Kentucky Derby Festival

Kentucky Derby Festival

Kentucky Derby Festival

( 52 reviews )
98% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Louisville,
    Kentucky,
    United States
  • April
  • 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon, Relay
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Stephanie

Louisville, Kentucky, United States
6 1
2015
"Wet and Fabulous!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Stephanie 's thoughts:

This race is definitely worth running. From the expo to the after party, it is a great experience.

Expo:The expo is in the Louisville Convention Center and has every vendor you would want to see. The packet pick up is efficient and they actually let you exchange your shirt size at the expo, unlike most other races. The shirts are excellent quality and they offer a Men's and Women's cut. At the end of the expo you get a poster that was lovingly made for the event and it is different every year. There is also the countdown clock where you can take an epic prerace picture.

Race day: The energy is palpable. All forms of runners and walkers are there and ready to party. The corrals are large enough to accommodate everyone and the parking is easy enough if you get there early. I've never waited til the last minute so I can't speak for that. Once the race starts there is crowd support the entire 13.1 miles and the scenery is amazing. The giant Louisville Slugger, Central Park and running through Churchill Downs are too much fun! There is never a need to carry your own water because there is a stop no more than every 2 miles. But there are a lot of cheer groups that are there to hand out oranges and drinks on their own.
Even if you travel alone, you feel like there are people there cheering for you the whole way. 2015 was a wet and cold day but there was never a lack of support along the course.
As far as elevation, this is one of the flattest races you will come across.

Postrace: As soon as you cross the finish line there are teams of people wanting to give you a medal. The medals are always great and feel and look like really good quality. The food spread is divine and meets most everyone's needs. There is a PR gong that you can ring if you got a PR that day, live music, vendors and plenty of space to roam around and drink your free beer.

Overall, you can't miss this race! Can't wait to do it again in 2016!

Side note- They also have a kids MiniFun run that is the next day so make sure to sign your kids up for that!

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