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Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 362 [displaying comments 151 to 161]
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michael penny from Telford, Tn
(5/16/2008)
 "Glad I ran the marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a great city with an OK marathon. Pros: Expo, water bottles, nice medals, traffic control, kid bands, crossing the Ohio River and going into Churchill Downs. Cons: Packet pick-up, the start, no tech shirts, only one beer, post party was the worst I have ever been to, finish line and/or post party should be on the riverfront. Would not run here again without some changes. Would visit the city though - great place! | |
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Gregory Jones from Athens, Ohio
(5/15/2008)
 "Great race for a Boston Qualifier" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Awesome race. I dropped 10 minutes from my previous marathon time and qualified for the Boston Marathon in a time of 3:03. The course was a bit tougher then expected but the hills helped mix it up. I wish there were more spectators, but because we went into a few parks, I understand it's difficult for people to get out there and cheer. The aid stations were great and the finish line into the City of Louisville was beautiful. Great organization!!! | |
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Melody Izard from Birmingham, AL
(5/14/2008)
"Favorite part - running around Churchill Downs!!!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Very nicely organized. By far, most of the people are running the half. And I passed a lot of people who were already walking by mile 2 and 3 and I wish they would have started further back. But I overlooked that and really enjoyed this race. Love running through the tunnel into Churchill Downs and loved the parks - even though that's where the hills were and I loved going over the bridge into Indiana. Also liked getting my medal engraved at the end and having my hotel so close to the finish line. Loved going to opening day at the track after the race. Great experience. I definitely recommend it. | |
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H. S. from Lexington, KY
(5/14/2008)
"Great overall" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the half and it was my first, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. I really enjoyed the course and the weather was great: not too hot, but not too cold. Transportation was very, very efficient. I wish I had slept a little longer, but I was nervous about not getting there in time. The only complaint I have is at the finish. It was super congested and everyone was sort of moved like cattle into areas that were not well marked. In all the information given out prior to the race, there was discussion of a family reunification area. Nobody seemed to know where it was or could point me in the right direction. My husband could not find it either. I even asked a cop and he was not only rude, but didn't know either. Thank goodness, by chance I walked right by my husband and son. Next time, I will have a backup plan. Otherwise, it was a great experience! | |
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A. Y. from Hickam AFB, Hawaii
(5/14/2008)
"challenging, crowded, but overall wonderful race" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Pros: -Loved most of the course (especially running through Churchill Downs, seeing the horses practicing!) -Great fan support!!! -Good, loud, clear break-off of marathon/half-marathon runners!!! Very helpful!!! -Great expo, cotton t-shirt and medal! -Plenty of Gatorade and power jelly beans!!! -After marathoners leave the half-marathoners at mile 12, traffic clears tremendously... very calm with "hardcore fans" for the rest of the course! :) Thanks to the supporters the last 14 miles! -Loved the many Elvis impersonators running... passed them around mile 6 and had a boost of energy from their music and high spirits!!! Cons: -Congested for the first six miles. -Didn't like running in such a crowded, gloomy forest area in the beginning. -The bridge at the end (good and bad)... I got to say hi to my brother running at a good pace a few miles ahead of me... but it did seem a little like a never-ending bridge on the way to Indiana. | |
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M. K. from Mount Sterling, KY
(5/10/2008)
 "Good Race" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was quite nice. Louisville is a beautiful town. Louisville allows you to use music devices. Like many marathons, too many participants didn't line up in their pace area, so extra effort was required for the first mile to maintain a steady pace. Gatorade was not available at many stops (water only) and be sure to bring your own gel/supplies. This was a good race, but would highly recommend waiting a week to run the Pig. | |
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J. L. from East Jewett, New York
(5/8/2008)
"Overall: excellent event" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 After registering for the 2008 KDF Marathon, I read some of the reviews from previous years and was concerned about those citing the lack of organization. Gladly, they were far from my 2008 experience. I am not an experienced marathoner, having only running two other marathons in recent years. As a marathoner, I am much more concerned with crossing the finish line with my own power than my total time or pace. Overall, I was very happy with most aspects of the run with only a few mentionable pro and cons: The Start: I thought it well organized and relatively painless. Lots of portalets, good signage, fan support etc. I am guilty of being an optimistic starter, positioning myself at least an hour ahead of my intended goal. I find that this forces me to set a faster pace in the beginning and I hope it carries through. If I got in anyone's way, I apologize. I thought the start went well and wasn't overly crowded. The Course: The hills, both at the beginning and the end, were challenging. Combined with knee issues and the awakening of my seasonal allergies in the parks, I found merely finishing the run to be a rewarding personal accomplishment. While portalets were abundant at the start, they seemed scarce after that. Iroquois Park was a welcome sight. Water Stops: The trash containers following the stops are a great idea and save a lot of cleanup and clutter. Most runners made a point of using them. I did not like the water bottles; while most ended up in the trash boxes or curbside, those of us in the back of the pack had to dodge many of them lying or being inadvertently kicked in the roadway. When a paper cup is stepped on, it smashes flat without much notice. Stepping on the plastic bottles causes a potential ankle injury or worse. Clocks: Multiple time clocks: that was great. However, even when doing a marathon, the 13.1 mile point is a big milestone for me, and it was not even noted by a marker. Course Markings: One complaint regarding previous KDF events was the poor course markings, especially at the half/full split. If that was truly an issue before, it has definitely been corrected. No one could possible miss the 12 mile split. After that the marathon course got very lonely at my level, and there were points where there were no other runners in sight. However, the pavement markings and the enduring support of the Louisville P.D. and other volunteers at intersections and turns was fantastic. Overall, a great run and I am definitely considering next year. | |
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K. K. from Albuquerque, NM
(5/7/2008)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had a great time at this marathon. It helped that I had a seeded start, so I did not have to weave through the crowds. The pasta party was excellent - not crowded, and more affordable than going to a restaurant. My husband was able to see me at Churchill Downs and Iroquois Park. I would recommend this race. | |
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J. L. from Buffalo, NY
(5/6/2008)
"Great run" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great marathon- very organized. I loved the water bottles (vs cups), and the hills were nice, which kept it interesting. I even liked that most people were running the 1/2 so it was just true runners for the 2nd half. :) | |
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D. A. from Valparaiso, IN
(5/6/2008)
"Hilly and hard course, but GREAT volunteers!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The race was well run but very crowded until we split from the half-marathoners at mile 11. The course was very hilly and the last 4 miles over the bridge into Indiana and back were challenging. The energy beans were no help; we really needed the gel packs. All things considered, the marathon was a well run event. My biggest disappointment was the service we did not receive from the host hotel, Galt House. Among other services runners expect by staying at the host hotel, we were not able to count on having the items we needed to eat and drink before the race as I have always had when staying at the host hotel of a marathon. Instead, they sold items that were not what we needed before a run. This was even more problematic because very few of us carry money with us during a long race. We also did not have an extended check-out time to shower after the race which made our 10 hour trip home very hard. They should consider the runners' needs at their host hotel. |
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