April Weekends = Running Races (Apparently)
At some point—many weeks ago, with far too much confidence and not nearly enough foresight—we had the brilliant idea to sign up for not one, not two, but three races in three consecutive weekends.
- Crescent City Classic 10K
- Fat Boy 5K
- Tiger 5K
Because…why not?
And honestly? Questionable decision-making aside, it turned into one of our favorite series yet.
This Crescent City Classic race recap kicks off a month of slightly chaotic decision-making, minimal training, and surprisingly great results across Louisiana.
Weekend One: Crescent City Classic (New Orleans 10k Race Recap)
Going into the longest race of the month, we had done exactly what you’d expect: not much training and fully committed to the “we’ll figure it out” strategy.
In true detour enthusiast fashion, we also found ourselves in need of a “pre-race dinner”…which naturally turned into trying something completely new. We hopped on the Algiers Ferry, crossed the Mississippi to Algiers Point, and ended up at what has quickly become one of our favorite spots—The Little House.
Highly recommend one smart decision we did make—getting a hotel in New Orleans the night before. It made the early Saturday wake-up call significantly better, especially when the start line is right outside your hotel’s front door.
This race is just fun.
Locals line Esplanade Avenue handing out everything from drinks (yes, all kinds of drinks) to snacks, turning the course into a rolling block party. It’s shady, scenic, and one of the best ways to see the city on foot.
Except for that last mile.
I’m just not a fan. The slow, winding stretch into City Park feels approximately 47 miles long and makes you question why you signed up.
Somehow—Marc and I both had great races. I even snagged a PR. We celebrated in the best way:
- Finish festival snacks at City Park✔️
- A lovely cool down walk that turned into a real walk down Bayou St. John ✔️
- Lunch at Parkway Bakery (a perfect post-CCC stop) for a well-earned po-boy before heading home ✔️
Weekend Two: Fat Boy 5K
By the next weekend, we had clearly learned nothing—except how to fully lean into the experience. And at this point, we were fully committed to documenting our own Louisiana running races recap, whether we meant to or not.
This race? Pre-race fuel included moon pies and chocolate milk.
This is the proper Fat Boy experience. Add in the finish line’s Manda sausage poboy and we were ready to rock!
And somehow, I hit another PR and placed 3rd in my division. Weird.
At this point, confusion set in. Was this…actual fitness? Or just strong Louisiana race energy?
Weekend Three: Tiger 5K (A Slightly More Chill Finale)
By weekend three, we rolled into LSU Campus for the final race of the month.
Our Lady of the Lake Tiger 10K
There was a little rain, and we finally had a plan…a plan to have no plan. This one felt like the perfect capstone to our accidental experiment in running three races in three weekends.
Final Thoughts from Your Local Detour Enthusiasts
Would we sign up for three races in a row again? Absolutely.
Would we train more next time? Ehhh…maybe.
April reminded us that not every plan has to be perfect to be memorable. Sometimes the best moments come from slightly overcommitting, showing up anyway, and leaning into whatever the day turns into.
That said—we’re officially taking a break.
At least until the next “great idea” hits.
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