At one point I passed friends of mine and actually said, "I'm so bored!" That has NEVER happened.

The medals were tiny, there was a flaky staff of volunteers (who didn't know anything about the course, gel or water - and half of them THOUGHT there was a bag check but weren't sure).

The course is just plain boring!!!! And it was run on ALL cement... holy OUCH!

The race website was terrible. Three weeks after the 2009 race, the website still has information for the 2008 race listed. The site was never updated! The race price was even increased without notice. Emails were never returned. No photographer for the race and the results were never posted on the website.

The course itself is pretty nice. Very flat but disappointing that more of it didn't go through the city. The trail through the woods is very nice. The volunteers were great! Bottled waters were handed out, as was HEED sports drink. The spectators were few and far between - not good if you like that sort of thing. Nice tech shirts. Medals were tiny - about the size of a silver dollar. Same medals for both the half and full marathons. After-race food was very limited.

I wouldn't suggest this race for a first-timer, as you might be very disappointed on what the whole marathon "event" is all about. However, if you want a flat, fast course, this is a good race to run.

I should have known what to expect when I reviewed the race website: old photos, old results, dead links, and a very poor course map. The course was a nice, fairly flat out-and-back, and the volunteers were great. Organization was poor. The marathon course measured 26.34 by my Garmin (not even close). They never posted results on-site or online after the race. No certificates, small medals and one table of food after. I would not suggest this one to anyone - if they even have it again!

This is definitely a no-frills race. The course is not bad; it's relatively flat. But you do not see a ton of Louisville on the course - mostly the riverfront. Very few spectators on the course. The few that were there were very nice. The volunteers were great. The website for the race is not good. The race shirt is very nice, but the medal is small and the marathoners and the half marathoners received the same medal. There are also no clocks throughout the course. The race director is very nice. It is not a bad race, but I do not recommend this for a first marathon. I think with some changes this could be a great race.

The HEED drink needs to go. Bad taste.

I ran this race as a "tune up" for a Boston qualifier in December 2009. The race is flat and fast except for a couple little inclines. Overall a good course and lovely volunteers.

The race director could certainly use some skill adjustments in communication, as I've emailed this person twice since returning from the race and will probably never hear from him/her. I find that completely insane. Anyway, there is a lack of timing mats - except at the start and finish - which leaves you to wonder how many folks might take a little break out in the woods and then take a turn back to the finish for a BQ time. Something the race director should think about. Not even a 10K or half-marathon mat or halfway mat. That seems rather odd to me.

Overall, I would not run this race again as I like organization and I did pay a hefty price for what little I got. I must also agree with others about the HEED on the course. Why?? There are much better, affordable sports drinks out there. Blehck.

I ran this race to check KY off the list. It was advertised as flat, and while it was mostly flat, the course had more hills than anticipated and described throughout the course.

Pros: Small race and relatively flat course; volunteers were nice at the race.

Cons: The race website was awful, the course map was not updated and still read "2006," so it was hard to know what you were actually running; FAQs say that the race starts/ends downtown by the Louisville Slugger Bat Museum, but that is incorrect and should be updated (hard for out-of-town runners to choose a hotel). Heed sports drink is not tolerated by many runners - better to stick to Gatorade or PowerAde.

Very pleasant, small marathon. Flat course with nice view of the Ohio River. Easy access to the hotel, and the race finish line was a lot of fun. A great, small marathon. I will do this one again.

Great little marathon. Course is flat and run near sea-level. I've run six marathons and this was by far the fastest course I've run. The only hills consisted of little, 50-yard hills running up and down from levies a few times. Bottled water was given at aid stations, which made for easy drinking. Towards the end, I would have liked to have seen more energy drinks. Volunteers were great at the stations, passing out oranges and bananas. The race was a bit cold at first, so wear gloves and a hat. However, by mile three, I shed both my gloves and hat.

While the medal is very small (about the size of a half-dollar), the shirt is nice AND they even let me try on the shirt at the pick-up to make sure the size worked.

This is a race that's hard to get excited about. The course is pretty and flat but also monotonous and desolate. Other than the wonderful volunteers at the water stops there is no organization to speak of. The website was basically abandoned three days after the race; the times and photos haven't been posted. (I suspect they never will be.) No clocks or timing pads along the way. No differentiation between marathoners and half-marathoners - same color numbers, same shirts, same medals. This is a fine race if you've run many others. But if you're looking to run the first (and perhaps only) marathon of your life, you'll want to choose something more memorable.

If you like the large marathon/large expo experience, then this is NOT for you. However, if you don't mind a smaller race with no expo (one local vendor with nutrition bars/gels), this is a very good race.

The course is mainly an out-and-back along the Ohio River and by Slugger Field and the waterfront. There are a couple of small loops around three different parks. It is relatively flat. The biggest hill was just after mile 19, but it was not a killer by any means.

Race time temp was 35 degrees, so I started heavily clothed with gloves and hat - the whole deal. It is very nice that the course passes the start line around Mile 3, and I threw a lot of the warmer stuff off then.

If you want to do a marathon in Louisville for the size, do the Derby Festival in April. If you want an easier course and don't mind it being a little smaller, do this one.