For 16,000 of the entries this will be the only 10K they will walk this year. For the top 100 this will be something they have trained all year for. 99% of the Facebook photos are of walkers taking selfies.
One group walked with an ice chest and stopped at each mile marker to chug a beer. Getting in training for another New Orleans famous event race know as Bar-A-Thon.
1 mediocre female time and 1 slow winning men's time. Back when this was an actual race there were 3-4 females running 31's.
Correct! The whole running scene in New Orleans is a joke. It's all about the money. Half azz races! The Crescent City Classic used to put a few good races all year, now it's a joke. The New Orleans Track Club is right behind them. Many locals boycott some of their races. The Classic used to bring in the Atlanta Track Club too. That is all over.
The Crescent City Classic gives no money to locals too as far as l know. Nothing is compted or free as far as l am aware. The dude counts every dam dollar. He probably won't allow the WR holder in the race if it means making a dollar less in the long run. The New Orleans Track Club is a joke too. Over priced races with tiny awards and next to no prize money.
it was 85 out and humid, i would say those times (for non pros) are far from slow. Not sure how often you run down here, but its pretty brutal to race a 10k at 8am on a hot day in south Louisiana
They also changed the course from the traditional course to one through the hood because it makes them more money.
I ran CCC in 2014 & it's the same course for 2026 so it's been however you described it for awhile. Lived & worked in Nola & the route is totally fine. You just sound like someone who lives in the suburbs.
I want to stay away from some of the sentiments like making events fun or wearing costumes or whatever. The reality is that this is a huge road race & that they should feel compelled to give back to the sport. Put up decent prize money. Put up American only prize money. Create elite standards & sub-elite standards. The critique on here should be $500 for the win down to $50 for 5th. The top-500 posters are cool. The 45min standard to be in the first corral is soft. Better to focus attention there. Call out CCC & compare it to Gate River, Shamrock, Cherry Blossom, Bay to Breakers, Bolder Boulder, Bloomsday, etc. I think the problem is that runners don't seem to be involved at the top level of CCC. I have nothing to base that on, but that's how it feels. It's turned into a corporate event & they know they keep more cash if they don't invest a dime back into the sport. Another approach would be to help elites survive because you have the ability to do so. The problem isn't someone running what you think a slow 10k is. The problem is the people in charge. You can have all levels participate & still prioritize the front-end.
The race was the site of a few WR and was the USA 10k championship in 1995,1996,1997. Now it's more for people to have fun. You don't even have to run the race. You can pay to attend the after race party or win the best costume award. The new race director started to cut back awhile ago inviting a few B class Kenyan runners, then he decided he could make more money making the race a fun day. RIP CCC.
As MANY posters have already pointed out, a big issue seems to be with these twig-like bobble-headed drug cheating East African athletes.
Bravo to the Race Director for eliminating a payday for a couple of corrupt stick figures!
If every director did the same for "local" races, it would be a good first step. Hopefully the major races would follow suit.