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Latest reviews by Josh
Josh recommends this race
(2014)
"2014 Run For the "L" Of It 5K"
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The University of Louisville Alumni Association has hosted the Run for the “L” of it 5k for several years. The small turnout of less than 300-400 runners was making it difficult to continue without additional support. In 2014, JAM! Active, a Louisville based race management company took the reigns in partnerships with ULAA and promoted, revamped, and ran an “L” of a race.
The starting line was at ACC member UofL’s Football Stadium, Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium (the only school owed stadium with ALL bucket seating) and continued through the campus. The sights to be seen included the brand new state of the art Soccer Complex, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Track and Field, and Softball Stadium. Once through the sports complex, the race entered the campus and weaved in and out of buildings that brought back memories of my college days at UofL. (My wife and I went there a the same time but would not meet until after our days at UofL were over). After reminiscing our college days we exited the campus and continued towards the finish line, which was in the outfield of UofL’s baseball stadium.
The event was awesome. Double the turn out of last year with room to grow. Support was awesome, UofL Police did a great job at closing roadways, blocking other traffic, and supporting the runners. The swag wasn’t too bad either with a nice tech shirt being included (ran a little big) along with some UofL info and a shameless plug from JAM
Active’s other events.
Will definitely do this one again!
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Josh recommends this race
(2014)
"2014 KDF miniMarathon"
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The Kentucky Derby Festival started with the miniMarathon over 30 years ago as an additional event to the Kentucky Derby Festival, a festival of events in the weeks leading up to the infamous Kentucky Derby. This race also hosts a full Marathon as of ten years ago that is now a BQ race, caution though, the full marathon is not a walk in the park.
This was my first Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and by far the largest event in terms of name and number of participants. The amount of parking within a mile of the starting line is amazing and allowed for a quick park and plenty of time to walk to the starting line. Near the corrals there were more than ample restroom facilities near each corral entrance. Corrals went from A - I and were clearly marked. For those more elite athletes in corrals A, B, and C, security was checking corral assignments to ensure the area was saved for those properly assigned.
Even with all of the racers present, my time from the rear of corral D to the start line was less than 8 minutes and the course cleared out rather easy. The course starts on Main Street in front of the old Belknap Hardware Building that Humana Insurance now occupies and continues down Main Street into West Louisville. Along the first leg, you pass the KFC Yum! Center, Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Slugger Museum, and countless historical buildings of Louisville. Throughout the run, different parts of Louisville are seen, including Central Park, the University of Louisville, and entering the legendary host of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs. Once you enter the gates of Churchill Downs, the sheer aura of the historical race track helps generate a second wind. Runners see thoroughbreds in action on the track as they run through tunnels under the track. A lap around the infamous infield (where the party is at on Derby day) and then out onto Central Ave for a split, Marathoneers to the right, halfers to the left. The half marathoners return towards downtown Louisville via 3rd Street and then turn right onto Main Street. The finish line is located next to Louisville Slugger Field, home to the Cincinnati Reds Triple A affiliate the Louisville Bats.
The swag for this event is rather nice. The tech shirts are quality shirt and vary year to year on color and design. The medals are very nice, unique to the race (Marathon runners get a similar, but different medal). Overall, this was a great event and a solid course with years of experience managing the race. The marathon is a BQ event and will test your abilities midway through the run.
Along the half route there were eight (8) water stops, six (6) Powerade stops, and three (3) Norton’s Healthcare first aid stops. The Runners Unite area included portapots, food, drinks, and a Asics Runner Gear area to buy Asics gear with the KDF logo. Oh and they offer medal engraving!
Josh recommends this race
(2014)
"2014 Papa John's 10 Miler - Louisville Triple Crown of Running"
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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.
Josh recommends this race
(2014)
"2014 Rodes City Run 10K - Louisville Triple Crown of Running"
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The Rodes City 10K is the second leg of the Louisville Triple Crown of Running, an event that has been part of the Derby City since 1984. The Triple Crown of Running includes a 5K, 10K, and 10 Miler who compete to win the Triple Crown, a homage to the Horse Racing feat the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes). Steeped in tradition, the Louisville area hosts the fastest two minutes in sports each May with the Triple Crown of Running leading up to the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.
The Rodes City 10K begins in Downtown Louisville on Broadway and moves east towards beautiful Cherokee Park (An Olmstead designed park) wraps around Cave Hill Cemetery before heading back into Downtown Louisville and finishing at the starting point. This is an amazing course that takes you past a lot of history of Louisville's Downtown and near landmarks such as Cherokee Park and Cave Hill Cemetery while still allowing you plenty of room to run uninhibited. The majority of the run takes place in areas that have four or more lanes for runners while some areas do drop down to two lanes. The majority of the time the lanes are wide enough through the early stages to allow separation of runners before congestion sets in.
The swag area was setup slightly better than the Anthem 5K, but lack of coordination allowed people to cut line making others wait over 30 minutes to get their fruits, PowerBars, and Gatorades. Lack of planning aided in the difficulty, which was expressed by several runners who had properly waited in line.
The t-shirt was a traditional cotton t shirt with the logo on the front.
They did provide disposable, bib attached time tracking, which is always a plus for me.
Upon leaving, there was very little difficulty due to the numerous exit points and easy access to Interstates 65, 64, and 71. I would definitely recommend the Rodes City 10K and Louisville Triple Crown of Running Series for the experience.
Josh recommends this race
(2014)
"2014 Anthem 5K - Louisville Triple Crown of Running"
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This was my first entry into the first leg of Louisville's Triple Crown of Running, the Anthem 5K. The course was relocated this year due to massive road construction around downtown Louisville to complete the Ohio River bridges project. The course was moved to an industrial/business park in eastern Jefferson County with only two viable ways into the park and an absolute disaster at best. The race had to be delayed by 40 minutes and even after hitting the one mile marker several racers were still walking towards the start line.
The race wrapped through the business park with no true scenery but did contain a decent course for the run with aid stations setup in a couple areas of the 3.1 miles. The roads were two lanes deep and very congested during the run taking several PR potentials from runners who could not get away from slow runners or walkers five to six wide. Every place you went to step was already occupied by someone else. Further, the lack of organization at the "swag" tent after the race left many people in line for over 30 minutes while hundreds cut the line to get their goodies.
The traffic exiting the event was twice as bad as the traffic coming to the race. The park's two lane roads were grid locked for well over an hour. There was very little effort put into this event by the race management and worse, the Race Director publicly criticized the runners for not heeding their warnings before hand, placing all the blame on the runners. A poor location with poor logistics cannot be blamed on the runners.
In closing, this is a three part race series that compliments the Kentucky Derby and the Race for the Triple Crown, however the lack of management coupled with the finger pointing makes me leery to register next year. The other two races of the series have gone off with no problems though so it could have been growing pains mixed with a new location. Overall, to be part of the Triple Crown experience is worth it and I would recommend any new runner to take part in this race and the entire series.