Nov 22, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 218 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
|
J. C. from Chicago
(11/7/2010)
"Beautiful course; better than average crowd" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is the best of Indy for sure. It is a very pretty race course, and it took me by surprise. Many nice looks at the city, downtown, Butler, Meridian Road and the nice homes of Broad Ripple. The crowd was ok - a little better than average - but it was supportive of everyone. I think this race will get better. So great scenery, pretty well organized although it seems a little long according to my Garmin and do think tables should be a little more spaced out. Overall, I would do this race again - and congrats to Indy on a very fine marathon (one of the better ones). However, note it has a few rollers - nothing hard at all, but certainly not as flat as, say, Chicago or Phoenix. So yes: flat, but do not expect your Garmin to show an elevation change of 80 (I had about 210 gain and thought there were a few little challenges later in the race that my legs could feel). | |
|
J. D. from CT
(11/7/2010)
"I would run it again!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Not just because I set a P.R. and ran my first sub 3 here yesterday, but I found everything about the race to be a marathoner's marathon! The only part of the race that was a negative were the conditions of some of the roads downtown. A lot of that is probably due to the fact that there is a huge amount of construction going on because the super bowl is coming to town. From what the locals said, the whole downtown area is getting a facelift. I thought the downtown was great though... it was clean, with plenty of hotels and lots of places to eat. Race-day logistics were extremely easy, corral assignments were just fine, and the race started on time. The participants were extraordinary too. I'm from the Northeast and love heading to the Midwest. Nice job! | |
|
D. B. from Chicago Suburbs
(11/7/2010)
"Great Medium-Sized Race!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course is scenic, mostly flat, and a lot of fun. A couple of hills here and there (big-ish one at 15 miles, crazy off-ramp downhill at 30K) keep you on your toes, so to speak. Spectators are very enthusiastic, but sparse. I think I went from 17-20 miles without a single spectator. Water stations are very plentiful, but too short, causing a few traffic jams. Parts of the course run in a closed lane on active highways, so be aware. There are numerous places where a police officer is holding traffic. Some crossings got a little close. Gear check is OK, but some sort of tag for the bags would be nice - masking tape works, but not very well. Getting a handshake, and a "thank-you" from the RD at the finish was a nice treat. Nice shirt, nice medal, and a nice race hat at the finish - decent swag, indeed. Entry and hotel cost me less than entry in Chicago, so there is a lot of value. Plus, proceeds go to support Indianapolis public school programs. Looking for a fun, late-fall race? Here you go. | |
|
David Reinhart from Dallas, TX
(11/6/2010)
"Very Nice Course, Great Organization" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Note to race director: Thank you so much for having race-day packet pick-up. Us out-of-town 50-Staters cannot always get there early enough the day before. Please continue this tradition. | |
|
L. W. from St. Louis, MO
(11/6/2010)
"Well run race with a beautiful flat course." (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the 2010 marathon and had a wonderful experience. I don't consider the expo a big part of any race, but this one left a lot to be desired - very crowded and difficult to find parking (location was good though, as it's right downtown where the marathon starts). I don't understand why more marathons don't mail you your number and chip. Nice that participants had the option to pick up their bib the morning of the race. Race day was cold (30 degrees at the start), but overall, good weather for a marathon. Start was very smooth and runners tended to lineup according to their pace. The halfers started with the fulls so the first 7 miles were crowded but manageable. Spectator support was decent and there were some bands and DJ's on the course. Most of the course was very scenic and was nice having very little wind. There were some minor hills at miles 16-20 but nothing too challenging. The finishing area was well organized with lots of choices of refreshments. Finishers received a hat and nice medal. The first-aid tent had HOT chicken broth which was awesome. The recovery tent was slightly heated, which was nice with soup and soda. I stayed at the Hilton (which is only 2-3 blocks from the start and finish); if you can, stay downtown so you can sleep in a bit and head directly back after the race. I commend the organizers on a great marathon and would definitely consider returning. | |
|
S. S. from Lincoln, NE
(11/6/2010)
"Premier heartland marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great race, and I suspect it will only get better. Flat and fast course. Not the most scenic place in the world, but not bad. Attention to detail is second to none. Runners group at the start according to pace, and there were well marked turns, neon green mile markers, tons of aid stations and volunteers, a heated finish tent with chili, and lots of medical staff everywhere. Minuses: very, very few. I'd like to see the finish re-done. Its a little anti-climactic running past the monument and capitol, and then running around the back of the capitol and finishing on some side street. Also, the spectators were well below what you would see at Chicago or something like that. That being said, I was very impressed with this marathon and expect it to quickly become a premier race. Highly recommended! | |
|
T. C. from Indianapolis, Indiana
(10/23/2010)
"Great" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Really a great course and great organization. | |
|
R. T. from Fishers, IN
(6/1/2010)
"Great Race on a Fast Course" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I enjoyed everything about this race, ran a huge P.R. and comfortably BQ'd. The course is as flat as advertised, fast and scenic. The race video on the website doesn't do the course justice as it is much more scenic than it appears on the video. The race starts and ends downtown and takes in some of Indianapolis' best sites with a nice mix of the city and its neighborhoods. The change of scenery - from the big, downtown buildings, to wide, tree-lined, historic streets with crowd support scattered throughout the course - really helped break it up and helped the miles fly by. There were plenty of water stops staffed with enthusiastic volunteers. Others have lodged minor complaints with the water stops, gel, etc., but I had no problems getting or finding water, PowerAde or gels when and where offered. In only its second year, I was surprised at the number of spectators who were out cheering us on. The finisher's medal was the nicest I have received. It is high-quality, heavy and the full and half finishers get different-colored ribbons and medals, which I thought was a nice touch. It is even more significant because I ran my first BQ for it. The expo was nice and, for a marathon of this size, exceeded my expectations. The runners also got a nice tech shirt. The pasta dinner was good, affordable and offered two great speakers. One was a running coach and veteran marathoner of 100+ marathons, who was leading one of the pace groups. The other was Hal Higdon. I went early to hear Hal, but the coach, who was the first speaker, was every bit as good and provided some great tips too. The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is a well organized and run event. I have run other big races, e.g., Marine Corps and Chicago. The IMM is not as big, but every bit as good. It is a great choice for a fall marathon and a good place to B.Q. I enjoyed it and think you would too. | |
|
t. p. from akron,ohio
(12/31/2009)
"Where's my shirt?" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Even though I pre-registered, when I went to packet pick-up on race day, they were out of shirts and said no more would be made. I always assumed that pre-registering guaranteed you a shirt unless otherwise noted. I'm having a quilt made of marathon shirts and this was a monumental race (my eighth in 43 days and 40th overall). | |
|
S. S. from Chicago, IL
(11/21/2009)
"Flat and fast; but was it long?" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall well-organized race. Flat with good scenery. I have two minor (and fixable) complaints: 1) Was it 26.2? My Garmin showed it at 26.66. By looking at the mile markers as against my Garmin as I ran, miles 8, 9 or 10 seemed to be long. As a comparison, my Garmin calculated 26.54 for Chicago in 2008 for a much more crowded race in which I couldn't run straight lines around many more corners than Indy. Indy should have been much closer to 26.2. This added length would have been an emotional issue had I been racing for a Boston qualifier. 2) Length of water stops: Yes, there were plenty of them. The problem was the distance to pick up a drink seemed shorter than usual, which created logjams and lots of collisions as runners jostled for drinks. This was a consistent problem - it wasn't just a couple of stops. Advice: space your volunteers out more at each stop and these will go more smoothly. |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
