Pure Tap 5K: Two Thumbs and Two Paws Up!

Hundreds of runners and many of their four-legged friends breezed past the finish line for the Pure Tap 5K on Saturday, September 9.

Because of ongoing restoration work at the Louisville Water Tower, the Louisville Sports Commission and Louisville Water moved the race for the first time to West Louisville. The three-mile course started and ended in Shawnee Park but weaved through Chickasaw Park.

Also for the first time, the Pure Tap 5K went to the dogs. Proceeds from dog registrations benefited Friends of Metro Animal Services.

The early morning sprint was well worth it for Eric Buehner, who brought his eight-month-old Labradoodle, Lucy.

“I decided to start running with her and training her. Actually, she makes my pace faster,” Buehner said. “I saw the Pure Tap 5K race for dogs and I was like ‘we’re going to run this one’.”

The duo crossed the finish line in a little over 23 minutes, making Lucy the first ever Pure Tap 5K pup winner!

The location change also meant an early start for Louisville Water Plumber Leader Chris Meeks and Plumber Leader’s Assistant Scott Corbin. The crew ran all the hoses and made sure Pure Tap was flowing freely for volunteers and thirsty runners.

It’s a safe bet Kyle Bowling of Louisville needed to hydrate after cruising past the finish line in just under 17 minutes. Shortly after, Megan Cole of Versailles, Indiana surged across as the first female winner.

Louisville Water Project Engineer Dakotah DeRoche clinched third place in her category.

Congratulations to all of the participants!

And don’t worry, Louisville Water filled several Pure Tap dog bowls for the four-legged competitors to lap up some well-earned water.

As for Lucy, she happily wagged her tail, taking home top honors and a gift basket from Feeder’s Supply. Buehner says they’ll definitely be back next year.

“Absolutely! We gotta hold our title, right?”