Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon - Louisville, Kentucky - Running

The Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon is a Running race in Louisville, Kentucky consisting of a Marathon and Half Marathon.

The GE Appliances Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon & Marathon is a long-standing tradition held every spring in Kentucky. It has become the largest annual day of road racing in the state. Participants will start at Louisville Slugger Field in downtown Louisville and run through numerous neighborhoods, experiencing all aspects of our wonderful city, including a run through the infield of historic Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Then cross the finish line at Lynn Family Stadium, home of Louisville FC and Racing Louisville where they will be created by family and friends for our post race party!

This year, Derby Festival will return to a more traditional course for the same distances (13.1 & 26.2 miles), but may still have some changes as part of the health & safety precautions we're taking to provide a secure race experience.

The miniMarathon will run 13.1 miles starting on main street at Louisville Slugger field running through Churchill Downs and finishing at Lynn Family Stadium home of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville.
The Marathon course will follow the miniMarathon course, then split at the 12.5 mile mark. Marathon runners will continue on across the Big Four Walking Bridge into Southern Indiana, and run an out and back route along the Ohio River Greenway, before also finishing at Lynn Family Stadium.
All race participants will get to experience the sights of beautiful downtown Louisville, the historic Old Louisville neighborhood, and parts of the scenic Olmstead Park System among other attractions as they run.
Course Overview

The course will be looped (starting and finishing within the same few blocks), beginning in downtown Louisville at the intersection of Main Street and Preston Street and ending at Lynn Family Stadium (home of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC) for the Finish Line celebration.
The miniMarathon and front half of the Marathon will return to a more traditional route through downtown, into the West End, through Old Louisville and the South End, where once again runners will have the opportunity to enjoy the iconic run through Churchill Downs. Then all runners will return to downtown and Slugger Field, where the miniMarathon runners will turn down the final stretch and Marathon runners will continue on to the back-half of their race.
At the split, Marathon participants will continue on to cross the Big Four Bridge and continue along the Ohio River Greenway in Southern Indiana, similar to the 2021 modified course. The Greenway will take Marathon runners through New Albany, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville, all the while offering stunning views of the Ohio River, the iconic bridges that link Louisville and Southern Indiana, and the downtown Louisville Skyline.
This year's course is fairly flat, with the steepest parts being the climb to the top of the Big Four Bridge and back down. The Elevation Gain for the course is +507 ft, with the maximum grade being 2.4% and the minimum grade being -2.5%.
Race Details

Race participants should not use Bicycles, Skateboards, Scooters, Baby Joggers, Strollers, Roller Skates and Roller Blades to complete the course
Headphones are allowed, but safety is cautioned with use of headphones, earbuds, air buds, etc.
Water Stations and restrooms along the race course