The GE Appliances Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon & Marathon is a long-standing tradition held every spring in Kentucky. It has become the largest annual day of road racing in the state. As 2023 marks the 50th annual miniMarathon and 22nd annual Marathon, the Festival looks forward to another historic event. …
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The GE Appliances Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon & Marathon is a long-standing tradition held every spring in Kentucky. It has become the largest annual day of road racing in the state. As 2023 marks the 50th annual miniMarathon and 22nd annual Marathon, the Festival looks forward to another historic event. Participants will start at Louisville Slugger Field in downtown Louisville and run through numerous neighborhoods, experiencing all aspects of our wonderful city, including a run through the infield of historic Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Then cross the finish line at Lynn Family Stadium, home of Louisville FC and Racing Louisville where they will be created by family and friends for our post race party!
Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in our virtual race which will allow runners who cannot join us in Louisville, to complete the mini or full marathon wherever is convenient for them.
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Race through Churchill Downs
Great local race that highlights downtown Louisville and running through Churchill Downs to kick off the Kentucky Derby Festival - the marathon crosses the Ohio River into Indiana and both … MORE
Great local race that highlights downtown Louisville and running through Churchill Downs to kick off the Kentucky Derby Festival – the marathon crosses the Ohio River into Indiana and both distances end at the Lynn Family Soccer Stadium. Lots of great crowd support!
excellent flat course with great layout
Run through Churchill Downs was excellent. Good fan support and energy on front half. Crossing river to IN for 2nd. half added to this unique design. very nice area for … MORE
Run through Churchill Downs was excellent. Good fan support and energy on front half. Crossing river to IN for 2nd. half added to this unique design. very nice area for post-race event at Lynn center
I call shenanigans!
Adding one more data point that the 2023 course was totally off on measurement--registered 13.4 miles. What should have been a 2+ minute PR became a 10 second PR, which … MORE
Adding one more data point that the 2023 course was totally off on measurement–registered 13.4 miles. What should have been a 2+ minute PR became a 10 second PR, which felt incredibly frustrating after all the effort.
I just didn’t love this race, despite it being what should have been a great race for a PR.
Couple of places on the course that were vaguely confusing or just not set up well. First was entering Churchill Downs–you have to make an abrupt sharp turn going into the entrance that forces you to slow down. Second was at the point where half/full split–it shouldn’t have been confusing but the volunteers that were yelling were making it unnecessarily complicated.
Crowd support was a little weak in some places–I can’t imagine what it must have been like for those who ran the full and went over into Indiana.
Finish line was kind of far from the start line and I don’t think there were shuttles. Ended up being a 1.5 mile walk back to my hotel 😬
Host hotel was downtown near the start line but for some reason the expo—which would have been awesome if it were in the convention center one block from the host hotel—turned out to be a few miles away nowhere near downtown.
No real race communication from the organizers outside of the expo.
I kind of expected this race, for its size, to be on par with the Indy Mini (I think partly because both are called Mini, both have about a 10k turnout total, and both involve running on some sort of race track), but it just was an underwhelming imitation at best.
Beautiful run, but poorly measured
Course was nice and flat, just small rises of less than 20 ft., Very scenic, through downtown to Churchill Downs and by lots of stadiums, homes, etc. Lots of local … MORE
Course was nice and flat, just small rises of less than 20 ft., Very scenic, through downtown to Churchill Downs and by lots of stadiums, homes, etc. Lots of local crowd support. Distance by Garmin was 13.41 miles, marathoners had 26.7, just a lot too far. Then after finish the walk back to start was way too far and poorly organized IMHO.
Tale of two courses
If you’re looking to have fun running a marathon and want to see the sites of a city, this race is for you. However, if you have race goals in … MORE
If you’re looking to have fun running a marathon and want to see the sites of a city, this race is for you. However, if you have race goals in mind… beware! Everyone I talked to after the race measured the distance at 26.66 miles. Also, the race website claims a 500 feet elevation but it’s closer to 800 feet and all of it is on the second 1/2 of the course. I’m more than a little surprised the race organizers are this loose with the layout considering it is a certified Boston qualifier.
Bottom line, if you’re looking for a fun 1/2 marathon, this one is hard to beat. However, I won’t make the trip to run this marathon again.
Great run other than being slightly long
Fast, flat course through downtown Louisville, and a bit of the run even went into Churchill Downs! Swag included a quarter zip long-sleeve tech shirt and a nice medal! There … MORE
Fast, flat course through downtown Louisville, and a bit of the run even went into Churchill Downs! Swag included a quarter zip long-sleeve tech shirt and a nice medal! There was a good selection of snacks after the race, including full-size bottles of Powerade, chocolate milk, bananas and apples, and granola bars. Course was slightly long… around .40 miles for the half! The only other complaint was the finish line was about a mile from the start line, so it was a rough trek back!
Would come back
The expo was on the small side, they did have some good vendors and a little bit of swag, nothing crazy. The start line was moved at the last minute … MORE
The expo was on the small side, they did have some good vendors and a little bit of swag, nothing crazy. The start line was moved at the last minute because of the memorial for the Old National Bank and the distance was made up and course certified however many had 0.5mile plus extra by the end. I was actively working to run the tangents and I ran over 26.6 by my watch. The weather was perfect, the woman singing the national anthem was amazing and brought tears to my eyes. The course support was fantastic! The people of Louisville showed up!! There was enough up and down to help your legs use some different muscles instead of being pancake flat the whole way. The course was beautiful including a tour of Churchill Downs. You run across a footbridge which goes into Indiana and you do a long out and back that got a little lonely while being very scenic. They did have two good cheer sections in the middle too. The finish was at a soccer stadium and had good vibes all around there wasn’t many options for food at the finish. I ran a big PR so I really can’t complain and I would love to come back.
The Week of the Kentucky Derby !
Planned this race a year in advance and partnered with Indy 500 and Flying Pig the following weekend. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Louisville. Across from KFC Yum … MORE
Planned this race a year in advance and partnered with Indy 500 and Flying Pig the following weekend. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Louisville. Across from KFC Yum Center – did not rent a car – packet pick up changed – read your emails – I missed – A nice couple drove us to packet pick up. We received a Shirt and Bib – Shirt was nice – we took an uber the following day to spend time at expo. Day of race we walked to start and were able to walk back to our hotel. In the morning the hotel had goodie bags for all the runners – very nice of them! Lot’s to do in the area – We chose this race for the course going into Church Hill Downs! Our only disappointment was our gps tracked 13.43 Miles – And others were running on the side of us were saying the same??
Run in Churchill Downs!
I ran this back in 2010 as my first half ever and again in 2022 on the new course so it’s special to me. The new course is flatter and … MORE
I ran this back in 2010 as my first half ever and again in 2022 on the new course so it’s special to me. The new course is flatter and faster and perhaps a little less scenic all through downtown areas. The expo is pretty good sized with a variety of booths with giveaways and things for sale. The tech shirts were not my favorite in ‘22, but medal is good quality. There are some really good spots with people cheering on the course including the finish and others that are more sparse. Finish line festivities are great with lots of post race food and drinks, giveaways, photo ops, etc. It is a bit if a walk back to hotel and parking if from out of town. Kentucky countryside is beautiful so worth visiting while you’re in town. They do cool handmade pottery mint julep cup from Louisville stoneware for age group and top 100 finishers if you’re fast 🙂
My first marathon
First half was fantastic. Second half in Indiana was boring scenery and because of covid restrictions they were giving out full giant size water and Gatorade bottles. Most people took … MORE
First half was fantastic. Second half in Indiana was boring scenery and because of covid restrictions they were giving out full giant size water and Gatorade bottles. Most people took a few sips from a giant bottle and threw it away. So wasteful. I thought the women’s cut tshirt was ugly. I’ve worn it once. Overall good not great.
Fun race that gets you to Churchill Down
Good course through Louisville with the highlight getting to run in the infield of Churchill Downs. The race shirt was pretty horrible though. MORE
Good course through Louisville with the highlight getting to run in the infield of Churchill Downs. The race shirt was pretty horrible though.
The second half of the course is crap
IV run a lot of marathon and some half decent times but this cause for pretty unique and not in a good way. The first half and so what is … MORE
IV run a lot of marathon and some half decent times but this cause for pretty unique and not in a good way. The first half and so what is the half marathon cause was good this alot of spectators and atmosphere but If your running the marathon once you cross the bridge you are just running into a void. A 12 mile out and back on a single bike track with barely a soul out there. It was so boring and lacking. My experience of the second half was also dampened by the fact that I was not given any direction on when to make the turn on to the bridge and subsequently ran several hundred meters further before being called back. This through all of my mile splits out the window and ultimately cost me a top 3 spot and so $500 + dollar’s. The race organizers do not respond to email. I would not recommend the marathon course and would not do it again. The half marathon would be much better.
Beautiful Course
The first half was eventful with the course going through Churchill Downs and downtown. I enjoyed the bands and different types of bands that were playing along the first half. … MORE
The first half was eventful with the course going through Churchill Downs and downtown. I enjoyed the bands and different types of bands that were playing along the first half. The walking bridge into Indiana was beautiful and much longer than I was expecting. The out and back course was kind of boring even though it was still pretty to see. The water stops were far and few between during the last half, which was disappointing since that is when I really needed a refill in my handheld water bottle. It was also very hot towards the end. My watch and phone both said the marathon was longer than the 26.2, almost an extra half mile. Overall, I enjoyed the run and the scenery. I’m happy to have completed another marathon and check off another state. I was disappointed to see them taking down the finish line and beer tents before the course time limit happened.
One and done!
I do love the medal! The women's cut shirt is nice! The weather was great at the start but it warmed up really fast! Didn't really care for the course … MORE
I do love the medal! The women’s cut shirt is nice! The weather was great at the start but it warmed up really fast! Didn’t really care for the course at all! I have heard and read nothing but good things about this race and what a great race it is. I really don’t understand the hype! I found the race blah and really my least favorite race in the 8 years that I have been running. Loved Louisville!
Flat but lackluster
Plenty of water stations (9) on the half marathon course. Flat course but not too scenic except for small portions. Crowd support was sporadic but lively. Finish is a mile … MORE
Plenty of water stations (9) on the half marathon course.
Flat course but not too scenic except for small portions.
Crowd support was sporadic but lively.
Finish is a mile from host hotel.
Expo small.
No race props or background to take photos with.
Warm water bottles are my new trigger
Common marathoner knowledge: big city marathons try much harder on the first half of a marathon course to impress half marathoners, and then the quality dips for the last 13 … MORE
Common marathoner knowledge: big city marathons try much harder on the first half of a marathon course to impress half marathoners, and then the quality dips for the last 13 miles. This was the most egregious case yet!
Packet pickup was at the Kentucky International Convention Center, a really nice, shiny building downtown. The expo was great (even featuring some sports games!) The temperature for this race was borderline too hot, but the clouds kept it from being miserable. Surprisingly, not many hills. The first half of the course is *amazing* for a city this size. We start downtown, and run past the Louisville Slugger Museum, the University of Louisville, several nice neighborhoods, and even into Churchill Downs at mile 8, before finishing next to the Louisville women’s pro soccer stadium. All the city landmarks. Great crowd support and water stations. If I did the half, this would get 5 stars.
For the back half, we run onto a bridge and over the river into Indiana, where we do a 6 mile out and back on some greenways on the Indiana side. People said Louisville outsourced the second half to Indiana because they didn’t have enough police to secure enough intersections in Louisville.
Running on lonely greenways isn’t the worst, but I was really disappointed by the aid stations in Indiana. Almost all aid stations were only handing out WARM water bottles, no gatorade. In the 75 F heat, the warm water made me gag, and almost every runner took two sips of a bottle and threw it out, leading to massive water bottle waste. You’d think paper cups would have been cheaper and almost as easy. Some 7 year old kid finally saved me with an ice cold Gatorade around mile 23, and I almost cried, I was so sick of warm water bottles. Even at the finish line, there wasn’t a single person who could give me a cold cup of water! Just Powerade and warm water bottles.
Official parking is at the Lousville soccer stadium and is $10. We parked for free in a park parking lot northeast of the stadium on River Road, a mile away. Take your chances if you want.
Hills to watch out for:
-right at mile 14, running onto the bridge from Ky-Indiana, is a steep incline.
-just before mile 21 is a long uphill. You will run past this at mile 18, so you will be warned.
-at mile 24, getting back onto the bridge to run back into Louisville.
A Kentucky Flat Course
There are much better half marathons in Kentucky, but if you’re looking for a flat course & a 4-hour time limit…this one is for you. The highlight is being able … MORE
There are much better half marathons in Kentucky, but if you’re looking for a flat course & a 4-hour time limit…this one is for you. The highlight is being able to run inside Churchill Downs. You would never know this is a kick-off to Derby Week, the lack of spectators or even large signage throughout the city was disappointing. Expo was really just a bib pickup…which is fine but since this is advertised as such a big race, that was disappointing as well.
The course itself was well marked and the police support was outstanding…as well as the number of water stations…even for a back of the packer like me. I was extremely happy to be able to check off Kentucky (I’m a 50 State Half Marathon Club member) with this flat course…but would not repeat.
COVID Running
I did this race in 2021 so it is different than the other years. In order to comply with COVID regulations the race was run in many heats over many … MORE
I did this race in 2021 so it is different than the other years. In order to comply with COVID regulations the race was run in many heats over many days. I was personally in the first heat of Saturday morning. Packet pick up was that morning when I arrived. We had to be masked up when not racing which was an unpleasant experience for stretching and warming up. The course was actually pretty nice though mostly in Indiana. I enjoyed the two bridge crossings and the pretty nature bike path. I won my heat and was pretty excited. I feel bad for the volunteers at the end that had me jumping up and down and sputtering about finishing first while my mask was off.
I liked the shirt and the medal. I have not decided whether I would return after I complete my 50 states to try the non COVID version, but it was a solid race especially with the added logistics.
Walking bridge and paved greenway run.
Socially distanced due to COVID. The course was an out and back and had a fantastic view crossing the Ohio river on the long foot bridge. Fairly flat, the majority … MORE
Socially distanced due to COVID. The course was an out and back and had a fantastic view crossing the Ohio river on the long foot bridge. Fairly flat, the majority of the course followed a greenway along a levee on the river.
Last is definitely least
Great efforts to make it covid safe. The route was pretty & fairly easy. I get why the majority of the route was in Indiana, but it made it seem … MORE
Great efforts to make it covid safe. The route was pretty & fairly easy. I get why the majority of the route was in Indiana, but it made it seem less like Derby. There were some super awesome people along the route though!
My biggest point of concern is the support, or lack there of, at the end. I am a slow runner and could only run on Sunday. I finished within the allotted time, but everything but the finish line was packed up. No photo ops, no medal engraving ops. Does my lack of speed equate to less importance? Sure everyone wants to be done and pack up after a long 4 days, but don’t offer amenities to anyone if you won’t offer them to everyone. This isn’t the only race where this has happened to me & it’s very disheartening. I’ll never be a fast runner, but I will always give 100% effort. So should you.