Runners take lead in LMPD event

More than 300 people kicked off the Louisville Metro Police Department’s 200th Celebration with a five-kilometer run through downtown this morning.

Scott Holzknecht was the overall winner with a time of 16:11.79, fractions of a second slower than his victorious mark in the da Vinci Downtown Festival race in New Albany, Ind., last month. He easily beat 318 other runners and walkers - including Bret Vanpoppel, who finished second in 16:33.48.

Jen Alessandro, who won the Polar Bear Grand Prix in February, topped the field of women in 18:11.39. She was 12th overall. Katie Braekkan, who was the runner-up in the Polar Bear Grand Prix standings, was second behind Alessandro again today in 18:57.64.

Full results for the race, which began on E. Witherspoon Street between Floyd and Preston, can be found here.

The LMPD’s 200th Celebration was organized by the Louisville Metro Police Foundation, a non-profit partnership between the department and the local business community created earlier this year.

The event, which was based at Waterfront Park, included the road race, several cycling races, a health and safety fair, a food court, live music and entertainment, and an autograph signing session with the Louisville Bats.