Normally I participate in a different race for the 4th, but it wasn't available. I heard about this race briefly from a friend, but this is a hidden gem and I will definitely be back next year! The 5k takes you around the Buffalo Trace Distillery compound. It is a gorgeous place to run/walk, and seeing the buildings where the bourbon is made is a treat. The shirts are the really nice tech shirts with M/F cut, the course was in great shape, and it did provide some elevation changes.

After the race, you also get a complimentary tour of the compound, learning about the history of Buffalo Trace, bourbon, see where the barrels are stored, and get to sample some of the bourbon products! They also have bourbon balls to demo, and those are downright delicious. A great and very inexpensive way to begin the 4th of July. Cannot wait to do this again next year!

RUTS events aren't about a certain mileage to complete. These events are about what can you and what do you want to accomplish in the time registered for. You can register for the 3HR, 6HR, or 12HR individual, or the 12HR relay team. This was going to be my first race going over 13 miles, so I signed up for the 6HR.

The swag you get first off is pretty nice. You have your choice of T shirt or tank, a nice drawstring bag with pockets, and your choice of hat or visor. The medal you receive is a nice heavy one and lights up! (more on the medal in a bit)

The course is a 1/2 mile loop horse track. It is flat and does get mildly redundant, but they do switch your direction every few hours. It is nice seeing runners/walkers you would never get to interact with at other races, and having them encourage you is really nice. You can jump on and off the course as needed to relax a bit, use restroom, hydrate, etc. A lot of us either brought tents with chairs next to the track or some even brought campers to set up shop for the night.

The available food and fuel was unreal. Lots of cut up fruit, cold Popsicles, pickle juice, cookies, pretzels, cold water, Sword, and so much more. At 10pm they brought out pizza and midnight was grilled cheese. (I passed on those options since I'm lactose intolerant, but was grateful they had them for the other runners!)

Once your time limit is up or you decide to end, (again, you could end whenever you wanted to) you would get a medal custom with your mileage on it. You are free to sit there as long as you need to, camp out and sleep to make sure you're rested up before leaving.

The one part that was a little rough was starting it at 6pm when it was miserably hot. Those that did it in the past mentioned they always started it at 8pm and moved it up 2 hours to make a 12 HR event instead of the usual 10. The heat is no fault of the race itself, but be prepared to hydrate well before and during, and bring anything else you may want to have with you. The race directors are wonderful about keep an eye on cold water for everyone, so there is no worry about if there is any.

I paced the 2:45 group for this half marathon. For the price and area, it wasn't a bad race. There wasn't really an expo to pick up packet, just a spot in the park the day before or day of event. The race was a smaller one, and not a lot of communication on race day to get to start line, etc. I didn't feel like there was a lot of email communication leading up to the event, especially as a pacer. Aid stations were good, parking was good, but only two porta potties to start the race. The half course was the 6.55 mile course looped twice, so if you like those kind of courses this is your race. It was helpful to gauge when the downhills were to gain some time to go back uphill again.

If you're in the area and want a small, easy going half- I say do this one. If you're wanting a more intense event and swag- this event is not for you.

Running through the zoo sounds like a fun magical thing to do, and maybe some day this one will be more fun. I really wanted to enjoy this, but for me it was a headache.

No expo for the 5k which was fine. Shirt and packet pickup was the day before or day of. Race management warned about potential traffic issues, but man was it bad! We were a mile away from the start at 7am and ended up parking and walking because if we waited to park at the zoo, we would have missed the 8am gun.

There were a lot of people ready to start at 8am in the corral, but so many folks were still getting packets and trying to park. So unannounced they held us in the corral. About 8:10am, they announced they were letting more people get registered, parked, etc. We ended up gunning off after 820. I was in corral B as marked by my bib, but lots of younger kids and strollers started in front of us.

Once entering into the zoo, it becomes a dodging event on sidewalks and narrow roads, with runners, walkers, strollers, and kids in a VERY crowded area. It does finally thin out around mile 1.5. There are hills on the course-surprise! It was a nice change besides the flat and crowded sidewalks.

At the end was your medal and a decent amount of snacks and goodies. Getting out of the race wasn't an issue for me because I parked almost a mile away, but I know many struggled trying to get out of zoo parking.

During the event, folks were taking pictures and there was a picture station taking photos. The race website keeps saying pictures will be available "next week," but we have still yet to see any!! This is really disheartening for those running with their kids in costumes.

I don't recommend this race until they figure out the logistics of parking and course in the zoo. There is a race later on that runs the zoo in the fall that is less crowded and much more organized.

I've done a few Disney races, and this is my favorite by far. This one you spend the majority of the time in the parks or Boardwalk instead of running roads, ramps, and by gas stations! The expo was really nice. Anything you might have forgotten or want to try out/look at, they likely have it there. The t-shirt is a very nice tech shirt and the medals I really liked. Race management was really good about keeping you up to date with emails. weather alerts and anything you needed to know prior to race morning.

Some people do not like the 5:30am start time, but I personally don't mind it. For this race, we stayed at the Polynesian Resort. We simply walked up to the start and that half mile walk was a nice warm up. Corrals were much better than previous races where volunteers checked your bibs and you could not go up in corral, only back.

During the race, it gets pretty crowded. There is roughly 25,000+ runners/walkers in attendance. For most, the Disney races are a "Disney Experience with a running component" versus the other way around, and therefore a lot do not know or follow running/walking etiquette. Be mindful of that so you are aware of where you're going.

The race itself had so much Star Wars action and characters it was really nice. My husband fell in love with it. I love how the volunteers and cast members are so positive and cheer on all runners/walkers.

At the end you get your medal, snack box and drink , and walk about another half mile to a waiting area to reunite with family/friends. Shuttles are constantly coming through to take you to your cars/parks/resorts, so that's a nice perk.

Overall I would do this race again because of the quantity of time spent in the parks and the entertainment value along the way.