Zydeco Marathon & Half Marathon
Lafayette, LA
- Marathon, Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K, 1 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Zydeco Marathon & Half Marathon is a two day running event in the heart of Cajun Country. Lafayette is world renown for our rich heritage, awesome Cajun food, and, of course, Zydeco music. Five distance options are available to accommodate just about everyone. Zydeco Marathon and Half Marathon events … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Mar 06):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 83 | 67 | 83 | 83 | 80 |
| L (°F) | 68 | 41 | 57 | 61 | 68 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Pouring rain
I had every reason to not do the race but it’s me! I completed it under horrible weather conditions. It was down pouring and thundering but I kept going. The … MORE
I had every reason to not do the race but it’s me! I completed it under horrible weather conditions. It was down pouring and thundering but I kept going. The race was St. Jude’s so it was special and well managed. It was beautiful to see runners pushing through to support familes facing some of the hardest battles. This might have been the hardest race given the horrible weather conditions but it will always be special because of St. Jude’s.
Cajun fun in the rain and sun
I was concerned about the course time limit, and emailed the race director. The race director offered me a special early start so I could finish the course in time, … MORE
I was concerned about the course time limit, and emailed the race director. The race director offered me a special early start so I could finish the course in time, so based on that alone, I love this race.
The course is a double loop, and is relatively flat. The problem is, it rained almost 2 inches the day I ran this, so I think I missed out on some of the music and food options and overall experience that wouldve normally been out if it hadn’t been raining so hard. But despite the awful weather, the volunteers were out and cheering and the police officers on course had big smiles and were pretty awesome. The finish line food was a big bowl of jumbalaya, and some cookies. The medal was large and the t-shirt was soft and cute. Definitely a good race with horrible weather, so therefore, would be an amazing race in great weather 😀
Southern hospitality
Flat course. Easy packet pickup. Post race very good. Great awards. Nice medal. Nice shirt. Fabulous volunteers. Aid stations every 1.5 miles with Powerade. Water oranges and some gu. It … MORE
Flat course. Easy packet pickup. Post race very good. Great awards. Nice medal. Nice shirt. Fabulous volunteers. Aid stations every 1.5 miles with Powerade. Water oranges and some gu. It rained HEAVILY this year but I think that actually made it better to cool us off. I’m glad I did this race. Plenty of civilization and great restaurants nearby. Plenty of hotels within 15 min of the start. Easy for friends to find you and cheer on the course. They could use a few more portajohns on the course though. Otherwise a great marathon!!
Hometown Race
Love running in my hometown - Great Food, Wonderful People and it's for the kids of St Jude - we did the 5K and Half Marathon - Hot and Humid … MORE
Love running in my hometown – Great Food, Wonderful People and it’s for the kids of St Jude – we did the 5K and Half Marathon – Hot and Humid and then torrential rain but we finished – Very Nice Medals
Hometown Race
Love running Zydeco in my Hometown - Great 2 days of running with wonderful people Medals are beautiful and the course in in downtown Lafayette. MORE
Love running Zydeco in my Hometown – Great 2 days of running with wonderful people Medals are beautiful and the course in in downtown Lafayette.
Room for improvement
TLDR: potentially an OK half marathon, and likely to be one of the best marathons in Louisiana but once that state is checked there's no reason to do it twice. … MORE
TLDR: potentially an OK half marathon, and likely to be one of the best marathons in Louisiana but once that state is checked there’s no reason to do it twice.
This is definitively more a half marathon (with a marathon option) than the opposite.
Pre-race felt a bit weird with no communication whatsoever, but packet pickup was easy with no line.
Race itself was mostly flat, with tiny climbs left and right but nothing big or frequent enough to categorize this course hilly. The aid stations were properly spaced and had water and powerade (some of them had GU gels too). There is almost NO porta-potty on the course. Quite a lot were available at Parc Sans Soucis, which is NOT on the course. The road conditions were pretty bad, with a lot of cracks & potholes that were not marked, a few roadkills and even dangerous aggregations of mardi gras beads pearls in some sections (could have been swept out). Course itself was two loops with a lot of turns, with little to no crowd support so that second loop (once the half marathoners finished) felt lonely at times. Race start was at 7am but you know that Southern Sun is going to be out at 10 and hitting HARD, so a 6:30 start would make a huge difference.
Post finish was pretty small with just a bottle of water (not even a banana), which was disappointing.
Flat and Friendly!
Loved our time in Lafayette! The race was small but well organized, and everyone was SO friendly and welcoming. I personally found the double loop format mentally tough, but that … MORE
Loved our time in Lafayette! The race was small but well organized, and everyone was SO friendly and welcoming. I personally found the double loop format mentally tough, but that was the only downside for me. I’m a middle of the pack runner and unexpectedly got first place in my age group… yay for small town marathons!
Flat, Sweet & Fast
It all started at 7am... loved. The only incline was in Bendal Gardens, which I didn't really feel it at all. Lots of crowed support, and food stations along the … MORE
It all started at 7am… loved. The only incline was in Bendal Gardens, which I didn’t really feel it at all. Lots of crowed support, and food stations along the route, from alcohol stand, to boudin, craklins, and fruits. This race I would do all over again.. it was well organized.
I ran my fast half marathon, on this route.. 8 mins faster than the first marathon. This was my second state, second half marathon
Fantastic small event!
Very friendly volunteers. Well marked course. Very flat. Some spontaneous aid stations by spectators plus sufficient official aid stations. Nice after party. MORE
Very friendly volunteers. Well marked course. Very flat. Some spontaneous aid stations by spectators plus sufficient official aid stations. Nice after party.
Fun
I enjoyed this race, this was my first time in Lafayette and I really enjoyed the area downtown. The route of the race was nice, and the participants were all … MORE
I enjoyed this race, this was my first time in Lafayette and I really enjoyed the area downtown. The route of the race was nice, and the participants were all excited and happy. The weather was great! A little warm but it was nice. The route was easy not hilly. And the food at the finish was amazing! I’ll be back!
Well organized, flat and HUMID.
Lafayette is a town that knows how to enjoy life. It is alive with music, art and food festivals. The 2019 Marathon was kinda small...161 finishers, but this lead to … MORE
Lafayette is a town that knows how to enjoy life. It is alive with music, art and food festivals. The 2019 Marathon was kinda small…161 finishers, but this lead to very easy packet pickup and Start/Finish line logistics. Course itself is flat. Kinda non descript. It runs through town, then suburban areas with some really nice homes. Water stops every 1.5 miles, which is smart for swampy weather of 75 degrees and 70% humidity.
Drove the 2:20 fun bus in Cajun County
Paced the 2:20 Zydeco Half. Had some fun runners and a very nice flat course. Well organized race. Small race with a big race feel. Small expo but good atmosphere. … MORE
Paced the 2:20 Zydeco Half. Had some fun runners and a very nice flat course. Well organized race. Small race with a big race feel. Small expo but good atmosphere. Great course support and fab post party. Love to repeat.
Zydeco is Fun!!!
Our hometown favorite - Run around the city of Lafayette/CajunCountry ! Fun City with Amazing Food! The bling is Awesome! Great Expo!!! Highly Recommend!!! MORE
Our hometown favorite – Run around the city of Lafayette/CajunCountry ! Fun City with Amazing Food! The bling is Awesome! Great Expo!!! Highly Recommend!!!
Well organized Louisiana marathon
Zydeco Marathon is a great small town race in Lafayette, LA. It's a good size, not more than a few hundred full runners I'm guessing, with maybe two or three … MORE
Zydeco Marathon is a great small town race in Lafayette, LA. It’s a good size, not more than a few hundred full runners I’m guessing, with maybe two or three times that number in the half and other distances. It’s well organized and well run on a decent course. The city itself has lots to offer in terms of lodging and restaurants, and if you have the time it’s probably worth spending a day or so trying to hit a few local spots.
Pro’s: Good communication leading up to the race; they even mailed “in training” soft cotton t shirts out weeks before the race. Great surprise!
Decent expo, efficient packet pickup day before, and offered day of
Nice medal and shirt, and a second medal for age group awards
Very well marked course with plenty of volunteers and police
Lots of turns – I was worried about this going in, as a misplaced cone could screw the distance up (like in Chattanooga their inaugural year), but they nailed it and it actually kept things interesting
Decent course – some nice areas, lovely neighborhoods, around the university. Not bad, and only small hills
Generous beer and food tickets
Staggered start
Great weather – cool, overcast, and the threatening rain never came in
Lots of water stops!
Con’s: not a lot of these
Some bumpy roads out there, watch for potholes, but not the race’s fault
It’s southern LA, the weather could do anything
Because it was cold and windy, hanging around the finish area wasn’t going to happen; space blankets would have been nice
Overall: I thought they did a great job with the race. Number one in my book is correctly measured and marked, especially with lots of turns, and they definitely accomplished this. They kept runners informed leading up to the race, the route never felt too crowded and there were plenty of police and volunteers along the route. Great attention to detail. I’m guessing this RD makes his race better and better each year. I’d definitely recommend it for Louisiana.
My Hometown - Cajun Country
Very well organized and Volunteers are Amazing! Great area to stay and visit. 2 hours from NOLA and 1 hour from Baton Rouge. Weather is Perfect this time of year … MORE
Very well organized and Volunteers are Amazing! Great area to stay and visit. 2 hours from NOLA and 1 hour from Baton Rouge. Weather is Perfect this time of year and the course goes around the City. Towards the end you hit Bendel Gardens and there is a big hill otherwise the course is flat!
Home State
It's always a party in Cajun Country! Weather is gorgeous this time of year and there is always plenty of food! The Medal is Beautiful and Big! People are Friendly … MORE
It’s always a party in Cajun Country! Weather is gorgeous this time of year and there is always plenty of food! The Medal is Beautiful and Big! People are Friendly and you will pass a good time!
Fun marathon with a nice expo.
This was a 13.1 mile loop course that the marathon runners did twice. The expo was nice, but they ran out of a lot of the food by the time … MORE
This was a 13.1 mile loop course that the marathon runners did twice. The expo was nice, but they ran out of a lot of the food by the time I finished. The course was relatively flat and went through some nice residential areas. I would do it again if I was in the area.