By John Boel
Let's face it. In recent years, the Kentucky Derby Festival MiniMarathon and Marathon have been slipping. I'm not talking about numbers of runners, although the marathon has never really taken off from the roughly 1,000 or so who have run each year since it was added. I'm talking about the spectators, and the atmosphere.
I've run this race 19 straight times — 14 or 15 minis, and then I went to the marathon when it was added. The last few years have been disappointing to me when it comes to the crowd. They wouldn't even come out very strong when the balloon race was cancelled and there was nothing else going on.
But I have to tell you that I am blown away by what I just experienced in the 2007 version of this wonderful event. I had heard the day before that the number of runners had ballooned to over 10,000. I had no idea how huge the crowd would be and how lively the “aesthetics” surrounding the race would turn out.
The Derby Festival delivered on its promise to string more bands along the route. In the recent past, you needed some kind of headphone music source because of the silence surrounding the pain. This year, there seemed to be music around every corner. And it was good music, the kind of music that motivates people to run faster. The bands engaged the runners in other ways than music too. But the church choir, by far, stole
the show. Everyone was buzzing about how different and inspiring that was.
Moving the start line around the corner to Southern and Taylor was brilliant too. My favorite spot in the race was always that point anyway, when you come down out of the park after completing 3 miles of hills and you get to exhale and relax on the long, flat Southern Parkway. This way spectators can watch the start and hang around a bit and catch everyone coming out of the park right there at the 6-mile mark.
In the past, it was always difficult to move around and catch your loved one running by in different spots along the route. Adding instant text messages and e-mail alerts at different increments along the race route is another great move. People feel more connected than ever to the race even if they're many miles away.
One of the biggest problems they faced in this race was what happens to marathon runners when they branch off at the 12-mile mark. The only thing worse than having to run 14 more miles, when 90 percent of the people you've been running with are in the final mile with a screaming throng lining their route, is having to do the 14 miles in no man's land. The Scream Teams they tried to set up on the marathon to offset this problem used to be lame. They were great this year.
In the first few years, the marathon course ended by heading way out into the west end and then turning around way out near 22nd Street and coming all the way back. It was really depressing to be deep into a marathon and have to pass by the finish line, knowing you had to run way out into the west end and back. But they've changed the course to take advantage of the 2nd Street bridge and the river view. Aesthetically, it's great. Physically, it's a pain. Think about it: that bridge is about a mile long. Half of it is an uphill taper. So running across and back means you're running a total of 1 mile that's all uphill, out of those 2 miles. Did I mention it's near the end of the marathon? Yeah, that's tough. But I still like it better than the way they had it before.
Of course, the headline was the explosion in the number of runners. More than 11,000 runners signed up this year. That's amazing. The downside of that kind of participation is the 50-plus-deep lines to the port-o-lets in the hour before the race. The upside is the successful outcome of the Louisville Triple Crown experiment that was so controversial a few years ago. One of the theories behind making the first leg of the triple crown a 5k is how it would draw in more beginners to these races. And in theory, it would hopefully encourage them to try to work their way up to a half marathon. Critics said it would hurt the mini if it were separated from the triple crown. Looks to me like the change is working.
One thing I don't understand about the race is the staggering statistic I came across afterward. While just over 11,000 people signed up and paid their money, almost 2,000 of them never made it to the starting line. That's amazing. At least in the old days, when people decided to try the mini at the Butchertown Pub happy hour the night before, they actually showed up. So what if they bowed out later, hurling and hung over. Then, there are the things that never change, and hopefully never will. I don't know what his official name is, but the ‘Wild Man' in the park is an integral part of the battle against the hills. He's always there in the middle of nowhere, firing us up in a way that leaves me smiling. I love the nervous anticipation from all the first-timers surrounding me at the start line. I love the crowds lining Southern Parkway for miles and miles non-stop. And I love the feeling of being alive and healthy enough to enjoy all of this.
Oh yeah, did I mention I had a painful race, logging one of my slowest marathon times ever, in which I hobbled on a foot injury for the final 14 miles on two legs filled with lactic acid buildup? Doesn't matter. Out of 19 straight years of participating in this event, it was the best ever. Congratulations to all of you who ran or walked. Thanks to all of you who came out to line the streets. Kudos to those of you in charge of planning. And shame on you if you signed up and then slept in.
