A nice flat course with some shade in several park areas. Very easy access to start and finish area. Worth the entry fee!

Nice course, I enjoyed running through the parks and the weather was awesome. Did get a little lonely in the last 4 miles. Had a great time, 2 weeks after Chicago I managed to cut off a 1/2 hour! (Don't know if that'll ever happen again)

Some of the pluses -
1) PB&J and the finish was a great touch
2) Shirt is very cool, kind of like a pull over windbreaker/technical
3) Small bottles of water were nice, I'd never seen this before and it made it easier to run & drink.

Suggestions for improvement -
1) Most of the first 3 miles is on narrow trails, I would suggest not having any part of the course in the first 5 miles to let people spread out
2) I thought the Heed was nasty
3) Although the race might not be big enough for pace teams, I think there should be some kind of organization at the starting line, maybe have signs for a minute/mile pace to line everyone up. I was trying to pass walkers in the first 100 ft. These people should have had enough sense to be at the end of the line, but I guess not.
4) This is a must - Need to get rid of the house arrest tether chip and switch to the one in the shoe. Started bothering me around mile 16 and I switched it at 18, but I still have some nasty chaffing on my ankle.

I enjoyed this marathon. The (paved) paths along the Ohio River are wonderful and the parks are even better. I loved the drum band. We got off course twice in the park and hope the course can become foolproof. I agree that the Heed beverage could be improved upon. Overall, this was one of my favorite marathons.

Everything was perfect - even the course was well marked or had a volunteer to keep you going in the right direction. The only complaint - a hot day and us slow runners need more water, especially over the last 6 miles. I don't know if they ran out, but every mile instead of every two miles would have been better....

I love this race and will be back. It's a very good race - that needs more recognition. The shoe design on the shirt and medal was awesome.

Finally, a marathon that allowed me to sleep in! The starting location was great in that it allowed access with virtually no traffic problems, plenty of parking space, an 8am start time and a host hotel right at the location. I have never had such easy access to a marathon start and that was wonderful.

The course was very nice, definitely flat and shaded throughout much of the run. I rather enjoy the urban runs that go through downtown and communities and this run lacks that. Almost no spectators, other than those there to cheer on someone they knew, but the few that were there were very supportive. The volunteers were fantastic.

'GatorAde' and 'Heed' are not interchangeable words and I was disappointed to find that it was actually Heed that was served rather than the advertised Gatorade. No biggie but Heed is definitely an inferior product, IHMO. Also, I wish all runs provided technical shirts. Those would be great advertisement, especially for the smaller races, since people wear them in other races.

Overall, great run, great organization and, while it isn't one I'll do again, I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the area.

I'm a Louisville native and will be the 1st to admit this race is a well kept secret. It doesn't get much if any press outside the running community...but that's okay. It's definitely not Chicago, but that's okay too. Personally I ran Chicago last year and it was a lot of fun. This race was equally rewarding for me for totally different reasons. You run Chicago for the crowds, the atmosphere, to participate in a 'big' race. I ran Louisville for different reasons. With the Louisville marathon you get a fast, scenic, uncrowded (less than a 1000 runners including the 1/2 marathon runners), friendly race at a bargain price. If you need lots of crowd support this is probably not your race. Personally I really appreciate the contrast from the races like Chicago. If you're ready for a change of pace from the big marathons this race is definitely worth considering.

This is a low-key, scenic and well-organized marathon. The course is basically flat, with much of it going alongside the Ohio River or through scenic parks and wooded paths. The volunteers were enthusiastic, as were the few spectators that were sprinkled throughout the course. I would have preferred Gatorade to Heed, but the PB&J at the end of the race was a nice touch. All-in-all a very enjoyable experience and am glad I made the trip down from New York City for this race.

The 2007 Louisville was my first marathon ever. Traffic was well-blocked off, and the course managed to take advantage of the riverside bike paths and parks. It was relatively flat (just two steep inclines). The water situation held out (Deer Park 8-oz'ish mini-bottles and tasteless Heed electrolyte solution). I had been worried since they had forecast 84 F for late in the race, but some cloud-cover and a nice, gentle breeze helped.

I love this race! It's small, accessible and well organized. The weather is usually beautiful: cool and crisp, with '06 as an exception. With the small field, it feels like a long morning run. It passes the city and winds along the river through woods, golf courses, parks and some tree-covered neighborhood streets. I say pooh pooh to all those who complain about spectators and the flavor of the water and loops - we ran through parks, for crying out loud. It's only confusing if you're not paying attention. If you want a party or a pat on the back, go to NY or Chicago. If you want to challenge yourself and run a great race, Louisville is it.

We had a fairly cold day, low 50's at the start and high 40's later with a brutal headwind most of the first half, although we had a tailwind coming home. The course was pretty scenic, and volunteers were generally pretty enthusiastic, although they could have been a bit better prepared at some water stops. While water was always offered, I literally had to stop to get Gu and Gatorade on more than one occasion, which caused me to lose time, although at 3:09, I can't complain too much. Water stops were also spaced a bit far, up to 3 miles at points. Also, there was no chip time, although that only cost me 3 seconds. At the finish, a volunteer handed me my medal still contained in a plastic packet. I've run 9 marathons now and won few medals in other events and can't remember an event where they didn't put the medal around my neck. I am grateful to the volunteers for braving the cold and windy day, but after running 26.2 miles, it's pretty deflating when they don't even offer to hang your medal around your neck. All that said, I have recommended this course to others trying to qualify for Boston over Chicago and other courses.