last minute notes - 2012 edition

Online registration on Active.com closes tonight at 11:59 pm PST. Late registration is also available at packet pickup on Friday at Ken Combs Running Store from 12 noon to 6:00 pm EST and on race morning from 6:30 - 7:30 am EST at the Horine Center (Lodge) at the FINISH area.

Quest Outdoors (Frankfort Road location) just recently announced they are throwing a pre-race party & pasta dinner at their store from 5:00 - 9:00 pm Friday night (10th) -- no charge. You can also register here & receive a $5 discount on the entry fee.

Trails are wet today & muddy in places. The forecast for the race has been changing almost daily, so you may want to check the forecast before heading out. As it looks now, trails could be partially frozen on race day. All the streams are currently low or dry.

on the 2nd leg near the dam this morning:

Flagging this year will be glo-PINK with most of it stamped with MONTRAIL. Due to the ongoing trail construction on the 2nd leg of the race and due to property owners marking their boundaries, there will be several different colored flags around (red, orange & blue/white striped). Just think PINK & you'll be OK. If you go more than a couple hundred feet without seeing a pink ribbon, something's wrong.

on the 2nd leg at the dam:

When you're on the Yellow Trail on the 2nd leg of the race, you will see & run on short segments of the new, very flat, double wide trail intended to replace all of the narrow, hilly, single track currently in place. Sadly, this may be the last year for the most challenging section of LLTH -- so you may want to enjoy it while you can.

One last item: There may be horses & hiking groups using the same trail as the race Saturday. Please share the trails, especially the narrow single track sections that don't allow much room for passing. Thanks.

May everyone have a SAFE & FUN race!



added 2-9-12 :

The forecast has changed dramatically since yesterday. Currently, a weather advisory has been issued for tomorrow (Friday) night. Of course, the forecast could change again.



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2012 LLTH update

Since the last post:

There will be a change from last years race on the 1st leg of the 15m/50k courses due to a recent trail re-alignment by the Forest Service. This small change will bypass the steepest portion of the 2nd downhill and add 0.2 miles to each race distance. The 15m and 50k course maps have not yet been updated to reflect this change. Unfortunately, the Forest Service has kept to their ongoing program to remove ALL steep or narrow trails -- so the course continues to change year to year.


A last minute addition this year: There will be a "fun run" option for those who would like to run just the 1st leg of the 15m/50k course (about 6 miles). Let the volunteers know at the registration desk on race day that you'd like this option. The fee is $35. You will receive a shirt, but no race buff.

For those who wish to become familiar with the course, training runs have been set up for this coming Sunday (22nd) and on Saturday (28th). The 1st run will be leg 1 and leg 2 of the 15m & 50k courses beginning at 8 am EDT from the official race start area. The 2nd run will be on most of the 3rd leg of the 50k (Siltstone Trail & Scotts Gap Trail) beginning at 8 am EDT from the Welcome Center . Anyone is welcome to run all or any portion of the run or course. A permit will not be required for entering the Horine Section on the 22nd or on race day.

The Interstate 64 bridge over the Ohio River just west of Louisville is CLOSED. For those using I-64 west of Louisville to travel to and from the race will need to follow the detour (I-265 & I-65). This will likely add 10+ minutes to your travel time.

Race registration is still open online and by mail. Entry list as of January 16: entries

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2012 Louisville's Lovin' The Hills 50k/15m Registration

Registration is now open for the 2012 LLTH to be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. EST:

Active.com: http://www.active.com/running/fairdale-ky/louisville-lovin-the-hills-2012

Mail in entry: http://web.me.com/cynthiaheady1/louisvillemarathon/entry_form.html

Entry fee is $50 for either the 50k or 15m thru January 21, 2012 (mail in or online). Registration is available online thru Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 11:59 PM PST on Active.com. The $60 late fee applies after Jan 21 for both mail in & online entry.

My apologies to those who were unaware that race buffs were given out only to the 1st 100 entrants last year. This information was made known exclusively on this blog last year. For 2012, at least 200 buffs will be available.

Official race website can be found at:
http://web.me.com/cynthiaheady1/louisvillemarathon/llth_page_1.html

Updates on the 2012 event will be forthcoming.


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2011 LLTH - one to remember

First of all, condolences to the Heady family as Cynthia's father passed away Friday, the day before the event. Although Cynthia & Todd Heady had directed this event together the previous 3 years, this was "Cynthia's race" -- her pride & joy. Cynthia did not make it to the race, but her post race soups did -- hope everyone had a chance to sample them.

8 am start:

Race morning turned out to be cool & clear with a light breeze. A little snow covered the frozen ground near the start area. The temperatures rose quickly on this bright & sunny day and within a few hours, the snow on the trails melted away and the frozen ground quickly thawed. By mid afternoon, the trails were a real mudfest for the 50k runners. Despite the tough trail conditions, most everyone kept to the task & completed their race. Congratulations to all who finished!

early in the day:
Unfortunately, everything did not go as smoothly as planned this day for Todd, who was thrust into directing a race that Cynthia handled and all at the last minute. I hope everyone can be understanding:

Due to miscommunications, the volunteer who was to man the most critical junction (50k/15m split) on the course did not make it there. Once it was discovered there wasn't anyone there, Todd himself went to the junction & directed traffic until help arrived.

part of sign map for RD:
There were 16 runners, including 1 15m runner (based on the tracker at the Siltstone trailhead) who started on the 3rd leg & bypassed most of the 2nd leg. When the 50k runners reached the junction again on the return trip, they were directed to Yost & onto the remainder of the 2nd leg which had been bypassed earlier. The 15m runner was turned around at Bearcamp Road. RESULTS are currently posted, however, I would say they're preliminary until notes can be doublechecked. The link to these results has currently overwritten the 2009 results and the link for 2011 results on the Headfirst Performance website is currently (2-13-11) incorrect. Please be patient as Cynthia & Todd are attending to family matters.


Thank you Headfirst Performance for proceeding with this event despite difficult times. There was a record number of finishers & I believe most would say they enjoyed themselves!

last minute notes 2011

Online registration at Active.com has closed. Late registration is available at packet pickup Friday or on race morning from 6:30 - 7:30 am EST at the Horine Center (Lodge) at the START area.

The temps for Saturday look like they will be close to normal this time of year. Roads are clear. As of today (Thursday), the trails are frozen and there's a dusting of snow from last night. With the sun out today & tomorrow, that dusting will be gone by race morning. However, remnants of last Monday's 1 inch snowfall will still be present on the shaded areas of the course. Be prepared for some snowy trails early. With the sun & temps reaching the 40's on race day, there will be some thawing and a little mud. Most of the streams are dried up or frozen.

A mile worth of course flagging was removed by a vandal & fortunately it was discovered yesterday. The course has been remarked but we cannot guarantee the entire course will be intact race day. If you're unfamiliar with the area, it may be wise to carry a map.

Headfirst Performance (Race Directors) will be missing a main part of their crew Saturday as there's been a very serious illness in Cynthia's family this week. Todd Heady is now handling most of the duties.

The entry list has not been updated lately as I get the info from Cynthia. With better weather & course conditions this year, there should be close to 200 entries, matching last year.

Here are some pics from this morning on the 2nd leg near the dam:






May everyone have a SAFE & FUN race!

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update

Since the last post:

1. Training runs have been set up for the next 2 Saturdays (15th & 22nd). The 1st will be the 2 loops of the 15m course beginning at 8 am EDT from the official race start area. The 2nd will be on the Siltstone Trail (13m) & possibly the Scotts Gap loop (3m) beginning at 8 am EDT from the Welcome Center. Anyone is welcome to run all or any portion of the run or course. It's possible there will be more training runs -- check out the 2011 FAQ side tab for the most current schedule.


2. The new course maps for the 15m and 50k have been posted. Some of the course from last year can be seen in light red. The management at Jefferson Memorial Forest could not decide on the final 1/4 mile of trail connecting the Yellow trail on the 2nd leg of the course for 15m & 50k. Therefore, they have asked that if this area is used for the race, that anything disturbed must be returned to it's original condition. That means this section of the course thru the Forest will be marked only with ribbons & signs. It was previously thought that a trail could be cleared somewhat & that the leaves could be pulled back for a more distinct path, but that will not happen.

Highlights of the course changes:

15m & 50k:
The 1 mile roadway section (run twice on the out & back) connecting the 1st & 2nd legs has been replaced by a new trail section. This new trail adds distance, so a 1.0 mile segment of the Yellow Trail on the 2nd leg has been bypassed with a shorter 0.25 mile trail. There will also be a quarter mile section of "unimproved" trail (run twice) connecting the 2nd leg this year only.

15m:
There will be only be 2 loops instead of 3 this year as most of the 3rd loop has been incorporated into the 2nd loop.

50k:
The end of the 2nd loop is not at the START area as in previous years. The 3rd loop of the 50k is a modified "lollipop" course starting at the 15m/50k split (2nd time thru) and ending at the FINISH area (Lodge).

Instead of running on 1/2 mile of gravel Rayhill Road & Mitchell Hill Road (done twice on the out and back), the 50k course will go over a hill and around the Welcome Center near the Siltstone trailhead.

On the Scotts Gap loop section, 2 steep ditches have been bypassed with new trail segments and a drop bag station has been added.



3. A new GPS info side tab has been added that lists the address & GPS coordinates for the race start for those who like to punch in their destinations.


4. An updated entry list will be added soon.



Online registration is still available at:

http://www.active.com/running/fairdale-ky/louisville-lovin-the-hills-2011

Paper entry form:

http://web.me.com/cynthiaheady1/louisvillemarathon/entry_form.html

2011 Louisville's Lovin' The Hills Registration

Registration is now open for the 2011 LLTH to be held on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. EST:

http://www.active.com/running/fairdale-ky/louisville-lovin-the-hills-2011

Regular entry fee will be $50 for either the 50k or 15m thru January 22 and $60 thru February 9, 2011 @ 8:59 PM on Active.com. Late & race day entry fee will be $60. A mail-in entry form is available on the official LLTH website:

http://web.me.com/cynthiaheady1/louisvillemarathon/llth_page_1.html

There will be an extra goodie in the race packets of early (first 100?) 50k/15m registrants. A race buff was given away last year.

Updates on the 2011 event are forthcoming -- there will be changes -- including a major re-route of the course (3 miles of roadway sections will be bypassed).