Louisville Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K
Louisville, KY
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Louisville Marathon event participants will receive:– runners’ choice of long sleeve shirt or quarter zip pullover– Louisville’s largest finisher’s medal– Kern’s Kitchen Derby-Pie at the finish line
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Nice solid race. Not spectacular
This was my 28th marathon in 18th state. I utilizing the option of having the race packet mailed to me so I did not attend packet pickup. The race was … MORE
This was my 28th marathon in 18th state. I utilizing the option of having the race packet mailed to me so I did not attend packet pickup. The race was almost entirely on a paved trail within a pretty nice park, making it pretty scenic. However there was no real landmarks or scenery of the town. There was a choice between a long sleeve shirt and 1/4 quarter zip. These and the medal were decent. Good overall production. Well marked course and enough aid stations. Almost perfect weather. This course was really hilly, especially the first and last 7 miles. Crowd support was slim as this was almost entirely on a paved trail out and back. Finish line included a few snack, derby pie, and local beer. Logistics was easy and the half marathoners started an hour later providing less congestion at the start and plenty of portapotties. There were about 300 marathoners. I went to the Louisville slugger factory museum the day before the race and there was a lot of other things to do in town.
Nice Double with Indy
I chose this race for Kentucky because it was the day after the Indianapolis Monumental Half. Louisville is about a 2 hour drive from Indianapolis so this is a perfect … MORE
I chose this race for Kentucky because it was the day after the Indianapolis Monumental Half. Louisville is about a 2 hour drive from Indianapolis so this is a perfect double. This is a smaller race with a few hundred runners. It is more of a local race on paved trails in a pretty park in Louisville. It doesn’t have the energy of Indianapolis but the smaller size does give it a more personal touch. There aren’t hotels within walking distance but I had to rent a car anyways. I stayed at the Holiday Inn that was about a 10 minute drive the start. There is the option for mailing packet, packet pick up the day before or race day if absolutely necessary but it was not recommended to wait until race day. I opted to have it mailed since I had plans in Indianapolis and wasn’t sure I’d get there on time and wanted an easy morning. One small criticism about the mailed packets is they arrived only the Thursday before the race. My mail usually comes around 5pm so I had to wait until the mail came before I could drive to the airport. I accounted for this in planning but would have preferred to have left a bit earlier and also the mailed packets wouldn’t work for anyone taking a longer trip. Packet included bib and also a nice zip jacket. They emailed race info before the race with very clear instructions on where to park in the park. Since it is a smaller race, porta potty lines and everything were much quicker and easier than yesterday. The race is an out and back with the same start/finish line. They had banners to line up by pace and everyone did a good job spreading out. The course is a scenic run through the park. It is very pretty although not too specific to Louisville. It could really be any pretty park in any part of this area of the country. It was also beautiful weather today though a but hot at the end of the race. It is all paved. Most of it is flat except one really big, steep hill around mile 2. It is 1/2 mile steep uphill and 1/2 mill steep downhill. Not so bad at mile 2 but it is killer when you return at mile 10. Course is well marked and there are not many road crossings but there were course marshals wherever there was one. The only other slight hill was right before the half turn around point but it was a gentler incline. There were 3 aid stations but 2 you passed twice. It was a bit hot today so I’m glad a carried water. The aid stations had water and gatorade. One minor criticism is only the first aid stations at mile 2.5 had gels. It was just a weird place for gels. It would have made more sense to have gels at either the middle aid stations around mile 5 or the one at the turnaround since I don’t usually need a gel super early or late in a race. There were not many spectators as expected for a small course but there were a few pockets of them at the more accessible areas. Since it is an out and back with multiple distances even with a smaller field there are a lot of runners that you pass who cheer you on. The wind from Indianapolis really tired me out so I was not having a great day energy wise so I just did a mix of walking and jogging at a relaxed pace and just made sure I finished under 3:30 which is the stated time limit though they do not appear strict about it as there were a number of participants over 3:30 who did get official times so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The medal is pretty nice with some images of Louisville. It also has a red finisher ribbon and is complimentary to the Indianapolis medal again making this a nice double. They had the usual post race snacks along with derby pie which is a delicious chocolate nut pie. Overall this is a nice local race. I’m sure there are bigger and more exciting races that are more unique to Kentucky so it wouldn’t be my first choice for a stand alone Kentucky race but I would definitely recommend it to locals and recommend it for Kentucky if you want to double with Indianapolis.
Great support for the half but not full
I can not say enough about how stark the drop-off in support and aid stations was on the last half of the marathon. Truly felt like we were an afterthought. MORE
I can not say enough about how stark the drop-off in support and aid stations was on the last half of the marathon. Truly felt like we were an afterthought.
Beautiful fall colors on a brisk morning
Nice fall colors on a fairly flat course with a few small hills in this wonderful park. It was an unusually cold morning at 38 deg. I am not a … MORE
Nice fall colors on a fairly flat course with a few small hills in this wonderful park. It was an unusually cold morning at 38 deg. I am not a fan of the out and back and would love it if the course could be one loop.
Good Covid Year production half marathon
Getting to the start was exciting. There seem to be two entrances to the park, but one was closed for the race. We were a little panicked trying to find … MORE
Getting to the start was exciting. There seem to be two entrances to the park, but one was closed for the race. We were a little panicked trying to find the start. No one out to direct traffic, nor any signs until after you find the other entrance by yourself.
We had some of the last start times for the staggered race starts. When we arrived, there was no line to start, and we were able to start when we were ready to go. The late start time did leave us out in the unusual warm November sun.
Course was an out an back along the Louisville Loop. There is one mean hill that you get to run over twice, and a fail amount of rolling hills that a lot of people like to whine about, but really aren’t a big deal. (I like the little rolling ones over flat as a pancake.) Some nice wooded scenery along Floyd’s Fork river, and only a few, well controlled, street crossings. Wide path to run along the entire race.
Nice zip up hoodie this year in place of a t-shirt. Also chocolate nut pie, and a free beer at the finish.
great scenery, but oh those mean hills
- followed covid protocols for safety. very drawn out staggered start. felt 100% safe. my assigned start was a bit late for my taste, so it definitely got warm. some … MORE
– followed covid protocols for safety. very drawn out staggered start. felt 100% safe. my assigned start was a bit late for my taste, so it definitely got warm. some shade along the course, but most was on open trails.
– trail was definitely wide enough to pass someone safely, especially once you pass the half-marathon turnaround point.
– beautiful scenery of fall foliage, farm lands along a paved trail. some street crossings, but very minimal
– most of the course is flat (or very slight inclines), but there are a couple of serious hills that just seem to kept going on and on. out and back course, so whatever is up will be down and vice versa
– nice medal and great looking hoodie
– awesome volunteers, but very few spectators along the route. could be a covid thing, but i think it’s just the location of the race course.
Louisville made it happen
This race took place during Covid which obviously changed the dynamics. I'm happy that they were able to secure the permits and do whatever was necessary to provide everyone with … MORE
This race took place during Covid which obviously changed the dynamics. I’m happy that they were able to secure the permits and do whatever was necessary to provide everyone with a safe race experience. It’s just rare to have a live event during these times.
They had so many different start times based on your projected pace. Luckily, I was able to have a fairly early time and beat the rare November heat. There was plenty of space on the trail in most places to easily pass with a safe distance. Most of the course was on a paved trailed through a park. It was fairly scenic, especially compared to the urban races. Not many fans to cheer along the way. There were not too many places for people to get to but could also be due to Covid. There were a couple pretty good up hills. One was English Pope Hill around mile 2 and a longer climb around mile 10. They definitely slowed me down. Luckily, there are a couple nice downhills to recover. There was a separate finish line to keep everyone distanced at the end.
As for the swag, the medals were nice and they had a light sweatshirt instead of a shirt. Everything seemed like it was good quality.
Overall, it was a nice course especially if you’re a fifty state runner.
My First Full Marathon
The full marathon had just over 200 participants. This made it an unusual race in the fact that almost everyone spoke to each other and cheered each other on. The … MORE
The full marathon had just over 200 participants. This made it an unusual race in the fact that almost everyone spoke to each other and cheered each other on. The faster runners were so encouraging to us slower runners! The scenery was beautiful. I very much enjoyed the race. My only disappointment was that everyone received the same medal. There was no difference between the 10K, 1/2 and full. Being my first full marathon, I would of like a special medal just for the marathon.
Not Again
Shirt is of poor quality. Logo is not properly placed on shirt and is partially obscured by collar. Sizing on shirt is not accurate. First mile of the race was … MORE
Shirt is of poor quality. Logo is not properly placed on shirt and is partially obscured by collar. Sizing on shirt is not accurate.
First mile of the race was great, but then you enter a narrow bike trail. Unfortunately to many people still tried to run three and four wide so they could chat making it nearly impossible to pass them.
Things really got interesting on the return trip of the out back course. Now you are running up hill against the flow of the crowd in an already crowded trail. Not sure how many times I was forced off the trail by the runners coming down the hill.