This race was a quick 5k along River Road, starting at the scenic Louisville Water Tower. The parking was easy, and the race itself was pretty well-organized, the course was well marked, and packet pick-up was a breeze.

It’s a great, flat race that is mostly shaded (which is great, since the race is at a hot time of year). There were bagels and bananas at the end of the race, along with Lousville Pure Tap water. I don’t know if I would sign up for this as a stand-alone event, but it was a great first race in the Louisville Fall Runathon series!

This was the race that got me into running! I did it for the first time in 2016, and have done it and loved it every year, and am signed up for this year. This is a well-run race that is at the peak of the Fall season, allowing runners to enjoy some of the beauty that Louisville has to offer. There are a few hills, but being able to see the colorful autumn leaves in Cherokee Park makes it worthwhile!

The packet pick-up usually has a good selection of booths and vendors, with ample parking opportunities. And the after-party for this race? AWESOME. You can choose which bourbon vendors to patronize, and enjoy a bowl of burgoo (a regional favorite) with a beer or bourbon in hand. The Louisville Crashers put on a great show, and they do a phenomenal job interfacing with the crowd! The race organizers do a great job encorporating the theme throughout, and I especially love the awesome medals!

This was the first marathon I ever did, and the race organizers did a good job with communication and organization of the event–packet pick-up was easy, with ample parking, and tons of booths and vendors. However, race morning was a little chaotic, as getting onto a US Air Force base and parking comes with some challenges (long lines trying to get in, and it was quite a hike from the parking area to the starting line...which is hard on aching legs at the end of a marathon).

The course itself was mostly flat, which was great. However, this race had a later start time than I would have expected, and the course got very hot very quickly. The black flag went out pretty quickly due to temperature conditions, and many many runners did not get the chance to finish the race and were brought in by race crew.

There were many stretches of the course that were on blacktop without any shade cover at all, which became brutal towards mile markers 16-20. I have NEVER seen so many people doubled over on the sidelines, or stopping at the medical tents. Mid-September is too early for a course with minimal shade cover in a race that doesn’t start until 8 AM (when most runners are used to starting their long runs far earlier to beat the heat).

The race had a TON of local support and cheering galleries, which helped keep me moving. I probably won’t do this race again due to the hot conditions at that time of the year, but if you’re a faster runner, you might be able to finish before the heat of the day gets too bad.