Kentucky Derby Festival unveils race medals

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The race medals have been unveiled for the GE Appliances Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon.

The miniMarathon, the Marathon and the Marathon Relay each have their own design featuring an outline of the GE Appliances miniMarathon and Marathon logo in black nickel. The miniMarathon medal has a large number 50 front and center that’s trimmed in metallic silver and gold for the milestone of its 50th run, according to a release. The Marathon and Relay medals have the distance of 26.2 miles in the design.

“Seeing participants cross the finish line is one of the highlights of every Derby Festival.” Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO Matt Gibson said in the release. “Whether it’s the miniMarathon, Marathon or Relay, achieving that goal deserves recognition. We want our finisher medals to stand out and showcase that accomplishment.”

The annual spring race started with the miniMarathon back in 1974 with just 301 runners. It has now added the Marathon and now attracts an average of 10,000 to 12,000 runners to Louisville. Finisher medals were introduced to the miniMarathon in the late 90s. The medals featured everything from the race logo and colors to the city skyline, Louisville landmarks, a horseshoe, and the outline of Kentucky over the years.

The GE Appliances Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon is set for Saturday, April 29. The in-person races will start at 7 a.m. on Main Street near Slugger Field and finish on Adams Street, just outside of the Lynn Family Stadium, the official finish line for both races, according to a release.

This year’s races are capped at 10,000 runners total and are over 50% full and registration can be done by clicking or tapping here. Those who want to run can use the code MEDAL23 to save 15% on registration thru Feb. 5.

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