I’m happy to report that I survived last evening’s running of the 26th annual Tchoupitoulas Barathon. Six miles, six bar, six beers; time 1:02:25. Not bad, considering that my longest recent run was five days prior: five miles (with no beer stops) in just under an hour.
I didn’t take a camera along this time. But my wife, Suzanne, did. She took some snapshots, which I uploaded here.
For years I’ve been, by default, an unofficial webmaster for the Tchoupitoulas Barathon. But today I’m glad to announce the launch of the brand new, official Tchoupitoulas Barathon web site, courtesy of the new race director, Andrew Lilly. Go there and get your needs met.
Yesterday I noticed that our Christmas decorations did not include a manger scene. So with nothing much else to do, Suzanne (my wife) and I dug into the backroom closets in search of Jesus Mary & Joseph. We did not find the Holy Family. But we did find an old issue of Running Times, circa 1986, with an account of that year’s Barathon. I did quite well that year, coming in second at 35:19 despite some problems with navigation.
Patrick S. Hambrick
Patrick S. Hambrick, DDS, age 58, died Saturday, July 7, 2007. Dr. Hambrick was a resident of New Orleans for the past 30 years. He was a graduate of LSU Medical Center where he earned a DDS in May 1981. Dr. Hambrick is survived by his beloved wife Marise Hambrick, his parents, Maryan and George Hambrick, his two children, Julie H. Bates and Patrick J. Hambrick, and a granddaughter, Adeline Bates. He is also survived by his sister Susan Jones and brother Mike Hambrick. He was an avid competitive runner known to other runners as “Dr. Pat” with many trophies attesting to his prowess. Among other competitions, he ran in the Crescent City Classic 27 years, always in the top of the standings. “Doc” leaves a host of friends who will remember him for his tremendous generosity and zest for life. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.
I’m happy to report that I survived yet another Barathon. For those who don’t know, the Barathon is a six-mile, six-bar, six-beer race held in New Orleans on the second Friday after Jazz Fest. I was there for the first two, in the spring and fall of 1983— and for every one since, except for 1990, when it conflicted with my law-school graduation. For showing up at the second-most Barathons,1 I received the lovely trophy shown in the photo at upper left.
Along the way this year, I took some pictures. To view them, click here. (If you’re looking for me, I’m the one in the red chili pepper shorts.) To see pictures from Barathons Past, click on the year: 2006, 2005, 2004. The 2004 version is where I try to describe the Barathon.
One more thing: Last night at the Barathon, a handful of people told me that they read this blog. Shucks, I’m speechless! Anyway, as a service to those nice people (and as a convenience to myself), I’ve added a “Barathon” category to this blog, where I’ve collected all my Barathon posts. To read scribblings about Barathons Past, look under “Categories” at left and click where it says “Barathon.” Or if you’re too lazy to do that, just click here.
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1 The only person who’s shown up at more Barathons than I have is race director Ron Brinkman.
p.s. (6/3/07): Race Director for Life Ron Brinkman says the award was for being the first Tchoupitoulan. That makes it even more special.
Twenty-five years ago, 22 members of the Tchoupitoulas Social Aid & Athletic Club, ran the world’s first Barathon. Six bars, six beers, six miles. Who could have predicted then that, a quarter century later, some of them would still be doing it? Or that the event would grow in size by a factor of 10?
The Silver Barathon hits the streets on Friday, May 18 (always the second Friday after Jazz Fest), at 6:05 p.m. sharp (the traditional starting time). The starting and finish lines are at Le Bon Temps Roulé. To get a sense of the event, see these photos of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 editions. For a copy of the 2007 flyer, click here.
I'm happy to report that another New Orleans institution, the Tchoupitoulas Barathon, has survived Katrina. And I'm even happier to report that I survived the 2006 edition — albeit with a personal-slowest time of 1 hour, 15 minutes. My goals were (a) to finish; and (b) to finish without injury — I hit both.
For those unacquainted with this event, here's the skinny: Twenty-four years ago, there was a running club known as the Tchoupitoulas Social Aid & Athletic Club. The club's Big Chief, Ron Brinkman, organized a six-bar, six-beer, six-mile drinking-and-running race as a club event. Nearly a quarter of a century later, Tchoupitoulas is history, but the Barathon survives, bigger and better than ever.
Unlike 2004 and 2005, I didn't take any pictures. But my wife, Suzanne, did. You can browse among the thumbnail images by clicking here, or view a slideshow by clicking here.
I have it on reliable authority that the 24th annual Barathon will happen tonight at 6:05 p.m. sharp. The rules are simple: run 6 miles (more or less, depending on shortcuts), stop at 6 bars, drink 6 beers. The fun starts at Le Bon Temps Roullez on Magazine Street, with stops at World of Wings (Magazine and State), T.J. Quill's (Hillary and Maple), the Italian restaurant formerly known as Norby's (Laurel and Webster), Frankie & Johnny's (Arabella and Tchoupitoulas), F&M Patio (Tchoupitoulas and Lyons), and finishing back at LBTR. A disgraceful time will be had by all. To see pictures of last year's event, click here.
P.S. The 2004 edition is here. For those who have never experienced this event, the 2004 site tells the story well.
On Friday the 13th, I ran the 23rd anniversary Tchoupitoulas Barathon--about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. I took a couple of disposable cameras along for the run, and I had my trusty Nikon digital camera for some before-race and after-race snapshots. To see the photos, just click on the sidebar link.
p.s. 5/17/05: Dogscalder has started a Barathon thread on LetsRun.com.
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