Stanford prepares for Bourbon Chase racers
Published 2:39 pm Tuesday, October 12, 2021
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Stanford, which has been dubbed the “cookie town” and has been the winner of several “Most Spirited” awards in the past, is once again preparing to welcome Bourbon Chase racers this weekend.
The Bourbon Chase is a 200-mile running relay across the Bluegrass state that follows the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and will make its way through Lincoln County Friday night.
The event takes place Oct. 15-16, beginning in Bardstown and ending in Lexington.
Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Director Andrea Miller said the first runners should be arriving in Stanford at about 7:15 p.m. Friday evening.
The routes will be clearly marked through downtown, she said.
“They’ll probably do that around lunch or mid-afternoon Friday,” Miller said.
The race will be earlier than previous years, she said, with the last of the runners coming through town at about 1:30 a.m.
“There will be teams from all over the nation and teams from other countries will be participating but there’s a few less because of COVID-19 restrictions,” Miller said.
This year’s theme is “Where’s Waldo?” Stanford Mayor Dalton Miller is expected to dress up for the occasion, Miller said.
Cookies have been a popular snack in the past for runners, Miller said, which is where Stanford got the name “Cookie Town.”
Local businesses, organizations and churches are encouraged to donate cookies for the Friday night event.
Miller said the city is once again hoping to claim the “Hospitality Award” this year.
“Of course, there is a competition and my understanding is they’ve divided it up into bigger and smaller stops, which gives us a better chance to win,” Miller said.
Stanford residents are encouraged to come out at any time during the race and encourage runners.
“We have lots of volunteers this year, lots of new people coming out to help,” she said.
Miller said she looks forward to the event each year.
“Promoting our community and seeing people from town, it’s just a fun night. Not every community is blessed to be included,” she said. “It’s great advertisement for us, good revenue. It’s not always money-making that evening but a lot of those folks come back and rent rooms and visit shops. It’s letting them know what we have available.”
For more information about the race, contact the Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce at 606-365-4118.
