Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon, Relay & 5K
Paducah, KY
- Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon runners have the opportunity to run through some of the most historic streets of Paducah. The first leg of the course encompasses the length of Jefferson Street. Runners take in the variety of historic homes along this storied street. From there, they see a newer … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 09):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 80 | 72 | 83 | 79 | 84 |
| L (°F) | 53 | 58 | 65 | 61 | 61 |
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Beautiful Course, small race.
This was an absolutely great race- except for one major issue. It was 12.96 miles long. The mile markers were off drastically. Mile 12 was actually 11.5 miles on the … MORE
This was an absolutely great race- except for one major issue. It was 12.96 miles long. The mile markers were off drastically. Mile 12 was actually 11.5 miles on the course. Both my runner buddy and I had distances in the mid 12.9s and the pacer at 1:50 had the same. So- the race director/producer needs to get the course certified and measured correctly. This is the reason for “2 shoes” under race production.
Now, everything else was awesome. The race field is small- about 350 people ran the half. They also have a 2 person and 4 person relay so adds a few people on the course, but it was never crowded.
Packet pickup was nice and simple. There isn’t an expo- don’t expect Flying Pig or anything like that. Just nice people getting you your bib, shirt, and some little snacks and goodie bag.
Race morning was simple enough. We had scouted parking areas ahead of time and found some free public parking lots about 2 blocks from the start/finish. We arrived about 45 minutes before the start and were one of the first ones there.
Race started right at 7. Half marathoners were in the front, 5k runners in the back, but all started at the same time. It was low 50s and overcast.
The course starts downtown and heads throughout Paducah, mostly through neighborhoods. The streets were mostly closed and quiet. You run past a lot of really nice homes and the streets are lined with tons of trees. Even if it was sunny, there is ample amounts of shade throughout.
After about the first 5K down city streets (mostly with homes) you run about the next 5k through subdivisions. Here a lot of the homes get even nicer. We even commented on how nice some of the yards were that we saw!
You come out of the neighborhoods and run down the side of a state highway for about a minute. Local police are out there blocking/directing traffic as you cross the highway and head into the parks. The third 5k plus a little is through parks, on trails, and with tons of trees. Most of this is crushed gravel trail. I like those kinds of trails, but not all do.
As you come out of the parks (there are 2), you make a couple of turns and then it’s about two miles back to downtown. You make the last turn about 6-7 blocks from the finish line so its just short enough that the finish line isn’t too far away when you can see it but far enough away where you work into your kick and finish strong.
Hills: 99% of the course is flat. There are only a couple of small hills, and they are over in 15 seconds or so. There does seem to be a lot more downhill than uphill, which is a good thing!
Course support: Very few spectators but small groups throughout the course. LOTS of water/Gatorade stations: more than enough. We saw plenty of porta-potties as well, but most of them were single ones. Very few spots on the course needed police/ road blocks but they were there when needed.
Post race was better than you would expect for a race of this size. Cold drinks, donuts, crumb cake, chicken sandwiches, and other foods were plentiful. You finish next to a small park so there is plenty of room to walk, cool down, meet up with other runners. The announcer at the finish line was great saying everyone’s name as they came across.
The t shirt was fine. The medal is pretty cool. I will definitely run this race again. (They just need to certify the course to ensure it is long enough!)
Nice small town race
I selected this race as it fit better in my travel radius than another Kentucky half. However, i was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the town and race itself. … MORE
I selected this race as it fit better in my travel radius than another Kentucky half. However, i was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the town and race itself. Walkability to and from was great, downtown and the arts district were quite nice, and support from locals was good. i appreciated the snacks-heavy swag bag, as caffeine and salt are all i really want after the race anyway. Shirt is casual tee, it does the job. Sufficient water, port-a-pots, and course support and closures for runners. The race was a bit short (~0.1mi), but i may have cut the turns closer than was intended. Got a PR, as the course has some hills but nothing unmanageable. Some fine gravel on ~2-3mi through trails so be prepared, but it does not get close to trail running category (i prefer road running and found them to be fine). Sister is interested in a Kentucky run, and i would go back for this town and race, had a great time.
Nice Flat Course
This was my 3rd half marathon. I was so excited to be able to run it at a steady 11:30min/mile pace. My favorite thing on this race was there was … MORE
This was my 3rd half marathon. I was so excited to be able to run it at a steady 11:30min/mile pace. My favorite thing on this race was there was a water stop every mile!!! I did not have to carry water. I took each mile as a chance to walk through the water stop and drink my water and do a quick recovery. It is scenic running through beautiful subdivisions and parks. Spectators were plenty at the beginning and there were a couple places my family could watch to cheer me on. Easy packet pickup. I love Paducah, KY anyway as they have my favorite winery. Nice race and not just for women. My son ran the 5K and had his own PR.
Nice course, well-supported
The Iron Mom is a well-organized and well-supported run that passes through some residential areas, runs briefly along a highway before going through city parks and along a trail. The … MORE
The Iron Mom is a well-organized and well-supported run that passes through some residential areas, runs briefly along a highway before going through city parks and along a trail. The closing miles are through a residential area back to downtown and along the flood wall and river.
It has varying scenery and is mostly flat except the residential area on the west end of the course around miles 4 to 6.5. Not long after that, the course covers a trail in the woods that was enjoyable to run. A warning was given about muddy stretches but thankfully it was not bad. After the trail between the parks, the closing stretch is flat as you head toward the river. A drum line plays near the finish and the announcer called out the runners and relay teams.
Nice finishing area atmosphere with vendors, bananas, cookies, milk, OJ and chocolate milk.
The course was well-controlled with many roads closed to traffic, most intersections manned and law enforcement present where needed to control traffic.
A good amount of people cheered along the course, in the first six miles especially but also in the park and the closing stretch. A lot of the local runners were greeted by name by friends along the route.
Water stations were enthusiastic and plentiful, more than I anticipated. They tried to service both sides of the road.
Also, there are three relay exchange locations, and they also cheered on the runners.
Chip-timed, I think, but no on-course splits. I have to look when results come out but the slip I printed had my gun time and chip time as the same and I was about 3 seconds to the start in the record field of about 900 runners.
The medal was decent, as was the long sleeve tech shirt.
I did my packet pickup Friday night at the small expo at the Holiday Inn, which also was where I stayed. There was some merchandise available at both the expo and the finish area.
The weather turned out perfect, despite the threat of rain. It held off until after noon. Mid-50s, but I understand it can get warm this time of year. I would’ve like a gear check of some sort since I wasn’t sure if I would be wearing an extra layer before the start, but there also was parking close to the start/finish if needed.
I walked from the hotel to the race, and also dinner at Max’s Brick Oven the night before. In addition to post-race food vendors, there was a farmers market, bakery, sweet shop and restaurants in the vicinity in the historic downtown. Very convenient.