I've always wanted to run this race, but two things have happened -- I either schedule another race for that weekend, or I wait until the price has increased too much for me to justify paying a certain amount for a local race when I could pay the same amount for a destination race.

I applied to be an Urban Bourbonite -- something of an ambassador for the race. Those accepted would promote the race on social media and receive swag and a complimentary entry. I honestly didn't expect to be picked since I'd never run the race before, but when I received my acceptance email, I immediately started making plans to run.

I'd run a race in Louisville before, but being from Lexington (and bitter college sports rivals), I felt I could find the same type of race locally and I wouldn't have to mess with all the logistics of a race in another city -- hotels, travel, an unknown course, etc. My wife and I decided to make a weekend of it and stayed close to the starting line.

Since I'd recently gotten a running coach and my goals and previous plans were being altered, I ran this race with no real expectations. I just wanted to have a decent finishing time and to have a good time just running the race by "feel."

The day before, we went to the expo at the Louisville Slugger Field. I always try to minimize the amount of time on my feet the day before a race, but I misread the packet pick-up instructions and walked about two miles out of the way before finally arriving at the proper place for pick-up. The expo was small, but efficient. There were local vendors and bourbon sampling -- not to mention several photo opportunities.

Louisville has a really nice culinary scene, and it was no problem finding a good restaurant the entire time we were there. I decided on an early dinner in order to be ready for the 8am start.
Race morning was cold and windy. Runners were bundled in gloves and Mylar in order to stay warm before the race. I did my customary mile warm-up, but added in a new dynamic warm-up routine between the run. After a few quick trips to the Porta-Potty, I found my starting corral and got ready for the race.

The course, itself, is mainly flat by Kentucky standards, and I started off at a pretty good clip. There were a few rolling hills, but nothing at all intimidating. We ran on city streets, side streets, a few bridges, and a local park.

Early in the race, I realized that I'd made a rookie mistake and didn't follow my hydration plan. I ended up making four -- FOUR -- pit-stops along the course. I thought this would really impact my time, but each time I was able to catch back up to the pacing group I had been keeping in my sights.

Upon finishing, there was a Bourbon Bash complete with a live band, free bourbon, free pizza and burgoo, and photo opportunities. The after party for the race was amazing!
The whole city embraces the running community, and it shows. There was an organized bourbon pub crawl for finishers and festivities the entire weekend. My wife and I ended up staying an additional night and enjoyed the fun.

This is one race I'm looking forward to running again. In fact, I'm going to apply for the ambassadorship again when the time comes. The race directors really know how to put on a quality event, and their hard work and dedication was evident in every aspect.

Make sure to put this one on your calendar!

I’ve been looking forward to this race for a while. As I’ve written about before, I’m really starting to like trail running and I’m constantly on the lookout for local ones which fit into my road racing schedule.​

I discovered this race and decided that, although it was only two weeks after a difficult half marathon, I would run it — given the nature of trail running.​

Generally, finishing times for trail runs are slower than road race times. In addition, walking isn’t really frowned upon in trail racing. There are spots on some trails where running is too difficult or dangerous. I wasn’t too concerned with pace or finishing times, so went in with no expectations.

I arrived really early to the venue since I was unfamiliar with the area and a last-minute email advised participants to arrive early or carpool due to limited parking. ​

The packet pickup was simple and effective. After I picked up my shirt, bib, and swag I ran an easy 1-mile warm-up run and took in a gel.​

I didn’t take my phone on the course, so I don’t have any pics. This was a true trail run — sheer drop-offs, extreme ups and downs, creek crossings, switchbacks, and VERY technical terrain.​ The humidity was so high under the canopy of trees that everyone was soaked and gasping for deeper breaths.

I stayed with a pack of three with what would be the second overall female finisher and won third in my 10 year age group.​

I really liked the challenges this race presented, and I will definitely try to fit it in my race schedule for next year. The organizers are focused on reducing their environmental footprint, and the swag reflected that.

In addition to our race shirt and finisher’s medal, we were given a reusable collapsible cup and a Buff with the race’s logo on it.

It's no secret to anyone who listens to me talk about running that my favorite half marathon is The Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati.
The half is just one of several events put on by Pig Works for what has become a weekend-long event, drawing runners from all over. In addition, the half marathon was just voted as America's favorite and for good reason!
It says a lot when a course which is this difficult still remains one of the most popular running events year after year. The hills are brutal. Sometimes the weather is miserable. But the crowd support and overall race production is nothing short of spectacular.
I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Pig Works Ambassador for this year, and the experience was awesome! I got to connect with a great group of people and work with a fantastic group responsible for all aspects of the race.
As mentioned before, I have run this race a few times. It was actually the very first half marathon I ever completed! I keep coming back because of the memories, experiences, and the first-rate production.
The course is challenging, but the crowd support and encouragement help to drive the runners on and over the many hills. The one thing that most newcomers mention regarding the course is the difficulty of the hills on the course. Running in Central Kentucky, I was aware of the hills, but they were not anything more challenging than those I've run on many long runs around my community.
The expo is great, with vendors and experiences for the whole family.
The amount and quality of swag given to participants does not even compare to that which I've received in other races. Of course, I had to buy some additional singlets at the expo. I mean, I have to support a small, local company like Asics -- right? LOL
I was in the second fastest corral at the start, due to a previous half marathon finishing time. The temps at the start (6:30am) were cool and breezy, but they were expected to climb throughout the day -- and they did. The predicted thunderstorms never materialized, and we only experienced a few drops of rain throughout, and that rain both refreshed us and increased the overall humidity.
I was glad for the weather. In my first Flying Pig Half, the race started as lightning flashed across the sky and my feet were soaked before I even started running. On my second go-around, the heat was a factor. I wanted as many variables to be positive since this was my first half in around six years.
I went into the race with no time goal and no pace predictions. I just wanted to finish strong and use this as my return to road racing. I took no walk breaks as I did in my second appearance when I was under-trained and out of shape. I ran those hills like a beast! The only time I had to stop was to re-pin my bib that had gotten torn with the wet conditions.
I ran a comfortable pace and really didn't experience any post-race soreness as I had in many other halves and fulls, and I'm already looking forward to running this race again next year -- its 25th Anniversary.

This was my first race since 2016, so I went into it with zero expectations. In addition, in over 20+ years this was only my second trail race. In my mileage build-up plan, I was scheduled to run 12 miles this morning, so I figured with the distance and the difficulty of the race given the terrain and elevation, this would be a similar workout.
The race was held on March 5, 2022 at J.M. Feltner Memorial 4-H Camp in London, Kentucky. The race director was extremely nice and accommodating. I gathered that she was new at this, but the packet pick-up, walk-up registration (I pre-registered), and pre-race activities were run with efficiency. The shirt was a really nice material, and there were a few vendors and local businesses giving out freebies.
The race started with a prayer and instructions before a large, metal shamrock is lit on fire and a countdown to start begins.
After an easy, flat loop around the campground, we turned into the woods. The first of the trails were tight and muddy -- like pull-off-your-running shoe-muddy. Thorns and brambles pulled at your clothes, and I was glad that I wore a long-sleeved shirt and compression socks -- that is, until it warmed up really fast.
After we turned onto a powerline cut-through (think Barkley Marathons), we were on a roller coaster gravel road. As we came to a fork, a volunteer told us to take a left turn, but the man I was running next to said that we should go straight. The volunteer said it was just another route, so we split and agreed to meet on the other side. I should've known something was wrong, but there was a large pack behind me and a smaller pack up ahead. I decided to follow them. A few times I had to strain my eyes through the trees to see where they were, so I decided to speed up and catch them.
A few points in the race were so steep that I climbed the mountains with my hands pushing on my quads and forcing myself up the hill. At another point, we had to hold on to a rope and pull ourselves up a particularly steep dirt rut.
This race has an interesting detail -- if you go past the 3.1 mile turnaround and climb (literally climb) to the top of a huge rock (the tallest point in the county), AND tear a page from a book (a nod to the Barkley Marathons), you get the chance to win a prize at the finish.
I looked at my watch and realized that I was at 4.6 miles, and I hadn't hit the turnaround. The volunteer had steered us on a route that added a half mile on our race. It's a good thing I wasn't trying for an age group award (there weren't any given).
Anyway, the way back was mostly downhill, and I took advantage of the grade and let gravity dictate my pace. A few times, we actually had to stop and walk for fear of running downhill so fast out of control.
I finished with a total of 6.62 miles, but many runners' distances varied as at some point we all got "lost" on the trail. At one point, I actually had to wait for another runner to catch up with me so we could find the trail.
PT's were at the finish of the race to offer stretching to anyone who wanted it. The finishers' medals were really nice and bananas, Gatorade, and water were available.
I turned in my page from the book and won a free bourbon tour at a local distillery. The women at the prize table were super nice and allowed me to trade in my tour for a shirt since I neither drink nor live locally.
All-in-all, it was a great experience. I will definitely be back!