Though I live in Indiana, I traveled down to Lexington for the long Thanksgiving weekend and figured I'd register for a race to keep in shape and run somewhere new. This race was a good choice! It's run at the beautiful Keeneland horse park, though you won't see any horses; none of them were out during the run. This is a massive race, so register early and realize that you'll be running with at least 2400 other people. Save yourself time for parking, as you'll have quite the distance to walk from your car to the start. Your reward is an excellent morning.

I registered online early and thus got the long sleeve technical shirt, which is a beauty. Unlike many races, they actually offer XS!!! This makes me happy to no end. Once registered, they'll inundate you with emails about race day details. They aren't kidding when they say to pick your packet up early. Glad I did, because there were around 5000 people there on race morning. Still, the emails are a bit excessive.

The event itself is organized, with little group warm-ups and clear signs so that runners can divide themselves based on time. They clearly state that people with strollers and dogs should be in back, but they need to better enforce this or, better yet, DO NOT ALLOW DOGS ON LEASHES. I saw some very close calls where two dogs on leashes started sniffing each other and created an extremely dangerous tripwire with their leashes. Going down on that pavement could have been a disaster for any of the thousands of people running behind them. Perhaps a separate race for dog/human teams would be better.

The course is beautiful and winds past some awesome buildings and a lot of stunning farm land. The time of year is just right for the setting. There are some uphills, but they're gradual and no problem if you're used to doing any hills at all. That being said, if you're looking for a PR, this may not be your race because of the hills and because it takes a little time to break out of the massive pack.

This race supports lots of awesome charities, and the first mile is a memorial mile. Lots of people turn up in costume, so it's good family fun and enjoyable for spectators too. There is hot cocoa, bananas, and donuts afterward and finishing times are posted promptly.