Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Randall L.
Indianapolis, IN

  (04-25-2011)

"This was my first HIM and other than the disappointment with swim cancellation (I did agree with their decision), I was overall pleased with the course, support, and my performance. IMO, I thought the bike course was certainly not scenic, but overall the road conditions were smooth and free of debris and potholes, bumps, etc. The main problem areas were where the road conjoined with the beginning of an overpass. As one can imagine, those areas could create quite a jolt. The best thing about the road course was the closed highway and pretty much overall lack of any traffic or exhaust. I do not recall any noxious smells during the race. The closed amusement park was creepy. I kept expecting to hear screams and see the coasters running.
As for the run- I hated the 2 (or was it 3?) switchbacks!! ugh. I also hated jogging on Esplanade - the surface was horrible. Yes, the street, as you get closer to the FQ is beautiful, tree lined and historical. But all I could do is think how lucky we were that we did not have to ride on that surface. I literally could not find a constant flat surface to run on - the road was that beat up.
the right hand turn onto Decatur and the increasingly narrow run to the pedestrian lined finish reminded me of the mountain stages of the TDF - it was pretty cool. As with the TDF, they had barricades keeping fans back once you got close to the finish. I was able to easily spot my wife and give her a kiss before proceeding on to the finish line.
there was plenty of beer, pizza and food available. (Although I suspect the supplies dwindled as the number of finishers increased). The volunteers were wonderful and I made a point of thanking as many of them as I could.
gotta go back just so I can say I did New Orleans 70.3, not New Orleans 69.1"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

greyson c.
columbus, GA

  (04-21-2011)

"Kudo's for canceling the swim, the wind vas dangerous. 30+ mile an hour winds and a degraded road surface at times made the cloverleaf style bike course difficult. Course was so rough at time you could tell impending bumps by the littering of water bottles jared loose all over the road. A nearby chemical plant added noxious smoke to boot. Run course was nice and flat, well stocked and shaded. Good run course until the last 3-4 miles was like running on cobblestone, very uneven. A few jeers from the blocked traffic made the finish anti-climactic. No medical tent in site. Only one slice of pizza in the refreshment tent. Very WEAK. WIll probably not repeat."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

Scott M.
Dallas, TX

  (03-25-2010)

"This race was a great inner city race. The course was safe and well staffed for traffic control... the run course was decently shaded on very flat.

Great race for a first timer or somebody trying to set a PR..."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Peter D.
Irving, TX

  (06-10-2009)

"Overall a very good race in a great venue. I believe there is some room for improvement and I think the RD is committed to doing that. Still fairly smooth for the largest 70.3 in 2009.

Swim. Wave start in Lake Pontchartrain. Slight potential for a North wind to create chop but water was smooth this year. Water temp at 70 degrees was perfect for a sleeveless wetsuit. The consensus was the swim distance was longer than 1.2 mi. One problem was the mat leading from swim exit to T1. Not thick enough and I injured my foot on the rocks. Check this out to be sure its corrected for next year.

Bike. One 56 mile loop on a course completely closed to traffic. Flat except for a few overpasses. There was a pretty stiff head wind on the way back. Some people had issues with lack of water bottles. I had everything i needed on my bike.

Run. By now it was getting hot and humid. But if you don't want hot and humid (even in April) you probably don't need to be looking at new Orleans. Fortunately I had enough Shark Salts to counter the humidity and keep me running. The course was great. Point-to-point beginning on the Lakefront winding through City Park, then down shaded Esplanade Ave and finishing in the French Quarter. Crowds were great in the Quarter.

Post-race could have been better. yes there was beer but where was the jambalaya or other New Orleans fare?

Definitely a destination race that I will do again.

Peter D
Team Enduro Sharks"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Thor G.
Houston, TX

  (04-24-2009)

"The inaugural New Orleans 70.3 was great! The swim was cool, in lake Pontchartrain, the bike was a bit boring, very flat and long straight stretches, but the run was great! The run went through some nice neighbourhoods and the last couple of miles on the Esplanade were beautiful. Lots of crowd support when nearing the french quarter, and New Orleans is a great destination to visit too. Organisation was good, although a bit tricky when start and finish are at different places, but it was handled well and there were buses, although more would have been good.

Overall, a great race!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009