Hometown Half Marathon Louisville
Louisville, KY
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 1 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join the annual Hometown Half Marathon & 5k/10k in Louisville, KY, a local-themed run event that is perfect for the whole family. The fun includes: Great Swag – designer shirt & custom medal Chip-timing with live results and awards Pacers for the half marathon Free photos Delicious Treats waiting at … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 17):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 88 | 77 | 72 | 77 | 84 |
| L (°F) | 65 | 64 | 66 | 54 | 59 |
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Small race with a huge medal
I wanted to cross off a new half marathon state during Memorial Day weekend and this race checked the right boxes (new state, inexpensive registration, and direct flight). I picked … MORE
I wanted to cross off a new half marathon state during Memorial Day weekend and this race checked the right boxes (new state, inexpensive registration, and direct flight).
I picked up my bib race morning and asked if I could pick up the shirt after the race since I didn’t have a car (they did hold it for me). The course was an out and back on a path through a very nice park. I like out and back courses, so that was a plus for me.
PROS:
-Registration was cheap! [$50]
-The medal is huge – and it spins.
-For a small race (just over 100 half marathon runners) I thought they did an excellent job with course signage. As a back of the pack runner I’m always concerned I’ll get lost on the smaller races. I was able to download the course to my Garmin watch prior to race day. I only needed to reference that once–there was just one place on the return that I thought the course could have used a directional sign.
-I enjoyed the views. The scenery didn’t vary much as we remained in the park, but I thought it was pretty.
CONS:
-All distances (5k, 10k, and half) start together on a narrow path so it was very crowded for the first mile or so until the 5k runners turned around and headed back.
-No port-o-potties on the course. The park had a few restrooms, slightly off the course.
-Race short sleeve shirt is 100% cotton and is not specific to this particular race but instead all of the Hometown races across the country.
-No spectators. That didn’t bother me, but it is something to be aware of if you are someone who needs the energy of a crowd.
NOTE:
-I always have my own fuel, but if you are someone who depends on the race providing gel or bananas on the course, please note that they do NOT for this race. It is strictly water and Gatorade.
-The water and Gatorade stations felt a little spread out to me. Not awful, but if the day had been warmer I think I would have liked at least one additional station.
For runners looking to complete 50 states officially, please note the following:
-I asked the race about their certification and they stated: “Our courses are not USATF certified as a way for us to keep our costs lower for participants. We do however Garmin certify our courses.”
-I then asked the 50 States Half Marathon Club if Hometown races count towards the 50 states goal despite not being USATF certified. This was their response: “Yes, I accept the Hometown Half Marathons, as long as the courses are 13.1 miles, the results are posted online, race is run in person with an official timer (can not be timed by a runner’s gps watch). I might even recommend doing a print out (pdf save to file) of the results for any of these small races, because if the results disappear later, it then won’t count. Small race companies can easily go out of business or only keep results up for a year or two sometimes.”
Bring your own tp!
There were no bathrooms available prior to the race start, the park bathroom was locked and their were no porta potties available. The half marathon course was an out and … MORE
There were no bathrooms available prior to the race start, the park bathroom was locked and their were no porta potties available.
The half marathon course was an out and back x 4 which got a little daunting after a while, but it was nice and flat and I did manage a PB so that was nice!
The medal was huge, the T-shirt was just a cotton 3/4 sleeve shirt, nothing overly excited. Mostly the lack of pre race bathroom ruined the experience for me.