Mardi Gras Race Along the Charles

Tonight was the Mardi Gras race along the Charles River! For my brother's birthday (in June) I asked what he wanted for a gift, and he said he'd like to run another race together (we ran our first race together in May) and he'd like food and beer. And as luck would have it, Jim moved home from Albuquerque, New Mexico in August! So it was easier to find a race that was conveniently located for both of us, and this race certainly fit the bill (race followed by dinner, beer and a live band- all included).

The race was 4.2 miles and goes along the Charles River, such a beautiful area of Boston and a great place for a run! A few minutes before the race began, it started to rain.

Jim and I, wet before running and taking cover in the tunnel.

The run was great. Only half of the street was blocked off for the race, so it was elbow-to-elbow running most of the way. Jim and I zig-zagged as much as we could to break away from the crowds. We finished in 36 minutes, but neither of us felt tired since we didn't get up to full speed...

...but we did work up quite an appetite and thirst for some beer! Jim got our beers while I got dinner.

Food Tent

To go with the Mardi Gras theme, dinner was some classic Louisiana fare.

Char-grilled chicken, jambalaya (with grilled veggies, grilled chicken, and delicious spicy sausage), kidney beans, steamed carrots and peas, and salad. The chicken and jambalaya were SO good! This meal certainly hit the spot.

And the Harpoon beers washed it down wonderfully! Harpoon Brewery sponsored the race, so all of the beer was free until it ran out! I had a Harpoon UFO and a Harpoon IPA with my dinner. I think its important to note that Harpoon makes an amazing IPA, its one of my favorites!

After stuffing ourselves with food and beer, we listened to the music for a bit and then headed home. We may have stayed longer but our clothes and shoes were soaked through and the mosquitoes had started to come out.

It was a great race and we'll definitely do it again next year! It was put on by B.A. Event Promotions - I've run several races and half marathons with them and always have a great time.

My race t-shirt: