The Kentucky Derby Festival marathon is on! First details on the course, medal design for 2024

The Kentucky Derby Festival has announced exciting news for its 2024 miniMarathon and Marathon participants including the race course, the launch of the annual free training program, and a spectacular new finisher medal.

Here’s what to know as you plan for the popular spring races.

What is the 2024 GE Appliances KDF mini/Marathon race course?

Runners from all 50 states and several countries come to Louisville on the last Saturday in April to race, so we’ll start with the course for the 51st annual GE Appliances miniMarathon and the 23rd run of the GE Appliances Marathon.

The 13.1-mile miniMarathon and the 26.2-mile full marathon course for both races will move back to Kentucky for the first time since 2019. The Marathon has been split between Kentucky and Southern Indiana since the pandemic, so 2024 will mark the return of the full Marathon to Louisville’s south end.

“Our race has a long history with Iroquois Park and the neighborhoods along Southern Parkway and it’s something we know our runners have missed,” Chris Martini, Kentucky Derby Festival Race Director, said. “We look forward to taking the Marathon course back to its roots for 2024 and know the community and south Louisville will come out and cheer on our runners.”

The race, which attracts between 10,000 and 12,000 runners to Louisville every spring, is the only course in the world that includes a lap around the infield of historic Churchill Downs. Both the miniMarathon and Marathon take runners through downtown Louisville, the historic Old Louisville neighborhood, and parts of the picturesque Olmsted Park System among other attractions.

The in-person races start simultaneously at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, on Main Street, near Louisville Slugger Field, and then finish on Adams Street, just outside of the Lynn Family Stadium, the Official Finish Line for both the mini and Marathon. The complete course map and details will be available to runners in the coming weeks.

What does the finisher medal for the 2024 KDf mini/Marathon look like?

Once you’ve gone the distance, a very special medal will be waiting for you at the finish line.

For the first time, every person taking part in the GE Appliances miniMarathon and Marathon will receive a rose after finishing the race on April 27. This rose is front and center on the Finisher’s Medal to commemorate Kentucky’s largest day of road racing and celebrate the historic 150th Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby Festival teamed up with Churchill Downs on the design of this year’s unique medal, which spotlights the Kentucky Derby’s signature color palette with a red rose set against a black background complemented by gold accents.

“Churchill Downs is thrilled that this year, as we prepare for the 150th Run for the Roses, thousands of athletes from all over the country and world will have the opportunity to run for their rose in the Derby Festival races,” Tonya Abeln, vice president of Communications for Churchill Downs Incorporated said. “We hope with each stride they find inspiration in following the path of the great runners before them, Secretariat, Citation, Barbaro — so many legends who have contributed to the magic of the Kentucky Derby.”

Are there training groups for the GE Appliances mini/Marathon?

It’s always more fun to prepare for distance races with a group. That’s where Norton Sports Health comes to the rescue with its free training program. Registration opens online on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at DerbyFestivalMarathon.com. This program is packed with in-person training options to get participants ready for race day.

Current rates are $75 for the miniMarathon and $85 for the Marathon. In addition the Derby Festival is also offering a Marathon Relay ($325) for teams of three to five runners, as well as the virtual miniMarathon and Marathon ($50) for those who prefer to run at their own pace.

More information is available at DerbyFestivalMarathon.com, along with FAQs to help answer questions about the 2024 event.

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.