Events
Half Marathon
Description
Come Run With The Horses in Lexington in our 10th Annual Horse Cap!
Join us on Saturday, April 12, 2025, for the 10th Annual Horse Capital Marathon & Half Marathon. Run on one of the most beautiful marathon/half marathon courses in the United States, passing over 50 Central Kentucky horse farms. You will never be out of sight of a horse farm!
RACE FEATURES
- Scenic country course passing by 50+ Central Kentucky Horse Farms
- Long sleeved performance/tech shirts
- Custom finisher's medals
- Kentucky Horse Country inspired awards
- Post Race Massage/Stretching
- Free Race Photos - 2 Photographers
- 17 Hydration Stations serving water and electrolyte drink (8 stations on half)
- Race Pacers (Thanks ForWord Running)
- Convenient location to I-75/64 with 8 Hotels within 3 miles of Start/Finish
- Virtual option for those who can't join the race in person
Our race will start at 7:30am from the Kentucky Horse Park Campground Area. A short section (beginning and end of the race) will be on the Legacy Trail with 98% being in scenic Central Kentucky country roads passing by 50+ Central Kentucky horse farms.
This race will be staged in Lexington, Kentucky, commonly referred to as the Horse Capital of the World. Our Marathon/Half Marathon will begin together at 7:30am and will have a 6-hour maximum duration (per our city permit). This means that those competing in the marathon must keep a 14 minute 30 second/mile pace or better to complete the race in time.
PACKET PICKUP -- PLANS WILL BE ANNOUNCED CLOSER TO RACE WEEKEND
All in-person and virtual participants will receive a 10th Annual commemorative performance/technical shirts and finishers' medals and a run through a beautiful, rolling course through Horse County.
Our race benefits Bluegrass Farms Charities who are the "Heart & Hands of Thoroughbred Racing." Founded in 2003, Blue Grass Farms Charities is a unique 501(c)(3)nonprofit dedicated to providing health and human services to people working in Central Kentucky's Thoroughbred industry.
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MARATHON (26.2) ROUTE (1260 elevation, 17 hydration stations)
HALF MARATHON (13.1) ROUTE (570 elevation, 8 hydration stations)
HOTELS NEAR RACE VENUE There are 8-10 hotels located within 3 miles of the Kentucky Horse Park (Including Fairfield Inn, Embassy Suites, Marriott Griffin Gate Resort, GLo Hotel, La Quinta Inn, Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, Residence Inn by Marriott). We do not have any room blocks with these hotels as it is horse racing season at Keeneland Race Track so the hotels don't enter into those arrangements in April. Here is a HOTEL LIST of these hotels off I-64/i-75 most at Newtown Pike (Exit 115)
GPS ADDRESS FOR THE RACE: 3785 Campground Road, Lexington, KY 40511 (It is NOT 4089 Iron Works Parkway - This address will take you to the KY Horse Park). We are not holding the race inside of the KY Horse Park.
Come Run With The Horses!
Finisher's Medal
We will reveal our 10th Annual Horse Cap Finishers Medal in the near future. The photo shown is of our 2024 Finisher's Medal.
You can have your name and finish time engraved on the back after the race. Our friends from Finish Line Engravers will be there doing the engraving.
Place
3785 Campground Road
Lexington, KY US 40511
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Blue Grass Farms Charities --- Our Race Charity Beneficiary
Our race charity beneficiary is Blue Grass Farms Charities. 100% of participant donations and partial proceeds will benefit this worthy local charity supporting the thoroughbred horse industry in Central Kentucky.
MISSION
Founded in 2003, Blue Grass Farms Charities is a 501(c) 3 non profit corporation EIN#20-0374962 devoted to providing health and human services to people working in all aspects of the Thoroughbred industry in Central Kentucky.
Race Website
Additional race information can be found at http://www.horsecapitalmarathon.com/.
Sponsors
MARATHON ROUTE/DETAILS
The Full Marathon route starts at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground area on the paved Legacy Trail. Runners will proceed on the Legacy Trail for 1/4 mile until intersecting with Iron Works Pike. Right turn on Iron Works, Right turn on Mt. Horeb (long out and back), Left on Old Lemmons Mill (long out and back) Left on Huffman Mill Pike (Long out and back), Left on Old Lemmons Mill, Left on Mt. Horeb, Right on Iron Works, Right onto Legacy Trail to finish line. The race start and finish are at the same location.
Runners will pass by 17 hydration stations serving water and SWORD hydration in small cups. We will have some bananas and salty snacks at 2 of the later marathon hydration stations. These stops are on average spaced every 1.5-1.75 miles. Each hydration station will have at least one portable restroom. Elevation change for the marathon is approximately1260 feet.
HALF MARATHON ROUTE/DETAILS
The Half Marathon will start in the Kentucky Horse Park Campground area. The race will start/finish on the paved Legacy Trail. Runners will start on the Legacy Trail and be on the trail for the first 1/4 miles before turning left onto Iron Works Pike, then left on Mt. Horeb Pike. Runners will do a long out and back on Mt. Horeb Pike and then return to Iron Works and then onto the Legacy Trail to the finish line.
There will be 8 hydration stations along the 13.1 mile course. Hydration stations will be spaced about 1.75 miles apart and serve water and SWORD hydration in small cups. There will be 2 portable restrooms at each hydration station. The elevation change for the half marathon is 570 feet.
Race Shirts
Our 2025 Horse Cap shirt is a short sleeved Greenlayer brand tech shirt. These are very comfortable and a favorite among our runners. We have the shirts available in women's sizes (XS-2XL) and men's sizes (S-3XL) while supplies last.
See 2024 commemorative shirt shown below. We will reveal our 2025 shirt soon.
2024 Race Photos - Thanks Ruby Cline-Eaton and JA Laub Photography
We had two great photographers at the 2024 Horse Cap. Ruby Cline Eaton and Jeff Laub both got some great photos. See links to their galleries below.
Directions
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Race Participant Survey
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