I can hardly believe Oct 11, 2025, will be the 5th Annual Run the Ridge. Seems just yesterday I was dreaming of a race on Jerusalem Ridge in 2003.
Took almost 20 years to host the first ever race in 2021, but as they say—better late than never! Right?!
The simple idea is to raise funds for the Jerusalem Ridge Festival (jerusalemridgefestival.com) every September around Bill Monroe’s birthday on Sept 13.
If you take a good look at the flyer, you might notice a change. This year we’re promoting October 11th as a multi-event day.
Last year it happened by accident. We hadn’t planned to have three events—Run the Ridge, Camping and Jamming, and Pickin’ on the Porch—all on the same day; scheduling difficulties made it necessary.
However, it turned out to be an accidental success. Overlapping the events turned out to be a pro, not a con. So we’re doing it again.
We’re also using Central Kentucky Race Management again. Can’t say enough about the gigantic help Greg Milby and the CKRM staff have been.
I really don’t think we could have done it without them. As far as I’m concerned, we’ll always be partners with CKRM.
There isn’t enough room on the flyer to list all our sponsors (I’m thinking I should make room), so I will do it here.
This year our sponsors are:
Dank’s Funeral Home
Fuller’s Physical Therapy
Young’s Manufacturing
The Rosine Association.
Ohio County Farm and Garden
Complete Comfort
First United Bank
OC Judge Executive David Johnston
OC Fiscal Court
Mary Belle Fisher
JMB Automotive
Ohio County Hospital
Moore Ford
A great, great shoutout to all these fine sponsors for supporting this community event! Thanks a bunch!
Anyone who reads this and thinks he or she might like to be a sponsor please text me at 270-313-9175.
Run the Ridge is actually more than just a “community” event as runners have come from several states away to Run the Ridge (Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, etc).
It’s important to emphasize Run the Ridge is a trail run. Only about 300 feet of the three-mile loop is gravel or chip-n-seal. The remaining 15,540 feet or so is dirt, mud, water, sand, sand rock, pine needles, pine cones, tree roots, acorns, leaves, weeds or grass (and more, of course).
There are hills galore, some steep and rutted and rocky. It’s a challenging course, obviously not as much as a trail in the Rocky Mountains, but Jerusalem Ridge can kick your tail six days a week and twice on Sunday. Definitely more so than regular road races.
Regardless of the level of difficulty, Run the Ridge is a beautiful, scenic course.
Every year I prep the course, and it kicks my tail. Takes me a good week of work, and I love it! It’s usually just me, myself, and I out in the boonies.
(photo by Marty Hays)
As you’ll see in the next photo, we try to make the course even more memorable by providing live Bluegrass music.
Every year for Run the Ridge my pal Kenneth Newell has travelled from Tennessee to play mandolin for the runners. Big shoutout to Him!
(photo by Sam Alford)
I hope to have even more live Bluegrass on the course in 2025. I added Marty Hays on guitar last year. Thanks, Marty!
Another person to thank is Jody Flener, especially for her help in advertising. Thanks, Jody!
And there are others, too, who help out the day of the race. My Mom and Dad. My wife. My children. Dennis Cook. Robin Hays. I thank them all!
Most of all, the runners are to be appreciated and congratulated. Without runners? No race! A heartfelt thank you to all who have travelled here to…Run the Ridge!
Anyone who would like to come and run high in the hills of old Kentucky and experience the true Jerusalem Ridge, go to runtheridgetrailrun.com and register. Or be here at 7:30 to register the day if the race.
Whether as a runner or spectator or volunteer, start making plans to be here Saturday, October 11.
Oh, and this year we have a surprise for the 8AM start of the race. It won’t be a gun, but some other noisemaker……. hmmmmm, wonder what it could be?
