Nearly 3,400 participants toed the line Sunday in the sixth annual Louisiana Marathon.
Runners didn’t face the most ideal conditions, with temperatures hovering in the mid-60s and almost 100 percent humidity.
“Very humid conditions, but a fun course, good crowd support. I really enjoyed it,” said RJ Hixon.
The hot temperatures didn’t stop everyone from running fast. Individual champion Ryan Schafbuch raced to a winning time of 2:33:36, beating second place by 14 minutes.
Still, not everyone was satisfied with their times.
“I wanted to qualify for Boston and I was a few minutes off from that,” Hixon said. “But anytime you complete a marathon it’s a good accomplishment, so I got my head held up high.”
Runners enjoyed the beautiful Baton Rouge scenery along the course. Aid stations were postedevery mile, with volunteers handing out water, Gatorade and even donuts.
“Who’s well known for handing out donuts?” said Volunteer Cody Brush. “Cops love their donuts. Well, we dressed up like the law and we are serving and protecting the people of Baton Rouge.”
Volunteers like these want-to- be cops provided comical relief to those trudging along the 26.2 mile course.
However, some participants wished they had more people cheering them along.
“It’s one of my favorite marathons, I really like it,” said Grace Thacker. “I think the course is beautiful, though I would have liked to see more crowd support. So everybody watching, get your people out next time.”