This is a great fall alternative to the big, commercial marathons. Organization was superb... packet pick-up was easy, host hotel was fine, start went off on time, course was well marked, measurements seemed accurate, water and aid stations were where they were supposed to be. Volunteers were pleasant and enthusiastic. Course was an interesting mix of urban and some beautiful parks on a generally flat, fast course.

The Good:
1. The course is relatively flat and very fast. Lots of people set PRs on this course ? myself included. It had enough little hills to keep your legs from getting stale, but no major climbs.
2. The logistics were very easy. Packet pick-up was quick and painless. The host hotel was a 5 minute walk from the start line. The port-o-potty lines were never too long, because most people just waited until the last minute to leave their rooms.
3. PERFECT weather ? 40 at the start, gentle breeze and sunshine.
4. Lots of friendly volunteers on the course.
5. Nice trophies for overall and age group winners.

The not-so-good:
1. Water was handed out in little plastic jugs, and tasted like chalk. It was really nasty. I have a feeling this will be corrected for next year though, since everyone complained about it!
2. There were some odd little twisty turny parts of the course ? like a sidewalk ramp that forced you to make four 180 degree turns to get up (and down) it. Usually there were volunteers to direct you but sometimes you had to follow chalk markings.
3. Not much food afterwards or much of an awards ceremony.
4. No small T-shirts.

Overall, the good points of this race far outweigh the minor problems. I had a great time and I would recommend this race to anyone who likes small marathons and is looking for a PR or a Boston qualifier!

This is a really nice regional race. RD and local running community puts on a good show.

The course is indeed flat and lends itself to a good performance. Traffic control was good. Aid stations fine - had four chances to pick up Hammer Gel on the course.

Loved this year's shirt!

Here are a few constructive comments.

- Lose the Ultima drink. Really need to go to Gatorade or something with a carb in it. No one trains with Ultima. The stuff does mess up one's digestive system. I would like to see a carb sports drink every 2 miles. I'd happily pay an extra $5 for that.

- Bagels were not too good.

- OK medal. Might consider a change in design.

All the comments below are pretty spot on. Essentially, this is an out-and-back with a couple little loops and a bypass. Mix of asphalt trail and concrete roads. Good mile markers coupled with arrows painted on the ground. In a few places where you loop through parks, it got ever-so-slightly more confusing... but not really. Good volunteers.

Hammer gel at two locations, which really meant four times we had access to it. Water stops were a little far apart, but not too bad - and they all had sports drink. The cups said Ultima, the volunteers said Gatorade... my stomach wasn't sure.

Race director describes the course as very flat, which it mostly is, but pancake flat it is not. There are a couple 'lip up' hills, each a block or so long, and there are several 1-2 mile inclines (subtle ones, but your legs will know). As an out-and-back, though, you just remind yourself that what goes up must come down on the way back.

The course wasn't overly interesting, but it was nice. They had a detour through a neighborhood because part of the river trail was covered in mud (and river)... the detour was the prettiest part :-). If this race gets more crowded than this year, even by a little, the race director should consider starting the half 15-30 minutes after the full.
Yes, that will require two clocks. However, it would ensure that marathoners clear the really skinny part of the trail between miles 7-9. It was packed and almost dangerous with the two-way traffic of half marathoners returning at full speed after their turn-around. Would be better and less clogged for both marathoners and half marathoners if the m-ers are already past that point when halfers turn around.

BTW, there are no clocks and no one calling splits along the course. As it is a small race, I didn't care. That's why we have watches. But it is something you might care about. The weather was wonderful. Started cold, but warmed to 55ish over time. Blue sky.

Packet pickup was very simple; no expo. This is not a ding - it's what to expect at a little race. The host hotel (Ramada) was easy in/out, and although it is an old place, it was very clean. Good shirt. So-so medal, but this is a club race, not an RnR production.

Side notes: everyone that was associated with the race was extremely helpful. Many other folks I encountered in louisville were less so. Not everyone, but lots of people (at the hotel, at restaurants, at the airport) seemed to be put out by actually having a customer to deal with. Sigh.

50-staters - along with Old Mulkey (run a week later), this is a good choice for Kentucky. I think Mulkey is a better race by just a little bit... but if you are traveling far, especially in a plane, then Louisville is extremely easy to deal with. And you can go buy a Louisville Slugger.

Overall, a good experience. Met my expectations for a small, club race. My time did not meet my expectations, but that's my problem.

Ran the race on 17 Oct 04. The weather was perfect... nice and cool. There was little to no wind. I found the course to be very flat which makes it great for a PR course. The crowd support was generally located at the water stops and so if you need spectators to motivate you to run then do not do this one. Overall, I thought the race was excellent and would love to do it again and try and beat the PR I achieved this time.

The organizers must have corrected the traffic problem noted in previous years because there were no cars anywhere. It was a road runners paradise running down (during certain parts) miles of 3-4 lane wide, newly paved, residential street. I loved it!

Additionally, they gave water in little bottles which made it easier to run through the water stops and drink water while actually getting water in my mouth.
Special note: The trumpet (?) player at the beginning of the marathon was really great.

The Louisville Marathon is a small race with only between 250-300 runners. Hospitality was great and the course was good. We had to do an alternate route for 4 miles because part of the river walk was under mud. It went fine. The course was well-marked and scenic, along the Ohio River. If you do this race, I recommend staying at the Ramada Inn, as it is across the street from the start and you can walk there in 5 minutes. I would definitely say that this is a good race to do.

While this marathon doesn't receive the fanfare of its spring companion, the KY Derby Marathon, it's still a very scenic, very fast, & well-organized course.

At first glance this course looks like a simple out-and-back layout. It actually had several nice variations and loops through 5 or 6 parks that lined the Louisville riverfront.

I'd definitely recommend for those looking for a fast fall marathon. Why wouldn't I? I just qualified for Boston on it with a 3:15:15 - finally!

I came into the race slightly undertrained, but managed to PR by 12 minutes; HOWEVER it would have been by more like 14-15 had I not gotten lost TWICE!

I actually liked the low-key atmosphere. Few spectators. Small race. Almost felt like you were out on a training run through the park, which was relaxing. But because there were stretches where there was no one around you and the course was poorly marked, a lot of people took wrong turns. At one point, you are running under a bridge. I ran about 2 minutes out of my way there- until the path ended.

The course was semi-out-and back, which I like. The last 3-4 miles are downhill and that, combined with the fact that I had some extra juice made it fun to actually run a negative split marathon (my first time doing that!).

A minor complaint- I always hate running a marathon alongside 1/2 marathoners. Luckily here, they turned around at about mile 7. When a marathon's 2 laps of the 1/2 marathon course, I always wonder why all these people are passing me at mile 11-12, and then get lonely the last loop after 2/3 of the people are done.

Despite the frustrating problems of this race, I will be back. I did enjoy it, and really liked the course. Now that I know where it's supposed to go, I won't make navigational mistakes!

Add this one to your list! Louisville showed wonderful hospitality to its out-of-town guests. Packet pick-up was easy and plenty of volunteers to provide course information. The Ramada Inn was clean, comfortable and reasonable and the staff was fantastic. The scenery alone was enough to keep you going and parts of it were like running in the woods. The weather was great for October. Plenty of water and volunteers at the aid stations. Just a few areas where we might have needed a little more direction - especially as our brains grew as tired as our feet. I'll do this one again!

My compliments to the running club for a well organized race. The course was well marked. Nice big colored signs for marathon mile-markers and a different color for the half marathon. There was a substantial amount of concrete to endure and my feet paid the price, but I tuned that out and soaked up the incredible weather and gorgeous fall scenery. Overall, a very good experience.