It’s Mother’s Day this weekend. Have you figured out yet what gift you’re going to get for your dear, sweet mother?
You can just cross that bridge when you come to it. Literally. And all in honor of Mom.
The fifth annual Great Huey P. Long Bridge Run will be held this Saturday, May 12, at 8:00 a.m. The race, whose slogan is “Geaux Over It,” is a 5k run/walk across the bridge named for the famous former governor of Louisiana. Since 1935 when it was first built, the Huey P. Long Bridge has spanned the Mississippi River from Eastbank to Westbank (and vice versa). It was renovated and widened in 2013, the same year that the initial namesake bridge run took place.
The race is always held the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, so runners can dedicate their run to the mothers in their lives. Mom always told you to get more exercise anyway, right? Not to mention, in addition to the usual t-shirt and bragging rights all participating runners will get, race organizers also promise a goody bag with some extra treats inside just for Mom.
At the finish, there will be live entertainment, Abita Beer, and gumbo and jambalaya—just like Mom used to make.
The race aims to bridge the gap between fitness events and charity fundraising, through charity and corporate community partners such as Ainsley’s Angels, Louisiana Running Company, and Varsity Sports. “We want to use the race to raise money for charities by inviting more runners to join and encouraging them to give a donation of $20 to a charity of their choosing,” Danny Bourgeois, the race director, says. “Or, they can also sponsor a kid to run through the Youth Run NOLA program.”
Like going over things? Have a thing for bridges? This race is a part of the Louisiana Bridge Run Series, which also includes the Allstate Sugar Bowl Crescent Connection Bridge Run coming up on June 2, and the United Way of St. Charles “Beat the Bridge” Run/Walk 5k (which was, unfortunately, cancelled this year due to weather). If you participate in all three races, you’ll get a special medal, along with all those great views of the river from on high.
“We believe that after five great years in Jefferson Parish putting on The Great Huey P. Long Bridge Run, we can become not only the cornerstone of fun endurance events in the parish, but also a great vehicle for charity fundraising and corporate and school wellness programs,” Bourgeois says. Within the next few years, his goal is to get the number of registered participants up to between 6,000 and 10,000, which would really make it the mother of all bridge runs.
If you missed the race last year, no worries. That’s just water under the bridge now. Sign up and come out and run (or walk) this year.
To register or for more information, go to hueyprun.com.
