Winter Storm Riley couldn’t stop Philly Achilles from getting to New Orleans for the Rock n Roll Races on March 4th. In fact, it only demonstrated the chapter’s determination. After a long day of travel — 21 hour drive for some! — the team made it to NOLA just in time for Hurricanes and beignets. While some of the latecomers missed the team dinner, they were greeted by the rest of the group with pizza and race packets and hardly missed a moment of the fun!
After a pre-race prep (of a night out on Bourbon Street or listening to live music outdoors), everyone woke up ready to run in the New Orleans sun. The 10k teams kicked it off, rockin’ and rollin’ out of Jackson Square. Rocking the 10K were: Team Tom (guides Meg and Nate), Deborah (guides Laurie and Joanna), Kassandra (running her first 10k!) with her guides Amy, Cait, Lin, and Eric. The half started just after with Team Chris (guides Mark, Joe, and Bob), Team Kinzey (guides Rick, Faye, and Maggie), Team Matt (guides John, Jonathan, and Fred), and Team Anthony (guides Tyrell, Ced, Melissa and Annie).
The crowds and bands kept everyone going along, with the chapter’s own Philly cheerleaders, Patricia, Katie, Holly, Anita, Michele, Liz, and Jae. The course, although uneven, was lined with leftover Mardi Gras beads, motivation for the celebration beyond the finish line.
All athletes crossed the finish line proudly, and maybe even shining a little brighter than usual, as Philly Achilles seemed to take the spotlight during the weekend. The New Orleans Advocate newspaper highlighted Team Matt, and multiple people cheered and encouraged the athletes on along the way. The chapter president even received a post-race email, noting how the group (specifically Team Kinzey), was inspiring amongst all runners. And isn’t that why we all run anyway? To inspire ourselves and others.
The races may have been challenging, but time spent with each other, as always, was easy, down in The Big Easy.
