Known affectionately by locals and people around southeastern Louisiana as “the Red Stick,” the English translation of its French name, the historic city of Baton Rouge plays host to the 14th annual running of the Louisiana Marathon & Half Marathon in 2024, just a few years after a historic year for people across the state.
That’s because 2012 was the 200th anniversary of Louisiana’s official entry as a state into the union that we now call the United States, after being purchased as the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon back in 1803. The marathon was the first in a series of events and programs that marked 200 years of history across the state and in Baton Rouge, which can actually trace its roots all the way back to 1779, when it was founded as a British fort.
Runners will get to soak up parts of that history along the race routes for both the full marathon and the half marathon, both of which follow out-and-back courses that start and finish near the state capitol building and State Capitol Park in downtown Baton Rouge.
From there, they’ll head south and east through the city, passing by historic sites like the Old Governor’s Mansion and Old State Capitol building in the stretch from 3rd Street onto North Boulevard, as well as stretches through scenic local parks like Brooks Park and City Park Lake.
