REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR TRAINING AND KDF RACES
December 9, 2020, Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival and Norton Sports Health are bringing their annual Training Program to participants in 2021. The FREE 15-week Norton Sports Health Training Program, for the 2021 Humana miniMarathon and Marathon, will be virtual. Registration for the program opens today at DerbyFestivalMarathon.com.
“There’s no better way to prepare to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles than with the Norton Sports Health Training Program,” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “Even though we aren’t able to gather for our traditional group runs and training sessions, we can still train together and cheer each other on to the finish.”
Designed for runners and walkers of all experience levels, this year’s virtual training regimen will still offer week-by-week schedules to help participants keep their mileage on track. The program will also include access to weekly training talks, along with nutrition, health and safety tips.
“Norton Healthcare is excited to offer a virtual training program for all runners and walkers,” said Russell F Cox, President and CEO of Norton Healthcare. “The Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon are a tradition in our community, and we are pleased to continue our support of these events by helping athletes succeed, while also keeping them safe and healthy. We look forward to when we can train together, in-person, again.”
The first 800 to register for the Norton Sports Health Training Program, and the Kentucky Derby Festival mini or Marathon, will receive a FREE Tech Shirt. Once all tech shirts are claimed, registrants will still be able to register to participate in the training program, however shirts are only promised to the first 800 registered for both the race & training program.
The official training kick-off is set for Jan. 12, 2021, at Noon, and will be a virtual program with the opportunity to talk with members of the Norton Sports Health Team before training begins.
Registration is also open for the 2021 Humana miniMarathon and Marathon at DerbyFestivalMarathon.com. The Derby Festival has developed a plan which will allow runners to choose between a virtual or an in-person (socially distanced) race option. The in-person race events will comply with COVID-19 guidelines and have limited capacity.
“As we look forward to 2021, public health and safety remains our top priority and we continue to closely monitor the developments surrounding COVID-19,” said Gibson. “We’ll keep everyone updated on how it will impact our events.”
2021 marks the 48th annual miniMarathon and 20th annual Marathon. This is Norton Sports Health’s eighth year as title sponsor of the Training Program, as well as the Official Training Partner and Medical Provider. They are joined by Contributing Sponsors Humana and Swags Sport Shoes; as well as Media Sponsor 99.7 DJX.
