Thanksgiving Day Race Course Preview

Cincinnati is home to one of the more unique Thanksgiving traditions in the country: the Thanksgiving Day Race. Sure, most every city, town, and village has their own turkey trot in the morning; Cincinnati's is unique in it's longevity. Ever since 1908 (with only two years' exceptions), runners have dashed through the streets of Downtown and Northern Kentucky. This 104-year history makes Cincinnati's race the sixth-oldest race in the country - and the oldest in the Midwest. While in one year the race had less than ten runners, numbers now usually approach (or even top, if the weather is nice) 10,000.

This year, due to some construction in the Downtown area, the 10k loop has changed (well, mostly just the first few miles and the home straightaway. (Here is this year's course map)

Since I'm obviously not carrying a camera or anything while I'm racing, Dani and I drove the course this weekend and snapped some photos, thinking I'd take you on a tour of the course. Without further ado, here it is:

Mile 1

Runners will line up on a new starting line this year, outside of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

After the gun, runners head north up Vine. In this relatively flat stretch (except for an opening hill in the first quarter mile), participants pass Fountain Square, crossing Central Parkway (which used to be a canal) and entering Over-the-Rhine through newly-revitalized urban neighborhoods.

The early hill

 

Fountain Square

 

 

Vine in Over-the-Rhine

Mile 2

After a straight shot for most of the first mile, runners make a hard right on Liberty, where they are met with a deceptively large hill. After cresting the hill, you are greeted with a nice long downhill around the corner on Reading. Spectator-wise, this will probably be the most sparse area of the course.

Mile 3

The third mile begins as the athletes round the corner on Eggleston passing the new Horseshoe Casino.



Horseshoe Casino. Haven't been there yet... (also, ignore my broken mirror; it was sideswiped that morning)

The course on Eggleston continues the trend of a gradual downhill, which makes it a great place to pick up some time and get into a groove. More hills are coming. This is also the place where the new course joins up with the old, so the next few miles are the same as they have been in previous years.

Eggleston Ave.

Mile 4

The rest of the hills on the course are a series of three bridges, two across the Ohio River and one across the Licking River in Kentucky. Passing the third mile marker, runners turn the corner onto the Taylor-Southgate Bridge and head over the river into Kentucky.

Welcome to Kentucky

 On the Kentucky side of the bridge, runners veer left toward Newport-on-the-Levee and then make a quick right, opposite of one-way traffic, onto Monmouth, going up one block before heading west on Fourth St.

Newport-on-the-Levee

Mile 5

Shortly into the fifth mile, the race winds up the Licking River Bridge, where you cross from Newport into Covington. The top of the bridge gives way to another gradual downhill slope, which comes at a great time for tired legs.

Up the Licking River Bridge

Mile 6

The final mile is a ball-buster. After being able to relax (or fly) downhill through Covington, the course then turns back towards Ohio, crossing the river along the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. This presents the runners with one final long and gradual climb, just when the legs and lungs are really starting to burn. But once you reach the crest of the bridge, you can make use the downhill to hammer it home over the last half mile.

Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, heading back towards Cincinnati. The finish line is just beyond Paul Brown Stadium, on the far right of the picture.

Mile .2

The final quarter mile takes you off of the bridge and right onto Second St. Over a small ridge in the road and it's all downhill to the finish, past Paul Brown Stadium and crossing the line almost back where we started. So much downhill over the last half mile should set up some fast finishes.

Crest this hill and let gravity carry you home

This new finish actually sets up a lot nicer than the old finish, which sat in about the same spot but faced the opposite direction. This turned out to be a heartbreaking tease, as the course led runners (one block up) past the line, before turning around and looping back to the finish. It was a maddeningly long stretch, especially when you could see the finish banner as you ran past it the opposite way.

So that concludes this tour of the Thanksgiving Day Race 10k course, now I just can't wait to race it. Hope to see you out there!

Note: I didn't actually take any of these photos...they all come from the iPhone of Dani Meiners, because my phone is too jank to do pictures well. That, and she's a better photographer than I am.