Crescent City Classic

The Crescent City Classic is a point-to-point 10K held on the Saturday before Easter in New Orleans, Louisiana. First run in 1979, it has grown into one of the largest and fastest 10Ks in the country, drawing more than 20,000 runners each year. The course starts near the Superdome in downtown New Orleans, weaves through the French Quarter and past Jackson Square along Decatur Street, then heads out Esplanade Avenue before finishing inside City Park in front of the New Orleans Museum of Art. The route is flat and USATF-certified, and it has attracted some of the fastest 10K fields in American road racing history: Sammy Kipketer's 27:10 (2002) and Isabella Ochichi's 30:27 (2005) still stand as the men's and women's course records. Finishers get a t-shirt and medal, free shuttle service to the start, and admission to the post-race Michelob Ultra RaceFest in City Park, complete with live music and New Orleans food. A companion 'Run For It' charity program lets participants fundraise for local nonprofits, and virtual, wheelchair, and youth entries round out race weekend. The race carried the Allstate Sugar Bowl title-sponsor name for years and is now presented by LCMC Health.