BATON ROUGE- Runners of all skill levels laced up and bundled up for the 7th annual Louisiana Marathon early Sunday morning.

As the clock struck 7 a.m., a crowded field took off through Baton Rouge, each runner with their own game plan in mind.

"I'm excited and freezing. Am I going to die? Will I need the medical tent?" one runner told WBRZ.

For others, it's just a few more miles.

But the cold was the main thing on many minds Sunday morning. The official temperature at race time was 25 degrees. Of the 7,500 runners that signed up for the race, organizers expect 5,000 to brave the cold and run the course.

Drew Nesbitt was the first person to make it all the way around the route, running his 13.1 miles in just one hour and twelve minutes. This race is just training for Nesbitt, a Pennsylvania native.

But whatever the reason, runners look forward to crossing that finish line.

The Louisiana Marathon serves as a qualifying race for the historic Boston Marathon, which will take place on April 16th.