Preface
I have been in Louisville for almost four years and have run the Kentucky Derby Marathon three times.
Since I learned how to run, I have been to many cities one after another, and I have left many miles and words in these cities.
But I really don’t seem to have written much about the Kentucky Derby Marathon or the running party in the city where I live. It would be a bit unreasonable not to record it.
Racetown, Louisville
🏇 Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is a very unfamiliar name. I had never heard of it before coming to the United States.
Just because I haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Louisville, named after French King Louis XVI, is also known as the "Horse Racing Capital" and is famous for its production of bourbon, baseball bats, Muhammad Ali, KFC, and Chinese female football player Wang Shuang.
Of course, Wang Shuang didn't come earlier than me, so even if he saw me, he would still call me "senior".
My French friend Louise Le Barbenchon told me that the "s" in Louis is not pronounced, so this place should be called "Louisville". If you can pronounce the name of this place correctly the first time, you will be highly regarded by the locals.
Every year at the end of April and the beginning of May, in order to celebrate the Kentucky Derby, the city holds a series of dazzling activities, such as the "Thunder Over Louisville" and the Louisville Air Show two weeks before the horse racing.
The best place to watch these two events is the Ohio Riverside. There is usually an air show in the afternoon and a fireworks show in the evening. I really like it. It is really cool, especially when the F22 flies over, my head is buzzing.
The highlight of the event is the fireworks display at night. Fireworks accompanied by music create a charming audio-visual atmosphere.
The first Saturday in May every year is the oldest and most prestigious horse racing event in the United States: the Kentucky Derby.
The first Kentucky Derby was held on May 17, 1875 at Chetford Derby Park, attracting approximately 12,000 spectators.
On the day of the race, spectators from all over the world gather at Churchill Downs. Spectators will dress in fashionable clothes, and women will wear eye-catching hats, which have become a traditional and cultural symbol.
Derby tickets are very expensive, but the Oak Mare Race the day before the race is equally exciting and a little cheaper. 47 and I also went there to experience it.
The Kentucky Derby Marathon is also part of the entire Derby season. Sandwiched between the Aerial Fireworks Festival and the Derby Festival, my favorite weekend is finally coming to the stage.
Kentucky Derby Marathon
🏇 Louisville, Kentucky
The Kentucky Derby Marathon is usually held on the last Saturday in April.
This race was first held in 1974 and has become one of the most popular marathons in the United States. This year alone more than 15,000 runners took part in the race.
The Derby will start near the Louisville Slugger Field and end at Lynn Family Stadium, home of Wang Shuang’s Louisville Athletic Football Team.
The marathon course runs through the streets of downtown Louisville and passes many iconic landmarks, including Old Louisville, the University of Louisville, and Churchill Downs Racetrack. After the half marathon, you can also cross the Ohio River to Indiana and complete the second half of the marathon from another perspective.
On the day of the race, it was a little cloudy and the temperature was just right. We could wear short-sleeves and start running directly. 47 half marathon and I did a full marathon. I also saw Cindy before the race. Today she will be a volunteer and give out medals to everyone.
It was finally time to start running. We started west from the baseball field. The first mile was basically in downtown Lucheng. The most attractive thing about this mile was the two huge landmarks in the city.
One is the Golden David, a 30-foot-tall golden replica of Michelangelo's David located outside the 21c Museum Hotel. The statue was created by Turkish artist Serkan Özkaya.
The other is the world's largest baseball bat at the Louisville Slugger Museum. This 1995 bat is made of steel and weighs 68,000 pounds (30,844 kilograms).
Less than 2 miles later, we arrived at the first supply point. Then, all runners would make a big turn and run eastward in the face of the sunrise.
In front of you is the church spire, and in the distance is the city skyline and the glow of the sunrise.
After 3 miles, there will be a large supply point next to the Transit Authority of River City on the broadway, and there will be photographers taking photos for everyone. There will also be many children greeting everyone in front of the L&N Building next to it.
Then turn right on 4 mile, and we will follow 4 Street, all the way south until Churchill Racecourse.
Along the way, we will first pass several churches, such as Calvary Episcopal Church founded in 1857, Walnut Street Baptist Church founded in 1815, and Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church founded in 1888.
I have been to Walnut Street several times. It is very gorgeous. I also attended Ryan's wedding there. The grandmother who organized the wedding said that her grandmother got married here, her mother got married here, and she also got married here. It is a great inheritance.
Then, at mile 5, we will go around to Central Park between 6th Street and 5th Street. In the summer, there are often performances of Shakespeare plays and food trucks here, which is suitable for families to enjoy weekend evenings together.
The Historic Old Louisville Neighborhood surrounding the park is a very beautiful neighborhood where the St. James Court Art Show is held every year.
St. James Court is famous for its Victorian architecture and tree-lined streets. The exhibition covers a wide variety of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, and more. The St. James Court Art Show is one of the oldest and most prestigious art shows in the United States, attracting many artists and visitors every year. Typically held in early October, it attracts artists and visitors from across the United States.
Then on mile 6 we passed near the house I rented in "Old Louisville". Although the house was very old, it was quite comfortable.
In fact, this area is called Old Louisville. It is the third largest historic preservation area in the United States. It has the largest collection of restored Victorian homes in the United States. The community consists of more than 40 blocks of Victorian-era homes. I heard that the color of the exterior of the house cannot be changed at will, probably to protect historical relics.
Then, we walked across the main campus of the University of Louisville, with the dining hall Vill Grill on the left and the gym SRC on the right. Everything was so familiar.
Then, we turned right at mile 7, and Churchill Downs was not far away. We ran towards the twin spiers, and then, like vigorous riders, we plunged into this glorious racecourse with a history of 150 years.
Runners will not run directly on the horse racing track, but across the racecourse and leave at mile 8.5, passing through a dark passage with cheering crowds outside.
Next, the running route will turn back along Third Street, and everyone will follow a straight route through the Louisville campus. In the middle, you can also see my office and the school library, where there will be cheering crowds and students. There is also a handover point for the relay team, which looks very lively.
After leaving the campus, the race route returns to Old Louisville again and extends all the way to the 12-mile mark in Downtown before starting to spread westward. I also stopped near mile 11 to get some supplies.
Before mile 12, we will pass by the KFC Yum! Center, which is an NBA-level stadium. This stadium was opened in 2010 with a construction cost of US$238 million. It is now the NCAA home of the Louisville basketball team. NBA star Donovan Mitchell should also have played here for Louisville.
It also attracts many other events and ranks 50th on Pollstar Magazine's list of concert and show ticket sales.
Then, the half-marathon runners will return to the finish line, and we full-marathon runners will climb up the Big Four Bridge after 13 miles and run along the Ohio River scenery toward Jeffersonville, Indiana.
This bridge was built in 1929 as a six-span railway truss bridge. It is also one of my favorite places in Lucheng, perfect for walking or watching the scenery.
When we come to Indiana, we will run northwest along the Ohio River and see Louisville from a different angle, which will give us some different feelings.
In particular, the bridges spanning the Ohio River are particularly magnificent. If we talk about the first half of the race, what impressed me most was the urban culture and accumulation of Lucheng. The second half of the race was more about the natural scenery and the waves of running friends.
Around mile 16, we will run up the green embankment in Clarksville. The sides are lush and lush, and the running is very comfortable. It feels like running the second half of the Han Marathon on the East Lake Greenway.
Here, I met Manivannan Vangalur, the super god of our running community. He distributed supplies and cheers to everyone here. I met him at 16 mile, 19 mile and 24 mile respectively, and I received great encouragement every time.
After mile 16, Tavi’s 4:30 group caught up with me, and I followed for a while until I strategically gave up at mile 20.
Then when I looked up, my Indian friend Raj was coming towards me. He should still have some distance before turning back. We fist bumped and hurried on.
On the way back, I said hello to Glenn, the rabbit at 5:00, and came to Patrick’s supply point at mile 22.5 to replenish some energy.
There is an interactive monument called "Rosie the Riveter" in front of mile 23, with the words "We Can Do It!" written on the front. "Rosie the Riveter" is a cultural symbol representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II. It also symbolizes the collective empowerment of American women and the independence of women in the workplace.
At mile 24, Mani gave me some gummies to replenish my sugar. I was a little surprised how he teleported here.
Crossing the senior bridge, I finally returned to Kentucky!
My physical condition was still very good. I jogged all the way and crossed the finish line in more than 4 hours and 40 minutes, which was not bad.
The party after the race was at Racing Louisville's home court, Xiao Mushroom was volunteering, Cindy had gone home, and 47 had already finished the race.
I took a group photo with 47 and Xiao Mushroom. At that moment, I saw a runner wearing Arsenal clothes who had just finished the race. I quickly applied for a photo with him of his Arsenal comrades.
The party after the race was quite lively. We also saw Jim and Christine and had a brief chat. Then I took a bunch of photos of the medals and went home with a bit of excitement.
After the game, I found that there were quite a few official photos, so I selected some and included them in this article.
Postscript
I think there is no better way to get to know this city than a marathon. Four years have passed in a flash. If I hadn’t written this article, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to study in detail “What is this building?” and “What is the name of that street?”
It took me some time to sort out the text and photos. I am more organized this year and I don’t want to be a New Year’s Day guy anymore. I took advantage of my missed flight in Chicago to finish most of this article.
Finally, I really like the Derby Marathon training camp organized by Stephanie Fish. The chocolate juice after every training always makes me think it is the best drink in the world, but every time I buy it myself, it doesn’t taste good at all.
Patrick Messenger’s track training every Tuesday always allows me to learn different techniques and training methods; and my friends from Fleet Feet, Myrdin Thompson is really a very nice organizer.
I like our running community, so I always drag my friends to run. I am very happy that my Turkish friend Fatih Usta participated in many small running competitions after returning to Istanbul and also collected some medals. He said that 47 and I gave him Motivation when we were in Louisville, and we also made an appointment to run the Istanbul Marathon together one day.
There is also my Bangladeshi friend Sumit Paul. When we ran the Ice Cream 5k last year, he was still panting and counting down the first few. This year I always asked him to take cycling classes. He made great progress and led the way.
There is also Ryan, a newly-minted Louisville horse racing expert who has set new PRs in the Joe Creason Parkrun 5k every time and is about to usher in his first full marathon.
Needless to say, 47, Marathoner!
It's like, "If you're not sick, who's listening to Secondhand Rose? If you're not sick, who's running a marathon?" I admit, running a marathon seems too extreme for most people, but maybe your knees are stronger than you think.
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Words | Arsenan
Photos | Arsenan
Design | Arsenan