Events
Description
THANKSGIVING WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!
Join us for the 9th Annual Gobbler Half Marathon, 10K & 5K on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 8:30am at Mereworth Farm in West Lexington. Earn your Thanksgiving feast the following Thursday with a scenic Half Marathon, 10K, or 5K through beautiful bluegrass horse country.
RACE FEATURES:
- Scenic country course through horse country
- Start/Finish on Mereworth Farm (Home of New Vocations Racehorse Adoption)
- Finisher's medals for all 3 races
- Commemorative long sleeved performance race shirts
- DJ James Hummel/Freestyle Entertainment
- Free Race Photos
- A distance for everyone --- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and Virtual Option
- Overall & Age Group Awards for all 3 races (5 year age divisions)
- Berserker Brew Coffee
- Food, fun and fellowship for a great cause
In addition to our in-person race, we are also providing a VIRTUAL OPTION for those who can't join us in person (or who are not ready for an in-person race). Those who register as a virtual participant can run/walk/hike their race on their own schedule and on their own course. Virtual participants will earn a commemorative shirt and finisher's medal. We will mail out virtual packets to those who live outside of the Central Kentucky area. The registration fee for the virtual race (any distance) is $45.
Our race charitable beneficiaries will be New Vocations Racehorse Adoption. Read more about this worthy local charity below.
Our scenic half marathon course will traverse through beautiful horse country and past a number of our horse farms.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because our race starts and finishes on a horse farm, dogs are not allowed in this race as their presence could disturb the horses.
Commemorative long-sleeved shirts (men's/women's sized) are on a first come, first served basis. When you register if your size is not available, you can either select another size or "no shirt option" to SAVE $5.00. We will have a SHIRT SWAP immediately following the race for anyone who either did not receive a shirt or got a size that they would like to trade with another participant. If we have race no shows, their shirts will be available for swap following the race.
There will be a 15 minute/mile (3:15 total time) pace limit imposed for the half marathon race per contract with the City of Lexington. Walkers and strollers are welcomed in the 10K and 5K races. No dogs are allowed.
PACKET PICKUP - 3 ADVANCED OPPORTUNITIES TO PICKUP FOR YOU AND FRIENDS/FAMILY
- Thursday, November 21st from 5-7pm at J&H Outfitters (189 Moore Drive, Lexington, KY 40503)
- Friday, November 22nd from 3-6pm at J&H Outfitters (189 Moore Drive, Lexington, KY 40503)
- Saturday, November 23rd from 2-5pm at Mereworth Farm (719 Dolan Lane, Lexington, KY 40511)
There will also be limited race day PPU from 7:15-8:30am mostly designed for our out of town/out of state runners. This will be a Mereworth Farm our race venue.
HALF MARATHON COURSE CLICK HERE
10K COURSE CLICK HERE
5K COURSE CLICK HERE
VOLUNTEERING Please consider volunteering for our benefiting charities at this race (or having friends/family do so). Our race day shift generally runs from 6:30am-12:00pm. Once you sign up, we'll be in touch with you about more details, duties, etc...
Place
719 Dolan Lane
Lexington, KY US 40511
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Sponsors
Charitable Beneficiary -- New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program
New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program was founded in 1992 to offer retiring racehorses a safe-haven, rehabilitation, and continued education through placement in experienced, caring homes. Most of the horses arriving at New Vocations are injured and thin, suffering the normal occupational hazards of racing. Without a useful skill to offer their previous option was often a one-way ticket to the local livestock auction.
New Vocations provides a safety net for these horses matching them with qualified individuals and following up on their rehabilitation and vocational training to ensure a successful transition. Our focus is on adoption versus retirement, believing that each horse deserves to have an individual home and purpose.
Over 6,000 retired Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds have been placed in qualified homes through New Vocations’ efforts since its inception. These horses have come from 40 different racetracks and have been adopted by families throughout the country.
New Vocations has 2 scenic Ohio locations in Laurelville and Marysville. Other locations include: Lexington, Kentucky; Hummelstown, Pennsylvania and Fort Edward, New York.
Gobbler Half Marathon Route
The Gobbler Route is a 2 "out and back" course with 98% on paved road surfaces. The first 2/10 and last 1/10 miles will be run on Mereworth Farm on gravel surface. There are 10 hydration stations along the 13.1 mile course serving water and SWORD Performance Hydration in small 5 oz. cups. The start and finish are in the same location.
Gobbler Finisher's Medal
This is a mock up of our 2024 Finisher’s Medal.
Gobbler Mesh Tech Shirts (Long Sleeved)
Shirts are from Greenlayer Sports and come in sizes Women's XS-2XL and Men's S-3XL while supplies last. The photo below is our 2024 shirt.
Directions
Race Participant Survey
Please complete the following survey to help us better understand your race experience.
