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 | Vencor Stakes/Papa John's - Louisville, KY For more details and to view photos of the event, click the link on the left. This 15K race (9.3 miles) takes place in early April. The race has had many sponsors and therefore, many names. Most of the years we ran it, it was known as the Vencor Stakes or the Papa John's 10-miler. A few miles into the race, runners enter Iroquois Park where there is a beautiful loop including 3 miles of rolling hills. The race used to be run at Churchill Downs when it was the Vencor Stakes. At the end of the race there was a tunnel with a ramp that led the runners uphill, back into Churchill Downs. As runners went through the tunnel, they celebrate audibly, knowing the end had come! Now, the race is sponsored by Papa John's and the race finishes inside the stadium where the runners are displayed on the big screen as they finish. The finish of this race is my favorite. My strongest memory of this race is from 1999, when against my doctor's direction, I ran the race with a fever and bronchitis. It was a stupid thing to do, but I haven't regretted it (although I never told my doctor!). A close second is when I tore my upper leg muscle around mile 7 and was out of commission for awhile.
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