This was only my second trail race, and my first with the Nashville Striders. Because I am new to trails (and not adjusted to humidity), I was at the back of the pack.
Nearly everyone who passed me after they had turned back on the out-and-back trail gave me a "good job" or "nice work."

I gained confidence in trail running after running this varied course. It starts with a short out-and-back on a park road before heading into the 4 miles out/4 miles back main trail. There are segments with roots and rocks, and it is a relatively flat course for trying out that terrain if you are a newbie like me. There are lake views at the start of the trail, but for most of the run, it's in the woods with a couple areas that have clearings. It was mostly shady, so although there was high humidity, the sun wasn't bearing down too. Because I wasn't in a competitive pack, I had some nice long periods where I was alone.

The awards started after everyone had finished, which is definitely not the norm. Finishers could enjoy the cookout while waiting, but if they were annoyed to stick around for the last finishers, they never showed it. Everyone was cheered across the finish.

I'm used to large road races, so this was a nice simple race that didn't take an entire day. Parking was near the start, and walk-up registration was available. No expo, so I didn't rate that one. Free amateur photography available within hours. Water at mile 1, and water, Gatorade, and GU at mile 4 turnaround. Volunteers everywhere you needed them.

As another reviewer said, it's possible to place in your age group because of the size of the field. I placed second in my age group for females. Out of 2...

Overall, loved this quick, efficient, friendly race through beautiful but humid woods. Next year could have totally different weather. Just go for it.

Bonus: actual toilets at park visitor center!

This trail race was such a lovely experience that I am convinced I need more trail races in my life. I am used to hiking trails and running road races, but I wanted to branch out.

I registered online and picked up my race packet at Running Soles in Elizabethtown the evening before (therefore no expo score).

On race day, I parked adjacent to the trail head/start line, and everything was well-marked and well-communicated. There were a couple aid stations, but this race is as green as possible, and they asked everyone to bring their hydration with them in the form of vests, belts, hand-held, etc. Follow this advice. I never had to stop for water, and fewer cups!

The race announcer called us in to the finish, and we received our medals, a variety of snacks, and water/Nuun.

I normally have more details on races, but this one was so easy to just drive in on race day, walk up to the start line, and run the beautiful trails alongside Freeman Lake. I would say 90-95% of the course is in the shade in the woods, but there are some stretches without tree cover. Fortunately, there was a nice breeze off the lake, and this year the temps were an amazing 64 degrees at the start! The terrain is barely technical- just enough for a beginner to feel legit! I didn't use trail shoes, so no new shoes required for beginners either! Much of the trail is crushed gravel, but large portions in the woods are dirt paths, with limited single-track if any.

What struck me about this vibe of this race (maybe this is all trail races, my experience is limited), was that even those who were at the front of the pack in the out-and-back course were using valuable breath to give those of us in the middle and back encouragement. Everyone was so NICE! When people passed one another, they said a few words. If you are feeling fast and energetic, you can register for the back-to-back 10k and 5k for the double challenge. I did my 10k and went on with my day.

Great race, beautiful location, fantastic team running logistics. I will be back!

I write this review the morning after running the half marathon, still pumped up by yesterday's race. I have run some awesome races, but this might be my favorite. And like Jessica always says on the podcast, picking a favorite is difficult.

Let's get the logistics out of the way- the parking is very close to the start and finish lines, and parking for the expo is a breeze. Pro tip: For the expo, I found a small pay parking lot between buildings on 5th street just across from the convention center (before Race street, but just after exiting from the interstate and entering downtown)- $3/hour, much cheaper than the other lots. Also, if you are driving, plan to arrive at the race by 5:00 on race morning, and you will find the $5 lots still open. After they are full, it bumps up to the $15 price at neighboring lots. If you are in a hotel nearby, well, lucky you! I stayed in Florence, KY on the KY side because I procrastinated on booking a room, but it only took me 15 minutes to get to the parking lot. If you are doing this on a budget and have your car, definitely stay in KY and drive in. It's much cheaper. The Comfort Suites in Florence was located around grocery stores and Walmart/Target, which was important for planning my breakfast to cook in the hotel microwave at 4:00 a.m.

Toilets- When I arrived, people were inside the entrance to the Paul Brown stadium nearest the start line. The doors were opened to provide some warm space from the cool breeze outside (that cool breeze didn't last long) and runners were lounging on the floor and stretching. I went in and found a restroom with no waiting, and real toilets. Just outside were long lines for the port-a-pots. Shh!! THOSE people also didn't notice the plentiful port-a-pots in the corrals. I later used one of those with no line! It pays to explore a bit before joining the most obvious lines.

Okay, now for the rest of the day. It is a challenge to express how much FUN I had running this race. I don't remember LAUGHING so much in a race as I did during this one. Perhaps it was the hundreds of hilarious signs along the course, or the locals who showed up to dance, play music, and cheer for us, or the 8,000 volunteers they have to make this race go. I wish I could put that in bold- 8,000! There were cheering squads with volunteer shirts about every half mile, and they were...adoring. Every person looked us in the eyes and told us we were awesome, or strong, or doing great. Most races have pockets of cheering fans, but the only places I remember where there were no spectators were the bridges going over the river. Did I mention watching the sun rise while running over the bridge?

On the course- Gatorade endurance/Water stops were so frequent that I felt I had just tossed my last cup when the next station was there. They passed out GU at mile 9. Along the way, volunteers handed me tissues, cookies, Vaseline, (paper towels handed out shortly after that-details, anyone?), Swedish Fish, Hershey's Kisses (I passed on this one), oranges, wet paper towels at about mile 12, ice (that was a kind local not an official race volunteer), and my favorite- a Twizzler at mile 10 that I took tiny bites of throughout the final miles to savor and have something else to focus on.

I think because of the crowds, and so much to see with the parks, the urban areas, and the river, most people seemed to be running without music. Due to this, I had more conversations with fellow runners than I ever have. Everyone was having fun, and runners seemed compelled to share that fun with the person next to them. I found myself smiling most of the way, despite being a little under trained. I am middle-of-the-pack, and for this one, I hung back a little because I was not expecting a PR. I would be curious if the front-of-the-pack folks had the same fun, chatty experience.

Yes, there are hills, so prepare for them, but at least for the half marathon, it's the river crossings (but that view from the bridge is amazing) and a switchback to a park overlooking the river around mile 6 that is the toughest. They had volunteers there cheering and volunteering to take your photo. What a great excuse to rest a moment if you aren't going for a PR.

It was about 55 degrees and breezy before the sun rose, and because there was 90% humidity, once the sun came up, it was pretty hot. The marathoners who aren't in the front of the pack, or walkers in either race likely suffered this year. In this region, plan for any kind of weather when you pack in the spring. With heat/humidity, you might adjust your goals a little for that factor. You will have so much fun you won't care about a PR.

The post-race party is right on the riverfront, and I had a little picnic on the lawn in the shade of a tree. The free beer and pizza from LaRosa's was the perfect end to a sometimes challenging but always rewarding course.

The swag is great. The shirt is a tech shirt- be sure to size WAY up if you don't have abs to flaunt. I normally wear a medium shirt, but ended up exchanging my large for an extra large at the shirt exchange table. All marathon and half marathon runners receive a premium gift. This year, it was a very nice outdoor blanket that folds up into a nice bag with handles. We also received a commemorative poster and a 13.1 magnet. The medals were awesome quality, weight, and style. It's not all about the bling for me, but when the bling is good, that is a bonus.

My only suggestion for the race directors is to have pint glasses, etc. at the expo with half marathon on them. I didn't feel right drinking from a Flying Pig Marathon glass that I didn't earn. I suspect there are other customers like me who would buy these items!

A big thank you to the race organizers and the city of Cincinnati for providing such a lovely experience. I hope to visit Cinci again soon as a tourist and see more of the city at a slower pace.

Overall thoughts: If you are going to run over 33 (36? 3000?) hills in a half marathon, I recommend that you do it in Lexington, KY among the world-famous horse farms with excellent race management. Why does this race make running hills easy? Because the hills were literally the only part of the entire experience that presented a challenge, and that was on me.

Race management: Let's start where the race begins- Eric, the amazing race director, and team have not left out any details. Throughout the year that I stalked this race on social media until it was time for me to register for 2018, I was impressed by the details, the heart, and the communication that the race director demonstrated before, during, and after the race. He engaged followers, presumably past and future runners of the race, in a way that made us feel at home when we arrived. He even high-fived finishers at the finish line.

Expo: Have you ever driven up to an expo and parked for free two spots from the sidewalk leading to the door? To be fair, some people were 15 spots away, but they just didn't have good timing. There was no waiting to pick up my bib. The expo is not the largest, but then again, I find huge expos to be exhausting before a race. This was a perfect blend of merchandise and regional race promotions. In and out in about 45 minutes.

Race morning: Have you ever driven to a medium-sized race without traffic just before it started and parked for free about 1/10 mile from the start line/finish line? Me either.

Port-a-pots: There were plenty. No long lines, and the restrooms were open inside Keeneland as well. We stayed warm inside until just before time to line up. I hit up the bank of port-a-pots at mile one. Plenty of them throughout the course.

Aid stations: They had water and SWORD. The aid stations were all that you wanted. Plenty of hydration ready for us, with chipper and encouraging volunteers.

Scenery: This race was everything I had dreamed it would be. The sun rose over dewy expanses of grass at Keeneland Race Course, with historic horse barns tucked into graceful hills. It was delightfully chilly in the morning, but the sun quickly warmed us when we began. Along the way, beautiful horses were grazing in fields, sometimes frisky groups of horses would gallop around, invigorated by the throngs of runners who had to work much harder to gallop through the farms. This was my first half marathon that was outside of an urban setting, and although there are fewer spectators along the way, the scenery was captivating and motivating in itself.

Swag: See photo of finisher medal (It's 3-D, two sided). Every year is very unique, and this one was a tribute to history's first ever Grand-Slam Champion American Pharoah. The double-sided HEAVY medal seems an appropriate recognition both of the historic accomplishment of the horse, but also the accomplishment of finishing this challenging course. Runners received a vintage long-sleeved tee-shirt hoodie, and the option to upgrade to a premium jacket at registration.

Pro tip: After you register, download the app and start logging your miles when they announce the Director's Challenge. Hardly anyone keeps up with it, but I did, and there were gifts for the top 200, 100, and 50 runners with the most miles logged in training. I was hardly logging serious miles, but still made the top 200 and got a sweet commemorative pint glass, gloves, and a fistful of discounts and gift cards.

The hills: They deserve a moment here too. They are lovely, but if you are not used to running on hills, find a hill, a treadmill, a parking garage, anything, and start doing repeats. Often. Don't underestimate them if you are from a moderately hilly place like I am in the Nashville, TN area. I thought I was ready for "rolling hills." I wasn't. I walked up the majority of the hills in the last half, but I still managed to PR. I credit the ease of everything else for that surprise PR.

When I finished, I said, "That was awesome, and I will never do it again!" But now that a few weeks have passed, I am dreaming about returning to conquer the hills next year and show the 2018 Melinda who is boss!

****Don't let anyone's hill-packed reviews scare you from this experience. I have never seen so many people walking hills (I am mid-pack). If you approach it as an overall experience and not as the race you are going to PR, then just start preparing now, and walk when you need to, take pictures of the horses when you want to, and enjoy one of the most beautiful places in America.