Louisiana often comes to mind when we think of many positive aspects of life in the United States, from football, food and music to a shared sense of family and culture. Conversely, Louisiana is often highlighted in national media for our obesity rate—among the highest in the nation.
Obesity has become the nation’s top public health concern, as the condition is directly linked to numerous diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, to name a few. It also happens that obesity is more prominent in the South. In fact, of the 50 states, Louisiana is currently ranked 5th highest in the country in obesity.
Many communities across Louisiana have struggled to launch meaningful, effective obesity prevention programs, and to measure the effect of these programs. For the state of Louisiana, Claim Your Journey offers a solution called the Run Louisiana Tour sponsored by Michelob Ultra.
While a good part of the Louisiana running community is connected to Claim Your Journey through social and digital media, we aim to reach other runners and prospective runners throughout the state, in their home towns and running environments, through the Run Louisiana Tour.
Led by Claim Your Journey Founder, 25 year-old Brandon Williams, The Run Louisiana Tour travels through the state, making planned appearances at major races, stores, running clubs, and special nonprofit organizations dedicated to encouraging activity and preventing obesity in our families. Individuals will be able to track our appearances through a list of tour dates that will be available on claimyourjourney.com and the Claim Your Journey Facebook page. This will make it easy for our audience to plan, track, and share tour dates with their friends and family.
The Run Louisiana Tour will visit nine different cities in Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mandeville, Hammond, Lafayette, Alexandria, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport. These cities all feature major races, running stores, running clubs, and nonprofit programs dedicated to running.
The goal of this tour is to raise awareness about the obesity crisis in Louisiana and to fight it within our families in Louisiana by promoting running as the first choice for a healthier and more active lifestyle. In 3 years, we would like to see Louisiana move from 5th to 7th highest in Obesity in the nation.
The 2012 Run Louisiana Tour will kickoff on April 7 in New Orleans at the Crescent City Classic, followed by Run Louisiana Night at the Hive.
Tour Dates – Leg 1 of 3
April 7th – Crescent City Classic 10K – New Orleans, LA
April 14th – Fat Boy 5k – Baton Rouge, LA
April 22nd – Louisiana Blue Crab Run 5K – Hammond, LA
April 28th – #Happys 5000 – Baton Rouge, LA
May 5th – Run Louisiana Girls on the Run 5K – Baton Rouge, LA
May 12th – Contraband Days 5 Miler – Lake Charles, LA
May 19th – OLPS Trek for Tech 5K – Alexandria, LA
May 27th – Fat Boy 5K – New Orleans, LA
June 2nd – Q50 Bogue Chitto 2012 – Franklinton, LA
June 9th – Hell’s Hills 10K & Half-Marathon – Ruston, LA
June 16th – St. Charles Trail Run 5K – New Orleans, LA
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