NEW STARTING LOCATION

Waterfront Park at the Community Boat House, 1325 River Road

Labor Day Monday, September 6

8am – Activities, Event t-shirt and helmet giveaways, Bike Doctors and the Inflation Station open

9am – Hike Bike & Paddle begins  NEW Bike Route! (PDF) Waterfront Park, east to the Lewis & Clark Bridge and back – PENDING
EXPANDED Hike Routes (PDF)  – PENDING
NEW Paddle Route (PDF) From the U of L Rowing Center through the McAlpine Locks to the new Shawnee Park Boat Ramp (TARC will provide return shuttle service)  – PENDING

Thousands of cyclists, paddlers and walkers will be on the move at the Mayor’s Hike, Bike & Paddle Monday, September 6 as it returns for a 18th consecutive Labor Day in a new location at Waterfront Park at the Community Boat House.  

“One of our city’s goals is to make Louisville a healthier city. That’s been especially challenging for the last 14 months. But that means the need for many of us to get out and get moving is greater than ever,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Every year, one of the best things about Hike, Bike & Paddle is that there are people who come here and exercise maybe for the first time in a while and then begin a more regular commitment. That’s what we want to encourage – and celebrate.”

Norton Healthcare and Coca-Cola Bottling Company return as presenting sponsors of the Mayor’s annual healthy lifestyle event. Event partners include Louisville Water Company, Louisville Waterfront Park, River City Paddle Sports, Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling and TARC.

“What a perfect opportunity to spend some time outdoors and enjoy some fun with family and friends,” said Audie Wilson, senior director of retail sales, Coca-Cola Consolidated. “We love supporting this event every year as we know how important it is to the Louisville Community.”

“As a nationally recognized healthiest employer, we are committed to providing a culture of health and wellness within our organization and throughout the community. Making the time for exercise, a key area of self-care, has been especially important during the past year and remains essential,” said Russell F. Cox, president and chief executive officer, Norton Healthcare. “It’s exciting this event is once again live, and we encourage everyone to live a healthy lifestyle and participate in this fun event.”

T-shirts will be available for the first 2,000 participants.

For Hikers, this year features four options – the first three of which are dog friendly.  The first route will travel west from the Boat House along the sidewalk to the Big Four Bridge and then back to the starting point. The second route takes Hikers to the area under the Kennedy and Lincoln bridges and then back to the Boat House.  The third route takes Hikers from the Boat House west towards the Great Lawn, then to the wharf near the Belle of Louisville.  The 4^th route – sorry, no dogs allowed on this one – is a 5K route traveling along the sidewalk to the Big Four Bridge to Jeffersonville and then back to Community Boathouse.

Bikers will enjoy the new 15-mile bike route that will take cyclists east on River Road to the Lewis & Clark Bridge and back.  Cyclist should exercise caution at the turn-around point as you will be asked to do a U-Turn on River Road to head back to the Boat House in Waterfront Park. Early turnoff options provide cyclist the opportunity for routes as short as two miles on this closed-loop route secured by LMPD. There will be signage along the route.

Experienced cyclists will take off first at 9 a.m. The Louisville Bicycle Club and Scheller’s Fitness and Cycle are providing “bike captains” to help cyclists follow the rules of the road.

“Bike doctors” will be stationed in Waterfront Park before the ride and along the route to assist cyclists with any equipment problems. Louisville Metro Police will provide traffic assistance at key intersections, and the Louisville Metro EMS bicycle team will patrol the route. All cyclists are asked to remain behind the lead police vehicles.

Paddlers will also experience a new route that takes them through the McAlpine Locks to the new boat ramp in Shawnee Park.  TARC will provide return shuttle service.

• Bike Route(PDF)
• Hike Route(PDF)
• Paddle Route(PDF) – waiting for updates

New interactive hike, bike and paddle maps will be available online soon. In addition, there will be turn-by-turn directions and route information that can be used on the day of the event.

Starting at 8 a.m., the event will showcase demonstrations and group participation in Yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba in socially distanced PODs on Waterfront’s South Great Lawn.

Participants are encouraged to bring water bottles, as there will be no refill station this year, but Coca-Cola will provide bottled refreshments upon completion of hike or bike activity.

This is the 17th year for the Hike, Bike & Paddle events, which are held each Memorial Day and Labor Day. The events are part of the city’s Healthy Hometown Movement, created to encourage Louisville residents to be more active and make healthier lifestyle choices.

Media sponsors include MIX 106.9, Louisville Public Media, Outfront Media and WLKY.