Runner Spotlight - Amanda Jo (Bell) LeBlanc

About me: I’m an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Louisville. I’m primarily a researcher in the fields of aging, regenerative medicine, and cardiovascular physiology. I ran track and cross country for Indiana University (Undergrad 99-02) and for the University of Louisville (Masters degree 02-04). I married my husband, Blake in 2005. He was my Athletic Trainer at UofL and continues to this day to be my live-in physical therapist, athletic trainer, and bourbon connoisseur. We have two boys, Louis (7yo) and Émile (3yo). And I would be remiss not to mention my dependable running partner, my German Shorthaired Pointer named Julep (5yo).

Biggest influence: Never underestimate the power of a good coach in a young person’s life. And watch out if you get a phenomenal one. I only showed up to cross country practice my Freshman year at Clarksville High School because 1) I wanted to brag to a certain boy down the street about how many more miles I could run than he could, and 2) I was guilted by the older girls who needed a 5th body to create the first girl’s team in school history. Coach Darrell Kingery was the biggest inspiration I’ve had in my running career. He believed in me, pushed me to achieve everything I dreamed of, and then ran alongside me nearly every mile whilst coaching, encouraging, teaching, and making it “worth it”. I went from a young girl that didn’t even have aspirations or thoughts of a college education, to earning a Ph.D. in exercise physiology 13 years later because he made science and learning just as entertaining as running and winning races.

Favorite distance: To be honest, anything on trails. A couple years ago I would have answered this question with “half-marathon”, as I found that the distance was easy for me to focus on a 10 mile hard effort followed by a hang-on-for-your-life 5k. But once I did my first trail race in the summer of 2018, I was hooked. Give me any distance, as long as I’m in the forest, I’ll be happy.

Do you have any running/walking advice you'd like to offer?: It’s not weak to listen to your body instead of pushing through. This has taken me YEARS to understand and apply to myself. Our bodies are masters at giving cues of stress, but we are usually pretty stupid in picking up these signs. Most likely, it’s because we compare ourselves (and our efforts, training plans, recovery) to one another rather than trying to get in tune with how our body tells us that it needs a break (or alternatively, can handle more). These cues are likely very different for each person! Abnormal sleep patterns, higher resting and/or active heart rate, increased perceived effort during recovery runs and unusual muscle soreness are all variables that I try to pay attention to, especially during periods of higher intensity training. Some options when these things occur: cross training in place of an easy run, devoting extra time to pre and post run stretching, drinking more water than usual (especially at bedtime), getting onto soft surfaces like trails or crushed gravel, and if time and resources allow, schedule a sports massage.

Why do you like running River City Races events?: It’s full of all my favorite people! I love seeing all the friendly faces before, during and after all the events.

Where you can find me when I’m not running: You’ll likely find me either at Vines Wine Bar at the Douglass Loop or tailgating a UofL athletic event.

Anything else you'd like to share?: Bucket list running items that remain: an ultra trail race that doesn’t get COVID canceled (on deck is the Breaks 45 and Rough Trail 50k in the fall, fingers crossed!), running the trails in Chamonix, France, completing the Dublin and Big Sur Marathon, and every trail relay race that’s available with my friends.

Racing & Reminiscing - Go Red for Women 5k & Stop the Violence 5k

In the early 2000's, River City Races, at the time Fleet Feet Racing, hosted two women's only 5k races, the Go Red for Women 5k to raise money and awareness for the American Heart Association and the Stop the Violence 5k to raise money for the Center for Women and Families and domestic violence awareness.

Both races were held down at Louisville Slugger Field and had to be put on hiatus once construction of the new I-65 bridge began. Maybe it's time to bring an all women's race back to Louisville!

Racing & Reminiscing - 1999 Rodes City Run

Runner Spotlight - Steve Bush

My running career started back in the third grade at Parkwood Elementary School in 1976. I went on to run at River Valley middle school. Our class was the first class to attend all three years first, since it was a new building. A highlight during my time at River Valley was setting a school record each year in the 800, 1200 and the mile my 8th grade year at 5:14. I ran at Jeffersonville High School becoming a letter winner and running 16:41 for the 5k in cross country and a 9:54 two mile time during track. I only started to really train during my senior year and into my college years, running in the off months from cross country and track.

I attended Indiana State University as a walk on and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Criminology and minoring in Psychology. I ran all 4 years from 1986-1990 running track events from the mile to the steeplechase and 10k. I became a letterman my second year. I mostly ran the 5k in track which was my favorite event. It required speed along with strength. I don’t think I really ran as fast as I could over my college years related to my training. I don’t think I grasp how to train until my later years, meaning well into my 40’s and actually during marathon training, which I will explain later. I ran my fastest 5k indoors at a meet at the IU facility. I ran a 15:18 during my senior year but did not run any faster. My mile PR was done in a workout during my senior year in track (mile hard, 5 miles at sub 6-minute pace, mile hard). I posted a 4:29 my first mile in that workout. I ran the 10K once and the steeplechase a few times.

Once I graduated from ISU, I was employed with the New Albany Police Department in 1991. I have been with them for over 29 years. I am currently at our highest merited rank of Captain overseeing a patrol shift. I was in an executive command staff as Major overseeing payroll and budgets, commander over our Criminal Investigation division, SWAT team member, bike patrol coordinator, general instructor and a field training officer. During my time as a patrol officer, I developed a reputation that the bad guys would not get away from me. There were many challenges on this front but only a few had succeeded. As runners, take into consideration that I was carrying an extra 20 lbs. of equipment, they usually had a head start and I was not wearing running shoes or warmed up. I would go from a resting heart rate of 50 to chasing someone with a heart rate I am sure of exceeding 100.

Between the years of 2004 to 2016, I was a Floyd County Commissioner and President 6 of those 12 years overseeing planning and zoning of Floyd County. My professional career has led me to run for Floyd County Sheriff, which will be in 2022. I look forward to continuing to serve my community that I have raised a family.

All this has led me to finally pursuing the opportunity to run a marathon. I ran my first marathon in 2015 at the Chicago Marathon in hopes of breaking 3 hours. I feel short running 3:26, walking and jogging the last 5 miles. I was not prepared and did not respect the marathon distance enough. So, I wanted to try again but more importantly I wanted to quality for the Boston Marathon. I ran in the Louisville Marathon in 2017 running a qualifying time for a 49-year-old in 3:06:49. During that year at age 49, I ran in the Anthem 5k running 16:28(2.93) short course so probably a 17:15-17:25, which is my master’s PR. During that year I ran Fast Freddie’s 5 miler in 28:57 and Lanesville 8 miler in 51:05. During 2016 at age 48 I ran a master’s mile PR of 5:00.05, Derby Festival half marathon PR of 1:23:02. Training for a marathon made me stronger to run faster in other races, logging more miles and strength workouts.

So, it began, training for one of the most iconic marathons in history, the Boston Marathon in October 2017. This time around, I started by building my miles up the first three months. Then 4 months of three workouts a week including a long run on the weekends and marathon pace workouts. During this 27 weeks of training for one race, I ran the most miles since college in a week 62 at the peak point in my training, most miles in a month and my longest training run of 22 miles, which I ran by myself. I arrived in Boston in April 2018 prepared but I was not expecting the weather. It was 41 degrees, 30 mph head wind and rain. The windchill was below freezing. However, I was not going to change my goals. I did not put in all the hard training plus cost to just jog it. My goal was to break 3 hours and that is what I set out to do. I went through the half-way in 1:28 and some change and feeling alright. I stayed on pace and made it through the Newton hills. Those hills and heart break were no joke. I was still on pace up to 22 and then the wheels started to come off. The last mile I was seeing spots and lightheaded. I finished in 3:06:05 with a new PR. Not the goal of breaking 3 but more important is the fact that I had the courage and will power to finish. It is a race that I will never forget and will use to tell stories.

In 2020 during a COVID pandemic crisis most races have been cancelled and gone to virtual. Something we all had to get use to or adapt. I decided, without structure training plan, to run the virtual Marathon Core Marathon tri-fecta at the request of my sister-in-law and nephew. This included a 31-mile run, 10k and a marathon. You had a little over a month to complete but I did them in 3 three weeks. Up first was the 31-mile run. I had two friends help me through 18 and then I was on my own. I completed all 31 miles in 4:29:49, moving time around 8:15 pace. Once I passed the 26-mile point in this run, I realized that I was going to become an ultra-marathoner. At 28-mile mark though, my knee popped out and I had to pop it back in place. I finished but this was the first time it popped out while running that I could remember. I went on to finish the 10k the following week and then the marathon the next week in 3:26:37. The knee felt weak and so no running since. A torn meniscus surgery completed on Feb. 1, 2021 and recovery begins.

The biggest advice I would give other runners is this, have fun. Have fun no matter what level you are. Enjoy the process of being fit and know it will not happen overnight. It’s truly a marathon and not a sprint.

I enjoy running the River City rRces because they are close to home. There is no feeling like showing up and preparing to compete with area runners. Each morning of the races, the excitement is in the air and to toe the line to compete is exhilarating. As I get older, the goals change, but God has blessed me to keep running and do so at a competitive level with other runners my age.

Thank you for allowing me to share my journey.

Check out Steve's campaign video here, it's truly inspiring!

Racing & Reminiscing - 1995 KDF miniMarathon

The 1995 KDF miniMarathon was the 22nd version and a second win for Jim Estes (also won in 1988) and the first win for Lexington's Becky Reinhold.

Estes also won the Vencor Stakes 15k so was two for three in the 1995 Triple Crown (he did not run the first race, the Rodes City Run).

Nice weather helped draw a record 4500 finishers to the race which still started out by Iroquois Park and finished at Fifth and Market.

If you have any memories and/or pictures of the 1995 KDF miniMarathon, we'd love to see and you can share them on our Facebook page or email to runrivercity@gmail.com and we'll post them for you.