Press Release - Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon - 11/18/05

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                           Contact: Aimee Boyd
                                                    Communications Manager
                                                    Kentucky Derby Festival
                                                    1001 S. Third Street
                                                    Louisville, KY 40203
                                                    P: (502) 584-6383
                                                    F: (502) 589-4674


                RUNNERS TO GALLOP AROUND CHURCHILL DOWNS
    2006 Meijer Derby Festival races will include segment at racetrack
 
Nov. 18, 2005 – LOUISVILLE, KY   – The Kentucky Derby Festival is pleased 
to announce an exciting change to the course for the 2006 Meijer Derby 
Festival miniMarathon and Marathon. At the 8.5-mile mark of the route, 
runners will enter Gate 3 at Churchill Downs and run approximately 
eight-tenths of a mile around the racetrack’s infield before exiting 
through Gate 2 onto Central Avenue. 
 
"This will be the first time that runners have actually been able to enter 
Churchill Downs and run around the most famous racetrack in the world," 
said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. "We think both 
local and out-of-town runners will be excited about this new addition to 
the races. We’re grateful to Churchill Downs for allowing us to use their 
facility on the opening day of their Spring Meet. This is a great way to 
help showcase the city during the most beautiful time of the year."
 
Berry said the route change is a way to enhance the course and make it more 
appealing, especially to runners from outside Kentucky.

"We have faced some pretty stiff competition from spring races in 
Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Nashville, and we believe that adding 
Churchill Downs to the course will make the Meijer races more of travel 
destination for runners looking to add another marathon or half-marathon to 
their resume," said Berry. “We hope runners will rest up after they finish 
and return to Churchill that weekend to watch the four-footed racers.”

Runners will enter Gate 3 at Fourth and Oakdale and run through the tunnel 
onto a circular asphalt surface inside the track’s infield.  They will run 
approximately eight-tenths of a mile in the infield before exiting through 
the tunnel onto Central Avenue. To account for the added mileage to the 
course, the simultaneous start of the races will move from New Cut Road to 
Southern Parkway near Iroquois Middle School. The rest of the miniMarathon 
course will remained unchanged from there, but there likely will be a 
change to the Marathon course at approximately Mile 22.

"We’ve received permission to have the marathon runners cross the Second 
Street Bridge and run a segment in Jeffersonville before returning across 
the bridge into downtown Louisville," said Berry. "The course change will 
require a new certification but we’re confident that can be done. This will 
give marathon runners a welcome change to the route and allow them to say 
they’ve run in both Kentucky and Indiana on the same day, highlighting both 
communities."

The Meijer Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon will start at 7:30 a.m. 
on Saturday, April 29, 2006. This will be the 33rd consecutive year for the 
running of the miniMarathon and the fifth year for the Marathon. Meijer 
returns as the title sponsor of the event, along with contributing sponsors 
Bluegrass Family Health and Powerade.

For more information on the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon, visit 
www.derbyfestivalmarathon.com/. 

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