LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  Thousands of runners woke up bright and early to run in the 50th annual Derby Festival Mini Marathon.LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Thousands of runners woke up bright and early to run in the 50th annual Derby Festival Mini Marathon.

What You Need To Know

  • Over 9,000 runners ran in Derby Festival races 

  • Races include wheelchair division, miniMarathon, marathon and marathon relay

  • The course ran down Main Street through southern Indiana, through Churchill Downs and finished at Lynn Family Stadium

  • Other Derby Festival events this week include the Pegasus Parade and the Mayor’s Brunch

19-year-old Andrew Patterson is no stranger to running races.

“This is going to be my fourth year now and I’m really excited to do good this year,” said Patterson as he was warming up near the starting line. 

He says running is more than a physical workout. 

“I love the mental aspect. I think once you really get nine to ten miles, that’s when it’s just mental. I love challenging myself and pushing myself. That’s why I do it.” Patterson said. 

Runners like Patterson ran from Main Street through Churchill Downs and all the way to Lynn Family Stadium for 13.1 miles. 

Runners have been training hard for the race. 

“I put about forty to forty-five miles a week on my legs. I felt like I was really prepared to go. I went through the ten mile mark and I still felt like I had a lot of juice left,” said Patterson. 

His training paid off. 

 “My unofficial time was 1 hour, 28 minutes,8 seconds. So for me, that’s a seven second personal best. I feel like I went out real strong and especially at the end I left it all out there.” Said Patterson. 

He looks forward to more races and more miles for years to come. 

Other races ran today include the marathon, the wheelchair division, and the marathon relay. All the winner information is at KDF’s website.

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