Rodes City Run coming Saturday

The 2006 Louisville Triple Crown of Running was launched with quite a bang on March 11, when lightning triggered a 10-minute delay to the start of the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic.

Although the skies above the Rodes City Run should be a little quieter on Saturday morning, the second leg of the 23rd annual series could be bigger than ever.

Established in 1981, the 10-kilometer City Run is the oldest of the Triple Crown races and pre-dates the series itself. And with 5,248 people entered after early registration closed, race director Fred Teale thinks participation could exceed 6,000 for the first time.

Westley Alkin, who won the men’s division in the Anthem 5K in his series debut, will not be included in that tally. Earlier this week, he confirmed to Beyond the Derby that he will not run in either the City Run or the third leg of the series, the Papa John’s 10 Miler, on April 15. Alkin, a former University of Arkansas star who serves as a volunteer coach in the University of Louisville program, has been advised to train at shorter distances.

So there will be no male Triple Crown champion for the fourth year in a row; Richmond, Ky., resident James Mutuse was the last in 2002.

Mutuse, who finished second behind Alkin in the Anthem 5K, also won the City Run in 2003 and in 2005 and is expected to run again. The field also could include such perennial contenders as Louisville’s Mike Horan and Clarksville, Ind., resident Alan Tobin.

Lexington, Ky., resident Susie Bush, who won the Triple Crown in the women's division in 2004, did not compete in the City Run last year but is back on track with a win in the Anthem 5K. She will run Saturday - as will Bowling Green’s Bonita Paul, who placed second to Bush in 2004 and won in Bush’s absence last year.

The USATF-certified course begins in front of the Brown Hotel at the corner of Fourth and Broadway, follows Broadway into the Highlands, circles the Cave Hill and Eastern cemeteries along Grinstead and Lexington, returns downtown along Main, and finishes near Waterfront Park at Witherspoon and Floyd. Course maps can be found here.

Late registration, at a cost of $25, will be available on Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Race day registration, at a cost of $40, will be held on Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. in the Fifth Street parking garage. Further registration information can be found here.