Ahhh, Naw'lins how sweet the sound. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities and was the recent venue of a triathlon. The Ochsner Ironman 70.3 was held on Sunday April 5th and there were 2500 athletes racing—I was one of them.

 

I drove to New Orleans from Atlanta in order to carry my tri-bike on the car. The trip was broken into two stages. The first leg was from Atlanta to Biloxi, Mississippi. The drive along Interstate 85 allowed for a stop in Tuskegee Alabama. The city was founded in 1833. Of interest to me was the fact that the first law school in the state of Alabama was located here and the famous Tuskegee Airmen were trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field.

Continuing on to Montgomery allowed for a quick visit to one of my favorite theaters. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is a world-renowned theater offering original productions and an ongoing Shakespearean experience. It is also the home of the Southern Writers’ Project. After an enjoyable lunch at Lek’s Railroad Thai restaurant located in the historical district along the Alabama River, we continued our trip.

The remaining 230 miles along I-85 and I-10 took us north of Mobile Alabama into the city of Biloxi.  Biloxi sits on the Gulf of Mexico and was all but destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It continues to make a remarkable comeback. The city’s resorts, beaches, and attractions seem to be thriving again. The IP Casino Resort is a hotel making it in a big way. After dinner at Mary Mahoney’s, we sat at the bar and talked with Bob Mahoney for about an hour (in fact, we closed it down). His story-telling abilities are phenomenal. This is an absolutely superb restaurant with a caring staff that pays attention to every detail (ask for Fred as your server). I cannot recommend this place more highly.

The second ninety-mile stage was from Biloxi to New Orleans. It was a clear and bright day that made for perfect driving weather. I have not been back to New Orleans since “the Hurricane” hit in 2005. However, even today there are still signs of monstrous devastation in the city. The roads are being rebuilt, as are many of the houses and businesses. But, in some parts of the city, it seems that two-thirds of the homes are still vacant and unlivable. In my humble opinion, it is a shame that more federal assistance has not been offered to this region (from Mobile to New Orleans) but has gone to corporate bailouts instead.

I checked into the Courtyard where many other triathletes were staying. The hotel, again staffed by a very helpful and friendly staff, is located by the River Walk, D-day Museum, and many fine restaurants. It has been said that a restaurant does not last long in New Orleans unless it is outstanding; I find that saying to be very true because wonderful food is everywhere here. My room overlooked a small courtyard with a pool and Jacuzzi. Because of the time constraints associated with a half-Ironman, I did not get to use either the pool or hot tub.

The Ironman check-in and Expo were held at the nearby Marriott Hotel. It took about two hours to receive the required safety briefing and register for the event. The goodie bag for participants included a high-tech sport shirt and other items. My race packet included my bib number- 1840 (if you want to look at my results). Afterwards, we walked along the Mississippi River to the French Quarter.

There we stopped in Pat O’Brien’s for lunch (a Hurricane, salad and beans and rice).  Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel along Bourbon Street stopping in the Evelyn’s—one of my old hangouts from days gone by. Evelyn past away several years ago, but Frank still holds court in comfort-giving place. We met up with some friends at Mulate’s Cajun Restaurant for dinner that night.  With the music and dancing in the background and good friends before me, the time flew by and the day came to a close.

The next morning started out at Starbucks then to Lake Pontchartrain for a practice swim. We spent about a half-hour in the water at an easy, warm-up pace.  We then drove my car along the bike course (56 miles) to get a feel for what to expect the next day—it was flat (except for a few tall bridges we had to climb) and went from the University of New Orleans out to Venetian Isles along SR 90 and back (a spur into the swamp along SR 11 was also included). The wind was strong that day and even stronger when we rode it on bikes the next (up to 30 mph). After lunch in town, and before we checked our bikes into the transition area, we took a 30-minute bike ride along part of the route to keep our leg muscles in tune.

With our bikes checked in, we headed back to the hotel and then had dinner at Tommy’s (close by the Courtyard and highly recommended).  The staff prepared our meals as we wanted and, keeping the tradition going, offered above-and-beyond service. Leaving Tommy’s, a small 8 piece local jazz was cutting loose in front of our hotel. The music and food smells filled the air and took control of my senses.  Another perfect day ended.

The next morning started at 4 a.m. We caught the bus from in front of the Marriott and drove to the transition area of the race. As we arrived it was still dark and the athletes, including many pros, were busy adjusting their bikes and equipment. As the sun rose, we made our way to the start of the race 1.2 miles away. As I entered the cold water clothed in my wetsuit, I gave thanks for a wonderful life filled with adventure, loving family (gave a little prayer to my sister and my friend for their birthdays), and a son who would meet me at the finish line. I felt truly blessed to be here in a city I love doing an activity that I cherish. Seventy point three miles later, my son Sam greeted me as I crossed the finish line hot and exhausted from the heat and humidity dished out by the Crescent City. When I saw him, the crowd blurred and his youth and exuberance exploded. In him and his generation lies the prosperity for which we are all capable.