Iron Horse Half Marathon, 12K & 5K (KY)
Midway, KY
- Half Marathon, 12K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join in Midway this fall for the annual Iron Horse Half Marathon and 12k! We want to make your race day special by providing the following race amenities: Technical running shirt with custom Iron Horse artwork, suitable for framing Iron Horse poster by local artist Cricket Press, personalized bibs, custom … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 11):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 73 | 74 | 68 | 75 | 79 |
| L (°F) | 43 | 42 | 38 | 43 | 63 |
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This was a great little race.
Not a big production. Ok, line up and go sort of deal. It was in time though with no chatter. Nice rolling country side run, with lots of horses in … MORE
Not a big production. Ok, line up and go sort of deal. It was in time though with no chatter. Nice rolling country side run, with lots of horses in the pastures. The back half has a pretty good steady up hill climb around mile 8 or 9. Then one more not as aggressive. This has two out and back legs, so you have to do that twice. About 705 feet of gain for the entire race. I’d say about 300-350 on that back 5 mile out and back. The rest is easy rolls.
Great Race in Horse Country!!!
Overall , this was a fun race in the bluegrass state of Kentucky. Packet pickup was a bit of a pain if you are coming in from out of town … MORE
Overall , this was a fun race in the bluegrass state of Kentucky.
Packet pickup was a bit of a pain if you are coming in from out of town as there is NO race day pickup. You do have an option to get your packet mailed to you though. Parking was OK but it is pitch black outside when you arrive and if you are not familiar with the area it is not easy to find the starting line unless you are lucky enough to find someone who knows where they are going. There were multiple people (myself included) who were just wondering around and hoping for the best. Some signage would be helpful in this regard.
The race itself went off without a hitch. For the vast majority of the half (and probably the 12k) you are basically on one road (one road but the name chages) with 2 turnarounds. Scenery is pretty rural and you will see horses during your run. Some rolling hills but I did not think they were overwhelming. Not a lot of course support if you are someone who thrives off of that but there were plenty of aid stations although some were pretty close together. Finish line had your usual fare of bananas, granola bars, bottled water, etc. Swag was a nice Brooks running shirt and the medal was also nice.
All in all, I enjoyed the run and was glad I made the trip to Midway for it. =)
One of the best races thru horse country
This is one of my favorite races in KY. It is always well-organized, and the hills on the second half are no joke. Given that the race is usually mid- … MORE
This is one of my favorite races in KY. It is always well-organized, and the hills on the second half are no joke. Given that the race is usually mid- to late-September, the heat and humidity can be tough by the last few miles.
Rollin Hills with Beautiful Scenery
This was my first time participating in the Iron Horse Half Marathon. The course has many rolling hills, with a few steeper hills. The course was out and back in … MORE
This was my first time participating in the Iron Horse Half Marathon. The course has many rolling hills, with a few steeper hills. The course was out and back in 2 different directions and ending uphill. I was told that the course had slightly changed from 2018. The scenery was beautiful. Lots of horse farms with horses out running. Some were rolling in the dirt which caused dust to blow towards the course, but that was okay, because the horses took my mind off of running. A friend and I stopped to take pictures of them. There was an adequate amount of water stops, and some providing sword as well. The medal was great! Heavy and beautiful for their 10th anniversary. The course ended at the edge of the midway festival so it was nice to be able to look at arts and crafts afterwards. The shirts were short sleeve technical shirts. However, mine was too small so I’m impatiently hoping for a shirt swap 5 days after the race. This is my biggest disappointment about races. I feel that there should be enough shirts available to swap.
Hilly half through horse farms
The Iron Horse is a really well-run race through horse country in the small town of Midway, KY. The course begins near downtown, and runs out-and- back on a country … MORE
The Iron Horse is a really well-run race through horse country in the small town of Midway, KY. The course begins near downtown, and runs out-and- back on a country road, coming back through town and running out-and-back in the other direction. The great thing about this is that you get to see all of the other runners twice. The course is pretty hilly, but the run to the finish line is downhill.
There were plenty of aid stations out there with water and some had Sword. And plenty of Port o potties along the course.
Medals are always great. Nice Brooks long sleeved tech shirts. Opportunity to purchase other race swag.
In some previous years, they have had burgers/barbecue at the finish area. I don’t know if this didn’t happen because it was cold and rainy and no one wanted to stick around. In any case, there was a good variety of post-race snacks.