I ran this race paired with the Flying Pig Marathon the next day. I had heard mixed reviews about it. Many people said the half course is much better, that the full is boring or ugly. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the entire race. My thoughts:

First, there was a ton of road construction in the Louisville area, so that was a pain but not the race's fault. I stayed across the river, in Indiana. It was walking distance to the start/finish, but the weather didn't really permit that this weekend! If you are able to stay downtown near the race course, that would make things easier.

The expo was good - much larger than I anticipated. I'm not big on expos, but it wasn't too crowded so walking around wasn't bad. The shirt was great - a nice color blue and fit well. I was also delighted to receive an orange marathon hat, which was a nice surprise! There is also a nice poster.

The start was well organized, and went off without a hitch. The cool part is the official bugle player for the Derby plays at the start of the race - unique!! You run through downtown for a bit and share the course with the half runners for maybe ten miles or so before they go in a different direction. I'm not going to say the course is stunning or as beautiful as some other races, but it was good. It's a city race, but you actually go through Iroquois Park for several miles in the middle. That is the hilly part, but it was quite lovely. It was pouring rain for much of the race (after about five miles, it rained steadily, and heavily at times). The park was beautiful and peaceful and one of my favorite parts. I'll agree with other reviewers that it is much quieter and more spread out after the half runners peel off, but I look forward to that space.

One of the best parts of the race is going through the tunnel under Churchill Downs and up into the infield. That was awesome, and something most people will never do or see. If it hadn't been raining I would have taken more than one (wet) photo, but it was pretty incredible. There were horses and riders out on the track which was pretty neat and definitely a highlight.

There weren't many spectators out on the course because of the weather, but them's the breaks. The volunteers were great and there were plenty of stocked aid stations along the course (roughly every two miles).

The finish area would be great on a dry day, but with all the rain it was pretty muddy and full of puddles. Of course when you're already drenched, it doesn't really matter. They had space blankets and of course the awesome medal. Lots of goodies at the finish too.

Overall I really liked the event. I found it to be very well organized with great communication. The weather could be a factor but even with the rain, I enjoyed the course and the event as a whole. Good swag and unique elements that you can only find in Louisville.