It was part of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series organized by Advance Publications' Ironman Group.

The Ironman group announced in September 2022 that it was canceling all future running events in New Orleans due to conflicts with the city over routing and police staffing.

In the 1980s, a noted local participant was John Allen Dixon Jr., Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, who won the race in the over-60 category several times.

The elite competition started strongly, with Martin Lel beating Samuel Wanjiru in the men's section while Berhane Adere and Kim Smith ran the fastest and third-fastest times ever on American soil, for first and second place respectively.

[8] The marathon started on Poydras Street near Lafayette Square in the Central Business District and ends in City Park near Tad Gormley Stadium.