Court approves Simmons Elementary run and Bourbon Chase relay; organizers describe signage and safety plans

The Woodford County Fiscal Court on June 3 approved event permits for Simmons Elementary's Run for D.C. 5K and the Ragnar/Bourbon Chase relay, while asking organizers to coordinate routes and safety with county staff.

Kendra Wadsworth, a fifth-grade teacher at Simmons Elementary School, described the Run for D.C. as the school's primary fundraiser for the fifth-grade trip to Washington, D.C. "This will be our fourteenth year ' minus COVID ' of the run for D.C.," Wadsworth told the court. She said the event draws broad participation and that the school publicizes the race with banners, yard signs and local calendars.

The court moved to approve the 5K permit (motion by Squire Gill; second by Squire Blackford) and the motion carried unanimously.

Dan Erwin, joining the meeting by Zoom, described the Ragnar/Bourbon Chase relay as a roughly 200-mile, two-day relay that passes through multiple counties and distilleries. "This year, we're looking at approximately about 250 teams, which will bring about 2,000-3,000 individual participants through the entire middle part of Kentucky, including Woodford County," Erwin said. He noted organizers begin early and spread runners across time, which reduces concentrated traffic impacts.

Erwin said his team coordinates with each jurisdiction and with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for permits and that they deploy signs and variable message boards in busier areas. "We make sure that our participants are well versed in the rules. They have to follow all the laws and the rules of any other pedestrian, stopping at crosswalks, running on sidewalks, running on shoulders against traffic when sidewalks are not available," Erwin said.

Squire Downey asked for expected time windows for runners in Woodford County. Erwin said, based on current simulations and a 5 a.m. Friday start, the first runners would reach rural sections of Woodford County around 1 a.m. and the final runners would pass through the county by roughly 7 p.m. Saturday, subject to change.

The court approved the Bourbon Chase permit (motion by Squire Veil; second by Squire Varner) by unanimous voice vote and asked organizers to coordinate with city councils and local public-safety departments as needed.

Ending: Organizers were given standard conditions to coordinate signage and crossings with county staff and public-safety partners; exact event dates and final route details will be confirmed with county offices prior to the events.