Dec 3, 2024
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Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 219 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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Jason Homorody from Ohio
(11/21/2024)
"Flat and fast but lots of potholes too" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I came to this race based on the fast times people in my running group had run at this course and I was not disappointed. I ended up getting a 10 second PR so mission accomplished there. The race itself has a lot going for itself. First off, the packet pickup was very easy. It was at the Convention Center which is right across from where the race would start. A really cool part of the expo was the fact that Olympic Gold Medalist in the 1500 meter Cole Hocker was there. I got a picture with him after his talk and I got a picture with him at the finish line the next day too with my race medal. The race hotels are almost all right by the start/finish line too which is very convenient. Race morning was alright. They needed some more bathrooms at the start, but the Convention Center was open to stay warm right up until race time which was great. I dropped my bag and walked a short distance to the start line. The race start was just ok. They definitely need to break up the runners in to more corrals. For example, Corral A was runners under 3:10 I think. That was way too many people. I ran a 2:49 which means people 20 minutes slower are in the same area. Also, the streets were too narrow for that many people running out that fast. I almost got knocked over twice in the first mile, and there were lots of turns early in the race with a crowded area to run in. That desperately needs to be fixed. The course itself was alright. It had better crowd support than Toledo and Carmel, but definitely not better than Columbus (at least for the first half there). There were way too many turns the first 6-8 miles, but after that, there were a lot of straight roads. The biggest issue was the amount of potholes and cracks everywhere. I felt like there was never a time I could look up because I might twist my ankle. The roads were one of the worst I have run in and this was my 29th marathon. My only other comment about the course was there is kind of a dead spot of fans where you really need them from mile 20-24. The finish was back downtown again and it was nice but nothing great. The finish line area was a little more congested and crowded than other races I have attended. The race medal was a quality medal and they give you a winter hat at the finish as well which is cool. There was also some nice gear available at the finish line but most of the runner sizes were not available. Overall this race gets a big thumbs up. At the end of the day, the most important thing is having a flat and fast course and this definitely has that. It is also part of the Abbott World Marathon Age Group qualifiers. Sadly I missed getting my time by 92 seconds. Overall, a quality race. | |
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J. G. from Williamsburg, VA
(11/17/2024)
"Flat course and well organized!" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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 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, 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! | |
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M. H. from Indianapolis, IN
(11/10/2024)
"Great race-need more bathrooms before race" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Great race-need more bathrooms available before start of race. Beginning and end of race very congested! Spectators need to not be in or around corrals because runners cannot get in corrals. Also, at the end of race runners cannot get out of the chute because spectators are blocking trying to get in. Need more organization. | |
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R. G. from IN
(11/9/2023)
"Free for all at the start" (about: 2023)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The congestion at the start was dangerous. I was nearly knocked down twice in the first mile. I had to come to a complete stop two other times. I've run the race several times before, but this year was probably my last. The course is good. The fans are good (much of the time). The swag is good. But they desperately need to get the start under control, before people get knocked down and trampled. | |
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K. W. from IN
(10/30/2023)
"Oh the road surface!" (about: 2023)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It's been severals years since I've ran Monumental, but this time the poor quality of the road surfaces really stood out to me; lots of cracks, fissures, holes, you name it. I'd rather focus on just running, or enjoying the scenery, than constantly looking at the road trying to find a smoother line. Aid stations seemed more difficult too, another first for me. It would be nice if they had a person 50-100 m in front of the aid stations shouting 'aid station/water just ahead,' or have the pacers shout it. They also could have spaced the tables out a little more. You know how most people want to get their drink from the first table and that's really where the congestion is, so I like to go toward the end of the aid station. Well, a couple times I missed a drink because the aid station was so compressed with maybe only 2 tables. To be fair, these are minor criticisms and neither one impeded my performance, but they were notable vis-a-vis all the other marathons I've ran. One the positive side, the crowd support was exceptional. | |
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J. S. from Washington
(10/30/2023)
"Overall well done event!" (about: 2023)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Indianapolis marathon B overall grade lots of turns at start and lousy roads, otherwise beautiful fast course, good aid stations and volunteers. Nice shirt and medals. City has really cleaned up since last visit 8 years ago. Recommend as an alternative to Chicago. Easy to spectate for family friends. Nice job indy. | |
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Joe Ely from IN
(4/1/2022)
"Excellent race without big city hassles" (about: 2021)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run Monumental seven times now and it's a favorite. You get the 'big time marathon' feel without the big city traffic or hassles. Indy is very easy to get around...I booked a parking spot in an underground lot just 100m from the finish line and only 300m from the start corrals. Flat course with usually cool weather. A winner. | |
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R. H. from Houston, TX
(11/19/2021)
"Excellent race that's worth travelling to" (about: 2021)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros: -Downtown Indy is very walkable. Everything you need is right there in the downtown area and there is no need for a rental car. There are many hotels that are super close to the start and finish, and there are tons of restaurants downtown to eat at. (There's also a Whole Foods downtown that we swung by for some grubbage.) -The Colts were in town and playing on Thursday night...we had a great time watching the game at Lucas Oil Stadium during our time in Indy! -The expo is also downtown, and very close to the hotels. It was an easy walk to get to the convention center, and once inside the wide variety of vendors was great. -Start line organization was very well done. Bag drop-off and starting corrals were easy as pie. -Course aid stations were well manned and well stocked. -Between miles 19-21 they had trivia questions and answers posted on signs on the side of the course. This was a really helpful distraction, and was also a cool way to learn some fun Indiana trivia. -Weather was perfect for the race. After I finished it was really nice to grab a slice of pizza and sit in the sun on the grass of the capital grounds and enjoy the race-day atmosphere as others finished their race. Cons: -There were plenty of intersections on the course that did not have anyone directing traffic. It always makes me nervous when cars try to navigate through runners without anybody there to direct them. -There were a couple spots on the course where traffic was right next to the runners. It would have been better if they had closed down an additional lane to provide a buffer. -The race t-shirt was really ugly. I won't ever wear it, but fortunately they had a good selection of race apparel at the expo, so I was able to get a shirt that I'll actually wear. One final comment is that I wonder why they can't have the start of the race at Monument Circle? Starting at the capital is nice, but Indy is known for Monument Circle and that is it's most famous landmark. I always buy a start-line picture of the marathons that I run, and having a sea of 15,000 people lined-up on Meridian St with the monument in the background would make for a very memorable picture indeed. Just a thought... Overall the Indianapolis Marathon is a race worth doing, and there's plenty to see and do in Indy to make a long weekend out of it. You won't be disappointed. | |
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Todd Deffenbaugh from Alabama
(11/8/2021)
"This is a top-notch marathon" (about: 2021)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I highly recommend this marathon for a variety of reasons: Course Very flat overall and much of the course is quite scenic. I enjoyed how it doesn't duplicate any terrain. This aspect alone sets it apart from the vast majority of marathons. My total distance ended up being about 0.6 mile too long. Congestion during the first 3 miles caused about half of my overall "overage". Recommendation: If you're serious about achieving a certain time, get in your corral early and make sure that you're at the front of your "wave". It's quite congested at the start but this is the case for any large marathon. Weather Couldn't have been any better! The race is at the perfect time of the year. It was 30 degrees at the start and around 47 degrees at the finish. Organization They clearly have a seasoned team running this event. I had no issues except I couldn't find my pace group. Apparently, my pace group leader arrived late or didn't hold up the sign like all of the other pace groups. Crowd Support While its certainly not Chicago or NYC, crowd support was good and there were a lot of fun/festive spots along the course. Destination Indianapolis is an underrated city. Its clean and has a lot of good restaurants. The core downtown area is very walkable. In summary, I hope to participate again. Kudos to the city for putting on a fantastic event! | |
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C. Y. from TX
(1/9/2020)
"Poor On Course Planning" (about: 2019)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my 59th marathon.I don't care about medals, crowds,expo or shirts, only ORGANIZATION on the course. I'm a midpacker, so it was surprising to hear they were out of Gatorade at the 10 mile and following aid station. A race this large needs more portos on the course. Having only 3 available every 2ish miles had many folks waiting, I waited over 5 minutes to use one around mile 15. Otherwise, this was a perfectly adequate race, but not one I would run again. |
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