice. We ran through LSU campus and some pretty houses along the water. I would have loved this race except for how cold it was and windy. The finish festival was great with cajun food and plenty of beer with a band. But I was too cold to stick around for long. The people in the neighborhoods really get into it and you can probably find a piece of king cake along the route. I would repeat this race.
Top 5 on list of races to run!!
This race was awesome! The expo was smaller than I expected for a big town race, but no biggie. From the start to finish it was sooo well put on. … MORE
This race was awesome! The expo was smaller than I expected for a big town race, but no biggie. From the start to finish it was sooo well put on. There was a Community Coffee stand with free coffee before the race, conveniently located near the port-o-potties (which they probably needed a few more of). They also had race day packet pick-up which I didn’t use, but is a nice offering for out of towners. The course is fairly flat and rolls through some beautiful neighborhoods and the LSU campus. Plenty of aid stations with water and blue Powerade (YAY!!! for blue). Lots of random crowd aid stations and people cheering you on throughout the course, made the race even more special!! Hands down one of the best Finisher Festivals EVER!!!! Gumbo, Jambalaya, beverages, King Cake. . you won’t go away hungry!!!
Supportive residents make a great race!
The spectators in Baton Rouge are super supportive. Course goes through lots of residential neighborhoods where people post up with awesome offerings like the pickle juice, booze, as well as … MORE
The spectators in Baton Rouge are super supportive. Course goes through lots of residential neighborhoods where people post up with awesome offerings like the pickle juice, booze, as well as Powerade and water. People who are out to cheer really add to the festivities. Neat pass through LSU campus. Love that a free gear check is available next to start. Participate in a race on each day of the weekend – for example I did the 5K Saturday and full marathon Sunday – and you get a bonus déjà vu medal. The shrimp gumbo at post race fest is the bomb — I recommend multiple servings. Not as much random giveaway swag from other companies as in past years, but pretty decent, and the live music is a hoot.
A Well Organized Race
Louisiana Marathon is a well organized event. This is a medium sized marathon with over a thousand full marathon runners and a couple thousand half marathon runners. The start line … MORE
Louisiana Marathon is a well organized event. This is a medium sized marathon with over a thousand full marathon runners and a couple thousand half marathon runners. The start line and finish line are at the same location in state capitol park. There are plenty of parking not far from the start/finish area. There was no clear start wave. With the full marathon and half marathon started together, it made the first mile running congested.
The full marathon and the half marathon share the same route going through LSU tiger stadium and around University lake. The full marathon goes out to cover the other half at the east side of the city with majority of a back and forth route. A portion of the full marathon route was on a street with tree at the center of the route. The tree roots made the road surface very bumpy.
We were very lucky to have a good weather for 2025 run. The temperature was about 40~50 degrees all day. The day before was a warm day with temperature 70 degrees around noon time. The day after was a cold day with temperature below freeze and snowy day after.
There were good services before, during, and after the run. There were a few flavored free coffee in the morning before the run. There were plenty of aid stations along the way. The intervals were less than 2 miles apart. Quite a few of the aid stations had GU energy gels supply. The volunteers were very helpful. They did a great job in the cold windy weather, specially think about they constantly get their hand wet. I thank the lady at the gear check station who help me put up my hoody after I finished the run. There were variety of drink and food after the run. The capitol park has plenty space to allow the finishers with their friends and family member to sit around. There was a live musical at the finish area. We got our free photo a couple of days after. That’s another plus.
Many spectators cheer at the finish area. Along the way, there are many families sitting outside of their house cheering the runner in the windy chill cold weather.
Baton Rouge is the state capitol of Louisiana. It is also a college town for LSU. It is not far from New Orleans. There are plenty to do there for anyone travel from outside of the area.
My first half & great scenery!
Please don’t let your size, weight, shape, or physical ailments stop you from getting out there! The mind is powerful…and if there’s a will, there’s a way. … MORE
Please don’t let your size, weight, shape, or physical ailments stop you from getting out there! The mind is powerful…and if there’s a will, there’s a way.
Really nice race.
Love the 'local' course...by that I mean you run through local neighborhoods, not along busy highways. Running local means you usually have better crowd support. Pretty flat course, only difficulty … MORE
Love the ‘local’ course…by that I mean you run through local neighborhoods, not along busy highways. Running local means you usually have better crowd support. Pretty flat course, only difficulty was the wind. Definitely good food afterwards…nice and hot for a cool day. Lots of police blocking intersections, water stops were plenty, and volunteers friendly. Can’t ask for much more than that.
Wonderful Race Series
I have ran this race for the 4th time. It is my favorite race series. Staff and volunteers are always very friendly and supportive. The homeowners on the race course … MORE
I have ran this race for the 4th time. It is my favorite race series. Staff and volunteers are always very friendly and supportive. The homeowners on the race course are incredible and offer drinks and tissues for all the runners that come by.
Suggest ordering enough medals for all
The food after the race was top notch they really did a fabulous job. My only complaint is that I was given a full marathon medal because they ran out … MORE
The food after the race was top notch they really did a fabulous job. My only complaint is that I was given a full marathon medal because they ran out of half marathon medals. This was the first time I have ever had that happen and it is disappointing as a first time runner in Louisiana.
Good time in Baton Rouge
I enjoyed everything about the race except the bitterly cold wind. The expo was easy, parking was easy, race day morning easy. The race started on time. Production was great. … MORE
I enjoyed everything about the race except the bitterly cold wind. The expo was easy, parking was easy, race day morning easy. The race started on time. Production was great. There were spectators along the course in many areas, some with their own aid stations with choice of alcoholic or non-alcoholic fuel. I enjoyed running through the University, past Mike the tiger’s area (he was not to be seen, unfortunately), and for long stretches past lakes and large, beautiful homes. The course is mostly flat with a few hills. Police presence was strong and reassuring. At the finish the police were vigilant with dogs and also scanning from the rooftops. The race offered SIX food or drink tear offs on the bib. Soft drinks and beer were available as well as gumbo, vegetarian gumbo, jambalaya, king cake, and bananas. The live bands were very good. 5 stars for the race company. Just too bad there was a historic cold snap the weekend I did it.
Great course, well organized
The course was flat, scenic and well marked. Great crowd support, even after the split from the half. Well organized and great communication leading up to the race. MORE
The course was flat, scenic and well marked. Great crowd support, even after the split from the half. Well organized and great communication leading up to the race.
Well Run tour of the LA capital & LSU
I chose this race based on several factors: My wife and I had never been to New Orleans so this race allowed us to spend a few days there after … MORE
I chose this race based on several factors: My wife and I had never been to New Orleans so this race allowed us to spend a few days there after the race due to the holiday weekend, the time of year (Racing in the southern humidity during a time of year other than winter seemed foolish), and good reviews on this site including the excellent race report/blog post by RaceRaves owner Mike which you can access on the side panel as part of his blisters cramps and heaves blog. Having now run the race myself I think I made a great choice choosing the Louisiana Half Marathon for state #21. If you are traveling from out of state like me New Orleans is definitely the airport to fly into, then Baton Rouge is a pretty quick 1-1.5 hour trip down the interstate. Interesting note the interstate is like a 30 mile bridge over a swamp, something I had never seen before.
EXPO/PACKET PICK UP:
This was a pretty small expo. We walked to the expo after my wife finished the 5k race on Saturday. It was in a nearby event center (make sure you stop by the old capital building which looks like a castle). The expo was in a large ballroom. First up was bib pickup which smartly utilized bib #’s that were not pre assigned. You walked up and presented you ID then they assigned your bib to your name, it saved lots of time and kept the line moving instead of people having to rifle through a bin looking for your name. You then moved on to picking up your race T-shirt which was specific to your race distance. A photo booth and display of all the race medals was followed with the small vendor area which included a banner with every runners name and another banner which they wanted people to sign. There was a race merchandise area and at the exit they had a discount sale for prior years race gear.
Parking/Access: Parking at the start area was pretty easy and free on both Saturday and Sunday for street parking. I was told that several parking garages in the area were also free. Access to the start area was pretty simple and close to the interstate. I would only caution you to look at the course map before parking if you need to leave quickly after the race, you might get stuck behind a line of runners if you needed to cross the course.
T-Shirts/SWAG: The medal for this race was above average in quality, it is well made, sturdy and heavy. The medal 100% reminds me of the race in that it represents Louisiana and reminds me of the race. The medal is a topographic map of the state with the race’s shoe sole logo over the top. The ribbon was also nice and included details of the race. (See Photos) All of the medals from the 5k, Quarter Marathon, Half and Full looked the same except for the size and listed race distance. The “DejaVu” double medal for doing a race both days was a very cool looking colorful VooDoo skull. There were also medals given out for doing the Mississippi Gulf Coast marathon Louisiana marathon double as well as age group award medals for all distances. Looking at pictures of past years medals I think that they were nothing special although sometimes creative, I think they nailed it this year. The race shirts were T-shirts, and while I prefer tech shirts so that I can race in them on race day I will probably get more use of the the T-shirt. I did really enjoy their green color and the fact that there was only race stuff printed on it instead of being covered in sponserships etc, the shirts were also specific to the race distance ran all the way down to the 5k. (See Photos) I would be remiss if I didn’t also for the first time ever compliment the swag bag for the race. It’s a very well made water resistant fabric bag with well made draw strings and pictures of the new and old state capital buildings on it.
Aid Stations: The aid stations were well stocked and plentiful. There were 10!! aid stations on the course for the half and 20 for the full. This might be the most aid stations that I have ever seen during a half marathon. It was a frigid 40 degrees this year so it might have seemed like overkill but in the south it could have easily been 65 degrees and humid like it was the day before and those aid stations would have been life savers.
They did great with this and should keep the high number of stations. Every single aid station had water and Gatorade. I didn’t hear anything about supplies running out at any time during the race. I was near the front so I was never really in a group, but the number of volunteers was more than enough. I’m sure there were some real slow downs at aid station as volunteers were filling and handing out cups as fast as they could pour them at busier times. The volunteers were really clear about who had water or Gatorade. If I could make one critique it would be to have a few more garbage cans 100 yards after the stations so you could have time to finish your drink before trying to toss your cup.
Course Scenery/Elevation Difficulty: The course starts right outside the Louisiana State Capital building (the tallest state capital building in the country) which also serves as the finish/post race party area. The race starts at 7:00am which made for a frigid start this year but in a warmer year it would be a huge help in beating the heat/humidity, last year it was much warmer. I found plenty of room to warm up around the large park area. They had a very long start chute with also included what will probably be my only real critique of the whole race. All of the pace flags (7:00, 8:00 etc) were bunched together at the start of the chute in the first 20-30 yards despite the start chute and people lined up stretching 100 yards. This led to lots of people pushing their way to the front and lots of slower people near the front who were just trying to be by their pacer. This was an unforced error by the organizers. That being said if that is the biggest critique that I can give to this entire race that means they are overall doing a great job. The course was a mostly flat with the occasional hill in the form of an overpass, some of them larger due to crossing railroad tracks. The course starts near the capital downtown before reaching a park around mile 2. From there you continue through tree covered/tree tunnel streets until you reach the LSU (Louisiana State University) campus. You very quickly arrive at the tiger enclosure habitat for Mike VII, the live tiger mascot for LSU in his large outdoor enclosure before doing a lap around Death Valley, the LSU football stadium. After the brief visit to campus you ran along University Lake before running through the same park you ran through earlier in the race. At the 10.5 mile mark the half marathon and marathon routes split, this was also the same point that the full course would rejoin if you did the full. A short 2 miles back to downtown and you are done. Special shout-out to the very creative billboard exactly at the mile 25 marker at the exact top of the overpass/hill that read “A hill at mile 25? You may be entitled to compensation” for a local law firm, well played. They have lots of cones protecting the course with lots of police helping to direct traffic so I never felt as though I was running near traffic. They also had garbage and dump trucks out around downtown to fully block/protect the course from cars entering it. Crowd support around the course was really plentiful, a little less so in the neighborhoods but I enjoyed lots of cheering and creative signs along the way.
I’m from up north but even I found this start weather to be really cold. I can definitely see if it was a warmer year like in the past or during the Saturday races that the heat could cause some issues especially for slower runners who were finishing when the temperatures rose.
Race Management: This Race was very well run, especially so for a medium-ish race (2,282 finishers for the half). I found their website to be the best source of info, they also email you a few bits of advice including a race guide and a guide of things to do in the area. Other things to compliment this race on: They had age group awards. They had port-o-potties at the start to use which never seemed to have long lines (15 minutes when I got in line at 6:30), perfectly supporting the # of people were there I’m impressed that they got the # seemingly correct. The start area had a bag check area by the start line that was open until the start. They did have pace setters but not for anything faster than 1:40, however they did have 3:00 and 3:10 pacers for the full which a half runner could use for 75% of the race. The finish was slightly lacking in the usual finish line fare only having water, chocolate milk/protein shakes, and bananas but sadly no electrolytes. This however was more than made up for by all of the free Cajun/Louisiana traditional food at the finish. Your Sunday bib had 6 food coupons, Coke/Diet Coke was free, and with your coupons you could get whatever combination of beer, Jambalaya, and gumbo that you wanted (and believe me you want it). They also provided free Mardi Gras traditional “King Cake”, similar to a dry cinnamon roll/bread with icing on top. They had a band playing and some vendors around but I’m sure it would have been more fun if it was warmer. The finish area offered medal engraving and a finish stats print out. They have 1 timing mat set up along the half marathon course at 10k. They also have free race Photos which they post on their website which I always love.
Overall I would say this race is a very good way to check Louisiana off your 50 state list. With nearly everything to compliment and very few things to tweak and improve I easily give this a 5 shoe race rating. I highly recommend this race.
Baton Rouge Marathon
Nice event in Baton Rouge. Expo was small but efficient. Plenty of parking nearby. Nice shirt. Race had a convenient downtown start, plenty of parking available. Course was good, nice … MORE
Nice event in Baton Rouge. Expo was small but efficient. Plenty of parking nearby. Nice shirt. Race had a convenient downtown start, plenty of parking available. Course was good, nice run through LSU campus, but wish we would have seen more of downtown and the River during the marathon. Crowds were loud and volunteers were awesome. Thank you everyone for being out on a chilly and windy day in January.
Nice finisher medal and you can get up to 6 beers/foods at the finish.
Eye of the tiger
The expo was little more than the bib/shirt pickup and a few signs to take photos in front of. Free street parking near the expo should be available. I would … MORE
The expo was little more than the bib/shirt pickup and a few signs to take photos in front of. Free street parking near the expo should be available. I would recommend parking in the River Center East parking garage for $10 on race day. Show up 15-20 minutes before the race starts, because there are no gate openings to slip into your appropriate pace group. You have to enter from the back and shove your way forward.
The race starts at the Louisiana State Capitol on the north side of town, and winds south for five miles onto the LSU campus. We ran past the LSU football and baseball stadiums, but I was disappointed by the lack of fan turnout/school spirit while on campus. The fans didn’t care when I yelled “Go Tigers!” Next time I’ll yell “Roll Tide!”
We ran north around a few lakes from miles 7-10, and 15 mph winds beat us up. The pacer told us to hug the turns as much as possible to minimize distance, which was fabulous advice. Miles 10-25 were through neighborhoods, with a 3 mile out and back between 16-22. Aid stations almost every mile, wonderfully staffed, and an average amount of spectators in the neighborhoods with support signs they clearly googled. I loved the mimosas, beer, champagne, and fireball offered at some unofficial aid stations. Chugging a beer or mimosa as I ran past a cop and chucking the cup at his feet got me feeling like NWA.
At mile 25, we cross the same bridge that we crossed at mile 1 and run west/north back to the capitol. Postrace party had a live band, plenty of beer, jambalaya stew, and fruit.
I hope they allow gate openings in the starting corral next year, and I really want more LSU school spirit around town, especially on campus. It’s the main source of culture and entertainment in an otherwise drab Baton Rouge where every building is beige. Where’s the purple and gold? 😉
Louisiana Marathon
As a south Florida runner I wasn't ready for the hills and that chilly start, 38° F. But, the crowd support was fantastic and so were the views. There were … MORE
As a south Florida runner I wasn’t ready for the hills and that chilly start, 38° F. But, the crowd support was fantastic and so were the views. There were a lot of switchbacks so I never felt alone as a back of the pack runner. Be warned, there’s a bridge at mile 25!
Great event! Even with an arctic blast
Did the deja vu 5k/Half marathon challenge. If u had any complaints- both t shirts are the same color, style, etc the only difference is one says 5k and one … MORE
Did the deja vu 5k/Half marathon challenge. If u had any complaints- both t shirts are the same color, style, etc the only difference is one says 5k and one says half marathon. Other than that there was plenty of food, drink, music, vibes and scenery. Some rolling hills but nothing too tough. Great race!