NEW ORLEANS — They all laced up.
“I’ve probably done this about ten times,” said New Orleans resident Collin Brooks.
Some dressed up.
“Just doing it for fun for the Easter Holiday,” said New Orleans resident Julie Jordan who was dressed as a sunflower.
They showed up for a 6.2-mile Easter weekend tradition that had folks hopping down the bunny trail.
“It gets everybody out, everybody focused on fitness and having a good time,” said Brooks.
The Crescent City Classic kicked off Saturday morning with thousands of runners, joggers, and walkers hitting the pavement from the Superdome to City Park.
“I was running by a guy in a shark suit,” said Baton Rouge resident Marisa Holden.
The Classic returned to its more social setting after the pandemic forced the race to go virtual the last two years.
“I had to push at the end because I was really struggling but it was really fun,” said Holden.
“It was definitely more humid than I wanted to be,” said Baton Rouge resident Alex Holden. “I started sweating hard about a mile in.”
For many, they were trained and ready.
“Try to do a few longer runs, a few seven or eight-mile runs leading up to it,” said Brooks.
“Two miles a day for four days a week the last couple of months,” said Thibodaux resident Thomas Clement.
It was time well spent, for a tradition that spans generations.
“For my family, my pops has been doing this for 30 years, so I kind of want to continue that for 30 years myself,” said Clement.
The 10K race started more than 40 years ago and has raised more than a million dollars for charities. It attracts racers from all over the world.
“I run for fun,” said Jason Ball.
Whether it’s a race against time or a race where time doesn’t matter, a good time is all that matters.
“I did better than I wanted,” said Alex Holden.
“I love how they had some little bands throughout the race to keep you going and all the people on the sidelines cheering you on. It was great,” said Marisa Holden.