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Runners ready for 6th Louisiana Marathon

7 years 2 months 2 weeks ago Thursday, January 12 2017 Jan 12, 2017 January 12, 2017 6:05 PM January 12, 2017 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE – Commercial ice boxes are in place, tents are up and the barricades are stacked and ready to block traffic for the sixth Louisiana Marathon Weekend Friday.

“Sunday, when we have our featured marathon, we should have large crowds, cheering and thousands of runners running,” marathon organizer Danny Bourgeois said.

The run is a pre-qualifier for the Boston Marathon. The route starts just north of downtown Baton Rouge and weaves for miles through the city.

Traffic will be blocked and no parking allowed along the route all the way down Government Street to Goodwood Avenue.

“We just ask people to be a little patient,” Bourgeois said. “But in the six years we’ve done a pretty good job as a team making sure everything worked out.”

The marathon also travels through residential neighborhoods, like Carter Avenue. Residents there should expect traffic to be blocked off for hours.

Joshua Andrews lives on Carter Avenue. Despite the traffic being shut down, he looks forward to the marathon each year.

“The neighborhood has accepted it and it is exciting to have pass your house,” Andrews said.

Baton Rouge Police will have a large presence during the run, making sure that the runners are not interrupted as they pound the pavement.

“Our main concern is the safety of the runners and the community,” Sgt. Don Coppola said. “This is a great event and we want everyone to be safe.”

The streets will reopen to traffic once the runners pass through each section of town.

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