Louisburg Cider Run
Louisburg, KS
- 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Looking for a little variety in your 5K & 10K? The Louisburg Cider 5K/ & 10K run in Louisburg, Kansas offers it all- rolling hills, straight a ways, and lots of surprises along the way! A taste of the country at dusk! Join for a fun event on a course … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 04):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 84 | 82 | 79 | 82 | 80 |
| L (°F) | 65 | 63 | 65 | 54 | 53 |
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Mind the gap...
So this is my third time on the course. Cool and rainy; hot; hotter. It's hard to imagine that two years ago this served as my PR course, because when … MORE
So this is my third time on the course. Cool and rainy; hot; hotter. It’s hard to imagine that two years ago this served as my PR course, because when the dew point climbs, this becomes a much harder course. With my normal running buddy out of town, I was pushing hard until the blacktop of the large parking lot we cross just after mile marker 2. Luckily I had caught up to a friend who slowed down to nurse me up that hill, or my pace would have dropped off a lot. This course is a dogleg left lollipop around a pond. You can find more details if you want them on the course layout in my prior year’s reviews. It’s the same race.
There’s no tshirt for this race, but the medal is very nicely designed. Honestly, I have half marathon medals the same size and less impressive, and they did a great job incorporating the ribbon nicely into the medal.
The festival at the end has a nice pop-up sports-bar and free cider (adult and regular). The town really gets behind this race, and everyone was super thankful to everyone for coming out. There are plenty of vendors selling crafts and honey and whatnot, and as this is the mainstreet to the town, there’s other local shops to explore. There’s a restaurant being put in that looked promising, so hopefully next year I can check that out.
One small caveat, there is a section of road with a long uneven crack in it. I had my head back to finish off my water bottle in the oppressive heat when my foot came down on the uneven pavement and my ankle collapsed, sending me into a full somersault. Thankfully my boots kept that from getting worse. I’m not going to deduct a point for one stretch of crappy roadway, and I’ve certainly run on far worse, but right before you get to that final right turn…do mind the gap.
Smaller than last year
The festival at this great lollipop course was smaller than last year. I hope that's just because it was oppressively hot this year and people were getting in and out. … MORE
The festival at this great lollipop course was smaller than last year. I hope that’s just because it was oppressively hot this year and people were getting in and out. All the same, there were some noticeable vendors like the coffee/lemonade tow trailer that I was sorry to see gone.
This is a 5k and 10k, the latter of which is two loops. Normally I’d hate that, but this is a fun course, checking most of the boxes, with neighborhoods, a cemetery, a lake, some cows and a school all things you go by on this race. Two of the local cops were out walking the race with the back of the packers for the 5k, chatting the other participants up. Massive kudos to them. Thought that was a great touch. This was my 2023 PR course and this year I was about 10% slower than par, much less anywhere near PR. Dealing with a mild injury and the weather, I just didn’t have more to give. That said, the course itself races fast and feels like a net downhill, despite being a loop, I just couldn’t do it this year. I’ll be there in 2025 for a redemption run, hopefully with better weather (and with a lemonade/coffee truck/trailer thing please?). There’s free apple cider and hard cider available at the end of the race at a great little pop-up bar.
There were no tshirts, which I get some people don’t like, but I turn mine into a yearly quilt, so not having that was a bummer. They did throw in a nice running visor though. The medal was very nicely designed and heavy. I didn’t see the 5k ones but for some reason I think they may have been the same. Hopefully I’m wrong on that.
Another plus (except for weather) is this is an afternoon race, so I appreciate the ability to fit in two races in a day.
Great small town 10k
Normally I hate 2 lap loops. This time I made an exception. Not just because I found it to be a remarkably fast rack, allowing me to PR a couple … MORE
Normally I hate 2 lap loops. This time I made an exception. Not just because I found it to be a remarkably fast rack, allowing me to PR a couple different stats I track (and overall 10k), but the weather was perfect and the festival waiting for you at the finish line is amazing. Great local products (stock up on flavored churned honey for sure!) Great little coffee closet around the corner from the packet pickup building (town hall maybe?). Their lemonade was a gift from above after the race. And of course….the cider! Apple cider in abundance from the local producer and unlike the flavored sugar water you get in the back of the grocery store, this stuff is made with great apples that bring character to the table.
First two miles are mainly a gradual downhill from the town to a small lake (large pond really), around the backside of that then a return up across the high school parking lot and back through the neighborhood to the start/finish line. Technically it’s a lollipop course but the stick is super short. While two miles down means one mile up to the same elevation, it doesn’t play out hard at all, and my pace barely dropped on that third mile (done twice for the 10k). The whole town appears to be out at the festival and you’ll hear the festivities as you finish the long straightaway to the final turn and short sprint to the finish. Motivation was high on the course and everybody seemed to be having a great time, whether they were giving it their all or barely more than walking while talking to a friend. If you didn’t come with friends, you’ll make some at this race or at the after party. There’s a pop-up sports bar there so you can watch the game afterwards too. Several people came up to me afterwards and congratulated me and started a conversation about how great it was to have us out there, and every time it felt sincere. It may be a bit of a drive but it’s absolutely worth it, especially if you’ve hit a slump, wall, or rut lately and want a pick me up run that’ll blow your expectations away. Hope to see you there next year. Enjoy the cider ’til I finish.