If you’ve eaten a little too much king cake these last few weeks, then the Mardi Gras Mambo race is your chance to run it all off. Runners take their marks for the 22nd Annual Mardi Gras Mambo on Saturday morning in Downtown Baton Rouge.
Pat Fellows, one of the event’s producers, said the race serves as a warm-up for the Crescent City Classic, which happens at Easter time. He thinks people enjoy the Mardi Gras Mambo because it is a longer form race without being a full or half marathon distance. Fellows also said that this race provides an opportunity to set new goals during a time of king cake and cocktail indulgence.
See more Mardi Gras stories on the Louisiana Weekend!
“Kind of having that goal to work for during the Mardi Gras season,” said Fellows. “It never hurts to have something to sort of offset some of that indulgence that we have. I mean, we know that we’re going to have a good time, so it’s about balancing it with a little bit of healthy as well.”
The 10k, 15k and one mile fun run all kickoff and finish on North Boulevard. Registered runners meet at the Town Square at 7:00 a.m. and the races start at 8:00 a.m.
Of course, stick around after the running to celebrate at the post race party at 9:00 a.m. and an awards ceremony at 10:30 a.m. There will be live music, local foods and beer. Everything closes up at 11:30 a.m.
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Traffic & Parking on Saturday, Feb. 8
And if you plan on driving through Downtown and the Garden District on the morning of the race, expect rolling road closures from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Also, know parking around Downtown is pretty limited. Nearby garage parking will be located one block north of the North Boulevard Town Square at the corner of Third Street and Convention. Additional garage parking is also available at the River Center parking garages on St. Louis Street, about two block south of the North Boulevard Town Square.
Parking on N 4th Street, North Boulevard and Park Boulevard on race day will result in your vehicle being towed, according to the Mardi Gras Mambo website.
Registered runners pick up their race packs at the BREC Team Sportslex on Friday, Feb. 7 before they close up shop at 7:00 p.m. For last minute deciders, you can register and pick up race packs on Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. before the races begin.
I hope you’re warming up!