Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

( 61 reviews )
98% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Indianapolis,
    Indiana,
    United States
  • November
  • 3 miles/5K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Andrea

Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States
12 31
2015
"Flat, fast, tourist-friendly course of Indy"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Andrea 's thoughts:

I went to the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon as a part of a reunion with a charity I work with. I really enjoyed the entire weekend.

Expo: nice-sized expo for the race. Free poster with the names of all participants on it in small print. Limited samples at the expo booths. Nice assortment of vendors and race booths with discounts for registration.

The race has a pasta dinner. I did not go. It was in heated tents outdoors. Friends that went said it got chilly, and they ran out of some food and plasticware.

Swag: Loved the race shirt. Excellent design and fit. Great medal. Nice finisher's hat (perfect for cold weather running). The race also provides a discount booklet for discounts in the area for race participants.

Pre-race: if it is cold outside, you can keep warm (and go to the bathroom) inside the convention center. The race corrals are organized by pace. I started back further than I normally would because I wanted to take the race slower and enjoy the neighborhoods.

Course: very flat and fast. A little congested at the beginning but that's to be expected with the sheer size of the race. Race thins out as the miles go on and the half and full marathon split. The course went through some night neighborhoods, went past the historic war monuments of Indy (hence the race name), took us by the Children's Museum, and some of the cool hip urban business areas of Indy. Watch the road surfaces- there are a lot of potholes in certain areas, and the brick section by the monuments is uneven and possibly slippery if it rains (we saw a couple of people trip on loose/uneven bricks). Aide stations and on-course support is excellent. Family/friends have several opportunities to see you and cheer you on throughout the race. Traffic/car control was excellent.

Post-race: great finish line, amazing immediate support and food from volunteers, finisher's hat. Post-race food had bananas, cookies, chocolate milk, electrolytes, and a heated tent with chili.

Parking: can be tricky- the race was on the same weekend as an Indianapolis Colt home game, so hotels and parking spots filled up quickly. If you are not staying in a walking-distance hotel, use one of the local paid parking spot services.

Overall a fantastic race and I a glad I did it for my Indiana state race. You can tell this is a race that the whole community rallies behind, especially as it is a nonprofit event that supports many local charities. I definitely recommend this event. If you are visiting the area- make a weekend out of it. Do a tour, visit the Indy 500 Speedway, the Indianapolis Zoo, and enjoy all the great restaurants there.

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