INDIANAPOLIS – A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO SET YOUR PACE® Now one of the 15 largest marathons in the US, the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is the ideal fall marathon for everyone from the first-time marathon runner to elite athletes. Starting and finishing near the Indiana State House, the course winds through …
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INDIANAPOLIS – A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO SET YOUR PACE®
Now one of the 15 largest marathons in the US, the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is the ideal fall marathon for everyone from the first-time marathon runner to elite athletes. Starting and finishing near the Indiana State House, the course winds through downtown Indianapolis and a number of historical neighborhoods and Cultural Districts. Nationally recognized as flat and fast, event hosted Olympians, PR seekers, and thousands of Boston Marathon qualifiers.
Along with a half marathon, 5K, and kids fun run, race weekend is full of events for the entire family. The Indianapolis Monumental Health and Fitness Expo at the Indiana Convention Center kicks off the event with two days of talented expo speakers, vendors, and opportunities to show your monumental spirit.
Indy is within a day’s drive of over half of the country’s population and the LEED-certified airport is only 15 minutes from downtown. From parks to museums to ziplines, Indy has something for every member of your group to enjoy on race weekend. Known for hosting blockbuster events, Indy has a flourishing culinary and brewing scene, thriving cultural institutions, cool neighborhoods, and so much more!
It’s a big race energy with local charm. Family and friends can cheer you on across the heart of downtown, through some of Indy’s historic neighborhoods, and past famous monuments as you complete 3.1, 13.1 or 26.2 miles! Come and experience legendary Hoosier hospitality for yourself!
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Well staged. Beautiful flat course.
You actually start and finish in the city center - unlike many 'city marathons.' The frequent groupings of Indianapolis residents seem determined to have a street party and your invited … MORE
You actually start and finish in the city center – unlike many ‘city marathons.’ The frequent groupings of Indianapolis residents seem determined to have a street party and your invited / the excuse for it. The event is silk smooth organisation wise. The aid stations encouraging and frequent, they are also well stocked. The route is flat through pretty neighbourhoods and parks. It’s definitely a very scenic marathon. The finish area is a literal market of complimentry goodies and retail oppertunities. I would happily run this event again.
It was fairly boring
I expected a larger more interactive crowd than it was for the size of the race. There was a large section of road that was in need of repair especially … MORE
I expected a larger more interactive crowd than it was for the size of the race.
There was a large section of road that was in need of repair especially around mile 20 or so that took me completely out of stride where I needed most to lock out and not pay attention to my footing every step.
Pacers were all crammed at the front of the corrals and difficult to get to your own pacer without squeezing through large amounts of people, would suggest spreading out more for sure.
Overall very flat, some nice scenery, downtown is very small so you’re not there long before you go out and venture away before coming back. Weather was perfect this year, couldn’t have asked for anything better there!
My favorite race
Everything about this race is top-notch. The weather this year was perfect for racing and the spectators took advantage to come out in full force as well. Plenty of water … MORE
Everything about this race is top-notch. The weather this year was perfect for racing and the spectators took advantage to come out in full force as well. Plenty of water stops and portapotties along the way, great aid stations and I passed numerous medical tents in case they were needed. Indianapolis roads are always terrible (this is why trail running helps with training) but thankfully no rain to worry with playing the puddle-or-pothole game.
Flat Course with Decent Scenery
This is a PR course. It’s fairly flat with an interesting route. However, the roads were in terrible shape with lots of cracks and potholes. Watch your step! The downtown … MORE
This is a PR course. It’s fairly flat with an interesting route. However, the roads were in terrible shape with lots of cracks and potholes. Watch your step! The downtown area is nice with lots of good places to celebrate afterwards.
Lovely, friendly, unexpected!
I came upon this race because of a few race review sites that placed this in the top 20 races. I'm not far from Indy (about 3 hours) and my … MORE
I came upon this race because of a few race review sites that placed this in the top 20 races. I’m not far from Indy (about 3 hours) and my wife has friends who live just outside the city, so it was an easy yes for me. The race itself was also a BIG yes. Course support that honestly rivals Flying Pig. The spectators even in the neighborhoods are out in droves giving out halloween candy and ibuprofen (bless you mile 13!), the kids were dressed in costumes, the water stops are well stocked and friendly. This city knows how to welcome runners. Does the crowd taper out a bit in some of the more isolated places, sure, but sometimes it’s nice to just have some music on and run your race. I’m a fan of having some quiet areas, so your mileage may vary (13.1 or 26.2 are pretty consistent though 😉 ). Don’t overlook this race. The past several years have been LUCKY with weather (the day after this race, there was rain and even snow in the evening) we had 40-60 degrees with partial sun, so it couldn’t have been more ideal in my book. Thanks Indianapolis! You showed up and showed out!
Flat and fun course in a beautiful city!
This race was pretty much as advertised. Flat course (great for a PR or BQ attempt), great crowd support and race production, and overall a great city to run in. … MORE
This race was pretty much as advertised. Flat course (great for a PR or BQ attempt), great crowd support and race production, and overall a great city to run in. Water stations were plentiful with some even handing out gels. Plenty to see along the course from the city to the suburbs to the parks, this race offered a little bit of everything in the scenery department. There was tons of crowd support throughout most of the course. The only slight negative I would give is that the pre-race areas were packed. This led to very long and confusing lines for the porta-potties, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time pre-race to navigate that. Overall this was a fantastic event that I would highly recommend for anyone in the Indiana area or for those looking to check off a race in this state.
Great Race
There were plenty of aid stations and bathrooms. The course was very flat and had a crowd for almost the entire length, I don't see how a marathon gets better … MORE
There were plenty of aid stations and bathrooms. The course was very flat and had a crowd for almost the entire length, I don’t see how a marathon gets better than this one.
The answer is Yes, sign up!
Indy puts on a solid race. I ran this as my first marathon in 2019. Also, highly recommend as a first time marathon course. Expo is good enough and organized. … MORE
Indy puts on a solid race. I ran this as my first marathon in 2019. Also, highly recommend as a first time marathon course. Expo is good enough and organized. The lines for photo ops are just insane to me.
Race day was easy to navigate, but coming from out of town I just stayed in a hotel DT and walked there in 5 minutes. Waves were a bit slow to start but wasn’t too bad. Perfect weather this year!!!!
Half course there are a lot of turns. Just make sure no one cuts you off. Got clipped by a few people not paying attention. First 5 miles are super scenic and fun and the neighborhoods have a good turn out.
At the end the beer line was so insane. Why not just have cans and people can grab and go? Maybe there are weird liquor laws. I didn’t even navigate out beyond that because it was so crowded. I did like just getting a bag at the end so we didn’t have to carry everything by hand.
Overall solid race. Great course for marathon and half.
Running on Steroids
I'm kidding about the steroids. What I mean is that this is a fast and flat course that is sure to enhance your performance. I loved everything about this race … MORE
I’m kidding about the steroids. What I mean is that this is a fast and flat course that is sure to enhance your performance. I loved everything about this race starting with the expo. The expo was excellent…vendors, giveaways, guest speakers…it was a real expo not just a bib pickup. Even the location of the expo is great. The convention center was near my hotel and it is near the race start. They also keep the convention center open on race morning. This is important for 2 reasons….first you can stretch and hand there to keep warm but the main thing is that the bathroom lines are much nicer. The potty lines outside are insane. You don’t even know where they end. Plus the sidewalks are very crowded.
The race itself was awesome. It is crowded but manageable in the beginning. You start with half marathoners before you split after mile 7. You start and end in the downtown part of the city. Running by the monuments was pretty neat. You also run through areas with big beautiful houses. Although there were some quiet parts in the race, the crowds were enthusiastic and there was also some on-course entertainment with bands, music and dancers. Post race amenities included water, Nuun, chocolate milk, pizza for you and the family, knit hat and other goodies. There were also some vendors on hand post race. It was great. I did a PR. If you are looking for a PR, or a BQ race…this is it. If you want to do a marathon for the first time…this is a great entry level race. The only thing I disliked was the Nuun drinks given on course. So if you don’t like that, bring your own. Overall, this was a wonderful, well-organized, runner and family friendly race. I loved it.
Great race, flat course
race production was great - well supported and organized. Packet pick up was easy and the expo had a large number of vendors. Course was flat and fast with nice … MORE
race production was great – well supported and organized. Packet pick up was easy and the expo had a large number of vendors. Course was flat and fast with nice crowds. Really enjoyed this one and PR’d.
Super Flat Course
This is a large race, so be prepared for crowds. It is a very flat course. The buildings can mess with your GPS, so make sure you are tracking your … MORE
This is a large race, so be prepared for crowds. It is a very flat course. The buildings can mess with your GPS, so make sure you are tracking your mileage manually. The crowd support was fantastic, and the aid stations were plenty. The food and drinks were aplenty at the finish line and the swag was decent, as well as the medal.
Flat and well run race
Lots of pros for this race: -a well run bib pickup with some great vendors and panels -super friendly race staff and volunteers -smooth race morning logistics. Waves were well … MORE
Lots of pros for this race:
-a well run bib pickup with some great vendors and panels
-super friendly race staff and volunteers
-smooth race morning logistics. Waves were well organized.
-great flat course, with beautiful scenery. I love that it takes place at this time of year because the leaves had all changed color.
-excellent race swag. Medal, shirt, and finish line beanie!
-post race area was awesome. Free samples from some vendors. Beer line was long but I didn’t get one anyway.
-free post race pizza from Dominoes! All races should have finish line pizza.
Cons
– few water stations were running really low before the half/full split, but were fine after that.
Verdict
-I’m so glad I picked this race to check off Indiana for my 50 states challenge. It was a super chill race for me with a great course. I highly recommend it to locals and out of towners alike.
Really great time in Indy
This was an awesome marathon! I would definitely recommend signing up for it! Previously, I was an Indy hater! But this race has me rethinking everything. It was so cool … MORE
This was an awesome marathon! I would definitely recommend signing up for it! Previously, I was an Indy hater! But this race has me rethinking everything. It was so cool running at the start and seeing Circle Monument come into sight. We then ran north through some really gorgeous neighborhoods. On the way back down you go through a park that goes along a river.
Plenty of water stations throughout! They do pass out Nuun instead of Gatorade. They were also giving out lots of gels. I didn’t take any but they looked like Neversecond gels!
Spectators were there for most of the race! It was one of the loudest crowds I’ve heard as I finished. Super cool!
The swag was so good! The free shirt was really great this year. At the end, we were given a beanie! Also- they give you a nice bag to put all the food and drinks you get at the end. Great race!!
Pretty cool race
It’s a huge run with lots of participants and great support along the course. Definitely gives you that little extra boost of motivation compared to the smaller races. Someone had … MORE
It’s a huge run with lots of participants and great support along the course. Definitely gives you that little extra boost of motivation compared to the smaller races. Someone had beer shots closer to the 2nd half of the course – that was super cool!
Getting to the race packet pick up on Friday night kinda sucked: lots of people and long traffic jams but everything was very well organized inside. Figure out your parking before you go there on the race day.
We were in the corral F so even though start was 8am we didn’t actually make it to the start line till about 8:30am (this just tells you again how big this race really is).
The medal is cool and they also gave a winter hat, I’ll definitely wear it while training for my next race!
Overall great experience, flat course and potential for PR (if my back didn’t let me down).
Awesome race!
From the packet pick up to the finish line, I loved this race! Taking your through downtown Indy, the course is pretty flat. Lots of people cheering you on with … MORE
From the packet pick up to the finish line, I loved this race! Taking your through downtown Indy, the course is pretty flat. Lots of people cheering you on with a nice post race party. Excellent production throughout and I loved the medal!
Flatter Than TSwift
Great race, fairly cool course (though there's not a ton to see in Indy, but it hits the big sites), super-flat, very well-run, though more urinals would have been great. … MORE
Great race, fairly cool course (though there’s not a ton to see in Indy, but it hits the big sites), super-flat, very well-run, though more urinals would have been great. I love that they give a cool-looking winter hat, that’s one of my favorite race swags I’ve gotten.
Great town to visit
This was a well put on race. They know what they are doing. We stayed down town and there is plenty to do in walking distance. A lot was going … MORE
This was a well put on race. They know what they are doing. We stayed down town and there is plenty to do in walking distance. A lot was going on the weekend we were there. The weather was good, the course is flat and it’s a pretty big race compared to the races I have done lately. I think if I were to do it again, I would give them a race time and try to start in an earlier corral. I started in the last corral and while I was fine with that, I think my time would have been better if I had submitted a time and got in a better position. I don’t have any complaints about the race.
Great Course and Crowd support
This was state number 40 and I was most pleased with this race! To start, logistics are easy with plenty of motels near the race area. There is no need … MORE
This was state number 40 and I was most pleased with this race!
To start, logistics are easy with plenty of motels near the race area. There is no need to rent a car. I stayed at the Sheraton City Center which was within a short walking distance to the start/finish line, expo and many restaurants.
The expo was a good size and since it was after Halloween, many vendors were had candy at their booths! Bib pick up was well organized . The only down piece was the quality of the race tech shirt that was given out. It was so cheap that you could see right through it!
The course is mostly flat and had way more crowd support than I expected. I enjoyed running past the city landmarks and through neighborhoods where folks were giving out drinks and more candy! The one draw back was a number of roads that had pot holes and cracks. The course is almost entirely on asphalt which I like over concrete . Plenty of aid stations and 3 Gu stops, which is unusual. One aid stop ran out of cups and folks were drinking from the same water pitcher, not very sanitary!
The finish area was well organized and they gave you a knit cap as well as a bag to carry food items. I will note they gave you water in a can which tasted awful! The pizza was being restocked when I finished so I did not wait for it.
Results were quickly available and the medal was nice, gold color for marathoners and silver for the half.
There were plenty of places to see/visit in Indianapolis , even an NFL game the next day!
I ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory for carb loading . Also ate at St Elmo’s, Yard House and Shapiro’s Deli . All excellent! Great ice cream at the Chocolate Cafe!
I highly recommend this fun race and would do it again!
Nice and flat
A mostly flat course with a few rolling hills. Very well produced. Lots of volunteers working the aid stations along the route. Plenty of water, electrolytes, and some stations had … MORE
A mostly flat course with a few rolling hills. Very well produced. Lots of volunteers working the aid stations along the route. Plenty of water, electrolytes, and some stations had Gu gels. Plenty of people along the route cheering, and what looked like some serious marathon house parties/bbq’s. A very well stocked finishers area with water, chocolate milk, fruit, nutrition bars. A free beer and pizza as you exited, and the option to buy more. The only negative was a surprisingly small expo. I expected a lot more vendors for a marathon of this size. But overall, I do reccomend this race!
Great place to PR!
Pros: Super flat and lovely fall scenery! The support downtown and in some of the neighborhoods is very strong and you get to see all of Indianapolis. I love the … MORE
Pros:
Super flat and lovely fall scenery! The support downtown and in some of the neighborhoods is very strong and you get to see all of Indianapolis. I love the medal and the logistics were extremely streamlined/easy. I had a very easy first marathon and felt like there was plenty of water and sports drinks along the way, even if the mile 18 station ran out of cups!
Cons:
ROUGH roads in some parts and the long stretch from miles 19-23 with no spectators or cheering were really mentally tough. You run along some extremely busy roads where only one lane is blocked off and there were many intersections where cars should have been stopped/turned around and were instead able to pull through in the middle of throngs of people. I was very confused by the road closure system and felt like the traffic control was sketchy once you were out of downtown. Also for Brooks being a sponsor, and this being one of the biggest races in the country, the tech shirts were cheap quality and a bit of a bummer.
OVERALL: I would give this an 8/10! I am biased because it will always be my first marathon and I had a great experience all things considered, but if you have raced a lot around the country some of the nitpicks may bother you. I would love to come back to this race and enjoy the perfect weather and Hoosier hospitality again!