Record crowd for RnR NOLA!

In its inaugural year (2010), Rock n Roll New Orleans had 13,000 runners. This year? A record-breaking 22,000. And 7.000 of those runners signed up on a single day, the largest one-day registration Competitor Group has ever experienced. 
That's because RnR offers a $1 discount for every point by which the Saints win, and this year they beat the Colts by a cool 55 points, bringing the cost of the race down to under $40. The discount code is only good the day after the game, so that Monday brought the huge surge of registrations.

So what does that mean for runners?
Well, first of all, I'm not sure that RnR is ready for this kind of crowd. New Orleans isn't really that big, and many of our streets are narrow. Perhaps that's why the course changed this year - it sticks mostly to wide roads. That won't help the finish, though - it's bound to be crowded in City Park.
However, 22,000 is not a huge field. And not all those people will actually make it to the starting line. So I'm not sure it will make it any harder for runners, as long as everyone is properly corralled at the start. The only thing I'm worried about is that the half and full start together and don't split off until...MILE 10. At least I think they do. According to the map, they don't split until mile 13, but I think that the portion on Esplanade Avenue will be split onto either side of the divided street. So I hope.
My advice? Start in the right corral, practice good race etiquette, and watch out for sick runners blowing snot (me!).