Louisville Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K

It was a well organized small event. I enjoyed the race. For marathon runners, the parking lot was next to the start / finish line. It was a cold morning for 2023 event. A near by parking helped a lot to keep warm before the race. There were plenty of aid stations. The volunteers were very helpful in all stations. There were GU supply at almost every aid station. When the distance to the next aid station, there were options to take a water bottle. The course was on bike trail most of the time. The route was forth and back with some variations at the beginning / end. The asphalts surface path were in good condition. It was hilly at the start and end. It was up and down hilly challenge after mile 21. Fortunately, I made it as an new addition to my 50<4. It was a small event in suburban of the city. The main attraction was the scenery instead of cheering crowd along the side. I took a long weekend to have run-cation. Louisville is a fantastic place for a long weekend. It has Churchill Down, Slugger Factory, Steam Boat ride, old town residential neighborhood, bourbon tour, and more.

Ran Louisville for state No. 38, and it was excellent. Run this race if you want a beautiful course and don't need an expo or bands or tens of thousands of other runners or a gimmicky downhill course. This is an out-and-back in a park. Marathoners start separately from the half and the 10K, which is a big plus. Local beer and pie afterward.

For those that like few frills, this is a nice race through hills and trees and some scenic meadow areas. It was small-ish with around 200 marathoners. This meant I was frequently by myself - something I don't mind but might be good to know for some. Because the route is on a wooded trail, there were only some select spots for spectators - again, good to know if you need the high energy crowd experience. The packet pickup was a "bag it yourself" experience, in and out with no expo, nothing really to see or hang around for. Again, I don't consider that necessarily a bad thing but those seeking some hype, might not appreciate. The route itself is somewhat difficult. There is an uphill in the 24th mile that is significant. I like hills but others might not. The hardest part for me was the sun exposure/little shade at the end. I think '22 was warmer than normal. What I liked the least was the DIY live tracking via an app that required us to carry phones. For a race that was otherwise a runners' run (as opposed to the costumed joggers who come for the novelty - and those are great too, just tend to be a different experience than this smaller race attracted), the carry your phone was not a good fit. Those that did use the app, were complaining how "out loud" every mile announcement was. I'm sure a timing mat was difficult to position at the wooded, remote, hilly turnaround. But there were a few park shelters that could have been accessed, even if they were mile 9/17. Still would've been helpful for us minimalists, and would have given the race a boost of professionalism. Still, it was a USTA certified and enough finishers for those of us in clubs like 50States or maniacs.