Over the last three months – and particularly over the last week – we have become increasingly involved in the management and leadership of Lexington’s RunTheBluegrass Half-Marathon, home of one of the most beautiful race routes in Horse Country, meandering through the Kentucky Horse Park, Fasig-Tipton and the lovely Iron Works Pike.

And last year, with around 2500 runners, the “economy” created by the race neared $150,000.  Certainly nothing to sneeze at – particularly when the vast majority of that money is (or should be) spent locally, on Central Kentucky businesses right here in our front yard.

Yesterday, because of some unexpected management challenges with the previous charity, The LeXenomics Group stepped in – to keep this race growing and becoming one of Kentucky’s premier, iconic, signature springtime events – and for Lexington to also maintain local ownership of this “miniature economy.”

Timeout: if you’d like to challenge yourself, or if you’d like to share Lexington’s signature half-marathon with your friends/family, we’ve lowered the early registration price to just $50, through the end of January.

In the last week, we have also met myriads of awesome Kentuckians. Small business owners and not-so-small business leaders, race directors, runners, volunteers, you name ‘em.

And everyone who knows things, agrees, this race was awesome last year and demand is only growing.  Kentuckians WANT to be healthier, Kentuckians WANT to get out and be energetic, Kentuckians WANT to keep get better and better!

And nothing says more about the future of Lexington, and the future of Kentucky, than that right there.  And we haven’t even touched on the financial impact that large races like half-marathons and full marathons have on tourism.  Neighboring cities like Louisville, Nashville and Cincinnati attract runners from all around the entire region with their awesome races – and Lexington’s Thoroughbred backdrop provides arguably an even prettier route than anyone else’s in the country!

Finally, and this bears repeating, our mission is simple:

To make this race one of Kentucky’s most recognizable, iconic, signature events – a “rite of spring” if you will, every single year.

Now, as Mr. Chenery told his daughter Penny, in Secretariat’s story, “You Run Your Race, Kentucky!”