Run ’til you’re Rouge

Whether by rail or economics, there’s a lot of talk about ways to integrate the Capital City and the Big Easy. Fitness expert Denver Benton wants people to connect Louisiana’s largest cities the hard way: by running all 126.2 levee-top miles of the Rouge-Orleans race. The hard way also happens to be the most rewarding, Benton says.

With the finish line at Audubon Park on Mardi Gras Weekend, Benton’s event, now in its third year, features teams of up to six people alternating legs on the long trek with the help of vans for sleeping—or partying—and aid stations every 25 miles.

Elite athletes can run the course alone as an ultramarathon.

Awards are given to teams with the best costumes and best-decorated vans.

“The main thing is getting out and having fun,” Benton says. “It’s all about the experience.”

Mark Ahonen is a forensic scientist for the state of Indiana and will be making his third trip to Baton Rouge for the race next month.

“Running on the levee, seeing the plantations and south Louisiana, is amazing,” Ahonen says. “My first time, the first leg of the race, I ran through a herd of cows. They separated for me, thankfully. Every race is an adventure, and Rouge-Orleans has become an annual tradition among my friends.”

The race is held Feb. 8-10. Registration is open at therougeorleans.com