This 10 mile venture through south central Louisville is one that anyone looking for a mid distance challenge should strive for. The race starts just blocks away from legendary Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. After crossing the starting line you will head south west towards one of Louisville'e beautiful park, Iroquois Park. The run is broken down in three segments, 3 miles to Iroquois, 3 miles in Iroquois, and 4 miles back to the finish line, at University of Louisville's 60,000 seat Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
The run to Iroquois is a rather flat run through old Louisville running past Churchill Downs. Once you enter Iroquois Park you know it. The right turn into the park is a slight incline but that changes almost immediately as the majority of all the elevation on this course is in the three miles within the Park. The roads are wide enough to allow for everyone to run their pace and enjoy the scenery that makes you feel you are anywhere but in a major metropolitan city. Upon the return trip the downhill run is a nice treat after running through the park. Once you hit the 9 mile mark you must turn right onto Central Avenue and cross a rather steeply inclined overpass before finishing off by entering the stadium and running around the field before crossing the finish line.
The course was challenging but left me with a sense of accomplishment and ready to tackle it again next year, with more training of course. The swag was a nice Nike tech shirt reflecting the 2014 logo on a bright yellow. After finishing the race there is plenty to do and eat, Papa John's is handing out free pizza, ValueMarket gives away free bananas, apples, PowerBars, and other treats along with bottles of water and Gatorade.
Overall, this is a great race and event, plus the proceeds benefit the WHAS Crusade for Children, a charity for providing care to children around the Kentuckiana area for 60 years. The management of this race is ironed out and it appear to go without a hitch. Parking is free in one of the Stadium's thousands of parking spots that are on property, but they also offered parking shuttles to those who wanted to park at Churchill Downs. Oh yea, there are plenty of restaurants and hotels within 3 miles to feed and house the 7000 participants. Come enjoy this race.