New Orleans or bust.
Adorned with neon reflective vests, head lamps, thermals and determination, runners stationed on the levee in downtown Baton Rouge launched themselves forward as the resonating boom of canon fire marked the beginning of their journey.
The canon shot, firing from the stationary USS Kidd, marked the beginning of the Rouge-Orleans Ultra Marathon and Team Relay on Friday night.
The 126-mile race started on the levee in the Capital City and ended in Audubon Park of the Crescent City, and waves of racers began the journey at various intervals throughout the weekend.
Runners could endeavor to traverse the whole race themselves or take part in relay teams in two, three and six members to cover the distance. Emma Labranche, apparel design senior, participated on a relay team comprised of five fellow University students.
“It will be weird when I get to New Orleans and I don’t have a car,” Labranche joked pre-race on Friday.
Labranche began the first leg of her six-person team’s race at 1 p.m. Saturday and, according to team member David Susko, the team finished in New Orleans about 19 hours and 30 minutes later around 8 a.m. on Sunday
Labranche said weather played a big factor in the event.
“It went well and was certainly a great experience but it was bitterly cold, incredibly windy and pitch black when I ran,” Labranche said. Video: Rouge-Orleans Ultra Marathon and Team Relay
Labranche said she practiced her running and trained to build stamina in the months leading up to the race, but had never faced a run of its length before.
“I have run a few half marathons before, but nothing to the extent of this relay,” Labranche said.
She said she was overwhelmed with exhaustion and fatigue after completing the race, but noted that it challenged more than her fitness level.
“Once I got halfway through the race, it was not so much a physical thing, but a mental one,” Labranche said. “You have to convince yourself that you can stay positive and finish.”
Labranche said during several stretches of the course, she was running completely alone in the dark and it tested her mental acuity as well. Despite personal and environmental challenges on the course, Labranche left with a positive experience from the challenging race.
“This is only the second time they’ve held this run, and it’s such a great idea,” Labranche said. “I hope it grows and gets bigger in the future.”
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Contact Josh Naquin at [email protected]