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Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 362 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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F. B. from South Texas
(6/20/2017)
"Nice race in a cool city" (about: 2017)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my 9th marathon and my 1st KDF marathon. Expo was expected for a race that size. Race morning was out of the control of race organizers. You couldn't hear announcements over the PA, but if you had a phone with Facebook, the updates were timely. I knew I was in for a tough race since I'm a slow runner and the start was delayed 1.5 hours. Overall the course was nice. It was cool running through Churchill Downs and then that's where the halfers break off, thank goodness. They were the most annoying part of the whole experience, running/walking 5 abreast, blocking the road. I knew Iroqouis Park would be tough after driving through it the day before, but I really underestimated the 4 miles of roller coaster hills. Aside from that, the course is very flat, but I was spent after Iroquois Park and then that's when the heat hit. It was miserable and the rest of the course wasn't that exciting. I was able to finish before the cutoff but I know many people were upset because of the shorter marathon cutoff time. The finish line was anticlimactic since you had to walk quite a distance to get your medal and food. Not the most glamorous place to finish, under a bridge. Overall, it was a nice event and I might come back to do the half. | |
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H. M. from NW Arkansas
(6/7/2017)
"Enthusiastic Support" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Plenty of comments already about the unavoidable bad weather, but I strongly agree that there could have been better communication about delays. There was one e-mail early to announce 30 min delay but the rest came by word of mouth from other runners. I was underwhelmed by the stretch through Churchill Downs - it's a novelty, but if not for the few yards near the stables, I wouldn't have even known it was a horse track. Iroquois Park hills were brutal, esp. since that was about the time the sun finally broke through & heat started climbing. Huge props to the one-man cheering section in the park. I heard him well before I saw him & figured it was a group of 5-10 people. Crowds on other parts of the course were mixed - some stretches with nobody in sight and others with lots of support. I loved the lady leaning out her 2nd floor window to cheer 'for the 10th year in a row.' Lots of cute little kids to give high 5's and fist bumps. One nice bonus at the Pasta Dinner was FREE bourbon tastings. Jim Beam had 3 or 4 different kinds of bourbon to taste, and there was no limit on tastes. | |
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D. Z. from Chicago
(5/4/2017)
"Nice race, fun city, not-so-great organization" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I ran the KDF marathon as part of an extended weekend vacation with my family and boyfriend. Thunderstorm warnings delayed the race about 1.5 hours and the weather was quite hot/humid. Unfortunate, but I don't blame the race officials...life happens. A good race overall, but there are pros and cons worth pointing out: Pros: *Good course, mostly flat with some slow, gradual hills through Iroquois Park (miles 11-14). Pretty scenery throughout the park, residential areas and running through Churchill Down's was cool. *Nice t-shirt and medal. The hat included in the goody bag at the Expo was a nice bonus as well. *Awesome volunteers! Very positive and encouraging. *Plenty of water and Powerade stations. Also plenty of Gu gels handed out, this was very helpful! *Nice post-race party, very widespread with a decent variety of snacks and beverages to choose from. Cons: *I think the race delay announcements could have been handled better. It was impossible to hear the announcer and had to rely on word of mouth from volunteers on updates. I also found out that the course was cut off after 5.5 hours due to the race delays, so everyone still on the course at this time was unable to continue and receive an official finish time. This should have been announced before the race began so that participants were aware and could plan accordingly. *Port-o-potties were sporadic at certain points and often hard to reach (usually on the other side of the roads). At one point, I went 3-4 miles with no bathrooms in sight. Not okay. *Spectators were sometimes few and far in between. *Orange peels were scattered across the pathways around miles 20/21. Could be hazardous. *Post-race area was a bit overwhelming. Lots of walking until I reached water and received my medal. *Underwhelming expo. Not a lot of booths or merchandise to purchase but this isn't a big deal to me. Overall, I enjoyed the race and my trip to Louisville. I would recommend this to other people, but hopefully the organization will be better next year. | |
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Alex Compton from Georgia, USA
(5/1/2017)
"Bad Year for a race." (about: 2017)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 It was a rough year. Violent storms the night before pushed the race back 30 minutes but it continued to be delayed for 'runner safety'. What they ended up doing if forcing runners to run later in the day in 80 degree weather. Not great. The course is fairly flat. The park in the middle is a nice change, but get ready for some hills. They are cut-backs so you are not done when you think they are. Louisville is full of wonderful people who were extremely kind. Standard showing. Medal and shirt were great. Ill chalk it up to the worst possible weather situation that could have occurred for a race. | |
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R. H. from Milwaukee, WI
(5/1/2017)
"A very fun city!" (about: 2017)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 We got off to a very late start as the weather delayed the race by 1.5 hours. Starting a full marathon at 9:00 am with 90 degree temps projected by noon was the only downside to this event. When the race finally did get going, it was a lot of fun. Entering Churchill Downs at mile 8 was a great experience. After this, it's a few miles to the feared hills of Iroquios Park. I knew what to expect based on research and saved some energy. From miles 12-15, it is a roller coaster of hills through the park. It is beautiful scenery though so that does keep your mind occupied. After your through the park, it's flat and fast the whole way back. To summarize, my expectations were exceeded for this event. The course is unique and there were more spectators than I expected. All in all, I'd recommend this to anyone. | |
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G. H. from Illinois
(5/5/2016)
"A good big city marathon" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had a really nice experience staying in Louisville and running this marathon... my tenth state! I left feeling positive overall, but here are a few constructive criticisms: *The hills at Iroquois Park were brutal and seemingly unnecessary. The course was otherwise very flat. Why the huge incline around mile 12? Was it for the challenge or for the scenery? I appreciated neither. *The shirt and medal were average. *Runner re-unite section was bizarre. Usually with larger races, there is a sign for each letter of the alphabet. If your last name begins with H, you look for your family by the H. Why was there only an A, B, C, D? *Good water stations, though some cups were under-filled. | |
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T. E. from Atlanta, GA
(5/5/2016)
"Solid Marathon" (about: 2016)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great marathon. Mostly flat course, but some brutal rolling hills in the park from Mile 11-13 those were a challenge, but made the rest of the flat course more rewarding. Hill around mile 22/23 is not bad, except for the fact that it is late in the race. It poured rain from Mile 8 on, yet I was really impressed with the amount of volunteers and overall crowd out on the course. There were plenty of water stops and some ad hoc stops as well. This race is a mix half and full, as most races it took a mile or so to have the crowd break up, but later in the race when the races come together again, the officials did a great job separating the half and full runners. Running thru Churchill Downs was pretty cool touch. Expo is just ok - quick, in and out, but only so many choices of clothes to purchase but mostly what I expected - very well run - efficient. Overall I was really impressed with this race, well organized, great crowds, most flat course but some real challenging hills to add more legitimacy to the overall course. Highly recommend. | |
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J. A. from Seattle, WA
(5/2/2016)
"Great Race!" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a great race. The race officials did an excellent job communicating weather updates to the participants during race week. Weather is very unpredictable in Louisville this time of year, & it can be extreme. They told us it was going to rain, & they told us to be prepared for it, but that lightning was a very small possibility, & that they fully expected the race to go as planned - as it did. Expo is easy to get to for packet pick-up. The first 8M are run with the half marathoners. You rejoin them during mile 18. They do a great job keeping the half & full marathoners separated after that point. Course is generally very flat with some hills around Iroquious Park (miles 11-15). I only have two CONS: #1 - Gear Bag drop was a joke pre-race. I've never seen a single file line so long just to drop your gear bag off. I already had my bag marked & tied closed, so I just walked over to the barricade & tossed it over on a table, otherwise I would have never made it up to my starting Corral. #2 - After the race it was a mud pit in the runner recovery area that they funnel you into. I really don't want to get my shoes caked with mud after a race. They knew it was going to pour rain because of the updates they sent us; I'm not sure why they did not have mats on hand to lay down to protect the grass, & to keep the mud to a minimum. Both negatives you can easily put aside though...this is a fabulous race, & I would definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a Kentucky Marathon! Oh yeah - and if you're staying for the weekend, check out the Louisville Slugger Museum, Opening Night at Churchill Downs, & try out the underground zip-lines at the MEGA CAVERN! We had a terrific time in Louisville, lots of fun stuff to do! | |
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T. S. from Tennessee
(5/2/2016)
"A bumpy middle in an otherwise smooth ride" (about: 2016)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 5th. Yes, there are hills between miles 11-14. Don't let anyone say they 'aren't that bad.' I trained with several hill workouts and you could feel these. The key is how well you are trained for proper recovery after tackling hills this far into the race. Short enough to be on a roll and still strong, yet far enough to greatly affect the rest of your race. The hill at mile 22 is a blip. Don't worry too much about that one. It rained, of course, but was welcomed relief. Sporadic pockets of rowdy spectators. Watch out for 'orange peel alley' in the later miles or you'll fall on your rear. No idea why they didn't sweep those off the course. Churchill Downs was added bonus. Make sure you get the right corral. 'Volunteer of the year' scoffed at me whenever I said my corral was wrong and asked for it to be changed. After her rolling eyes, I showed her a recent result on a web site and she gave me a new assignment. There is no enforcement on race day for at least corral A. Many people there had no business being there and only held a bunch of people up. Overall, a PR/BQ day and was happy with this race despite the bad weather. | |
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N. S. from Summit, NJ
(7/31/2015)
"Tough Course, could be better organized" (about: 2015)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The half and full are ran together, which usually isn't a problem. Later in the race, though the faster marathon runners are going through about mile 20 when the bulk of the half runners are coming the opposite direction. Imagine dodging dozens of walkers and a road covered in orange peels at one of the most psychologically difficult parts of the race. It's a problem that could be easily solved by well-organized volunteers keeping the two races separate. A more minor complaint is that the course includes a ton of sharp turns (such as within Iroquois Park) that seem unnecessary. |
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