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Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Runner Comments

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Course Rating Course 4.6 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.5 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.8 
 
 
Number of comments: 218 [displaying comments 161 to 171]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 15 16 17 18 19 .. 22 > ]

 

K. D. from Michigan (11/10/2009)
"Great Event" (about: 2009)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


As a previous runner mentioned, the conditions were tough (strong headwind on the second half of the course). I hit the wall at about mile 22 and stumbled in to finish quite a bit slower than expected. The course is remarkably flat. The organizers did a great job with the event. Water/PowerAde stops were well staffed with enthusiastic volunteers. Post-race pasta was good. There weren't a lot of spectators along the course, but this is only the second year of the race. I expect it will continue to grow in popularity. People were very friendly and helpful. Other than my disappointing performance, I have no complaints. I highly recommend the Indy Monumental for a fall marathon.

 

m. w. from Irvine, CA (11/10/2009)
"Pretty impressive, Indy!" (about: 2009)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 4


Monumental had a good, flat course, going through some pretty areas. The organization was a little lacking: the expo started a bit late as they scrambled to get everything in order (shirts not there by opening time); and the post-race stuff was also not too monumental - I saw NO fruit when I got in around five hours, except for a table that looked like it might have had fruit at some point, on account of the banana peels.... There was a full meal in the tent up the street, and that was nice, but I didn't want pasta and cookies, so oh well. Course aid was great, with lots of water and PowerAde and gels! Happy spectators were cheering throughout, and it's always nice to go through colleges - such happy, youthful energy! Weather made it a bit warm at spots, but then a bit breezy too sometimes. The rustling leaves were nice though, and in the end, it was a good and well put on race overall.

 

J. P. from Indianapolis (11/10/2009)
"Good Race - Flat and Fast" (about: 2009)

11-50 previous marathons | 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This is a well organized fall race. I ran the full last year and the half this year. I really enjoyed the half course. It doesn't get much flatter. Good water stops and support for traffic. This event will continue to grow. The medal is one of the better ones I've received, even for the 40+ marathons I've run. Stay downtown, enjoy the city, and have an easy way to and from the race. Thanks to all of the volunteers for their hard work.

 

L. R. from Los Angeles, CA (11/9/2009)
"Excellent Indianapolis experience" (about: 2009)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This is a well-organized marathon that was a pleasure to participate in. The downtown start/finish/expo location is easy to access from the airport and dozens of nearby hotels. The course is amazingly flat, yet scenic, passing by major monuments, parks, college campuses, and riverside paths. There was a good and inexpensive pasta dinner the night before, with speakers. The weather was perfect throughout, except for intermittent mild winds. A good place for a relatively fast time. The only mild negative was that there were several conventions in town the same weekend, so hotels were hard to find and generally full price without late checkout courtesies.

 

C. J. from Kokomo, IN (11/9/2009)
"Well organized/fast course." (about: 2009)

4-5 previous marathons | 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Course is flat and ready for BQ's and PR's. The spectators were enthusiastic. The medics on bikes throughout the race were a nice touch. (It felt like they were ready for whatever....) The expo was easy. This race will continue to grow and be a nice fall marathon for a fantastic price.

 

N. K. from Chicago, IL (11/9/2009)
"Potentially a great November marathon" (about: 2009)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


Contrary to what many experienced marathoners thought, I found this course NOT as flat as I thought it'd be - I've only run city marathons that are REALLY flat and/or have their uphill portions during the first half. I found those frequent uphills between miles 16 - 20 pretty discouraging! Running along with the cars stuck in traffic was not pleasant either. The water stations were placed fairly frequently, but cups were totally full for the first half of the course when I didn't need that much liquid (so I ended up dumping most of it), and only half full (or half empty!) during the last half when I really needed hydration! I also needed more than the Clif energy gels - bananas would've been great during the race.

The post-race food was also not great - the volunteers seemed to get better food than the runners (who got the leftover spaghetti from the pre-race pasta dinner)! But considering the fact that this is only the second time they're doing it, they do deserve high marks and this could potentially become the November Midwest marathon to run as they fine-tune the race. (There were lots of positives - the race being Saturday right in downtown Indy was great, the expo was well organized, bag check-in and pick-up was fast, the wait before the race was short, lots of porta-potties were available, the early entry fee was low, etc.)

 

Jill Cummings from Allendale Michigan (11/9/2009)
"I've run for 31 years. This is in my top 3!" (about: 2009)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Hard to believe this is only the second year for this marathon. This one is put on by runners for runners. No doubt. The course is flat and fast. There is sign up the night before and the day of the race. I was signed up three weeks prior to run another one, and with a sickness in the family I couldn't go. So I happened upon this one. What luck. They don't SOAK you for signing up late like most of the big races (and some smaller ones). Very nice. At the start we were sent off running with a song over the speaker system that was very appropriate. : )

The course was beautiful and well stocked with aid stations. There were even aid people on bikes to help the injured or the cramped to try and get them on their way. They have four-foot mile marker signs with a sand bag you can see a LONG ways off (next year use two sand bags because it was windy). The finish line was well stocked with a ton of FOOD: Panera bagels, muffins, fruit AND, if you continue to go farther down to the tent on the right, you'll get a warm meal. (Spaghetti and breadsticks while waiting for the awards ceremony.) Nice awards and very nice finisher medals. These people do it right. Good for them and great for us! Thanks, IMM. : )

 

M. H. from VA, USA (11/9/2009)
"Excellent Fall Marathon" (about: 2009)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I was pleasantly surprised with this marathon. I liked how there was not a relay and there was a nice balance between half folks (who split around Mile 7) and full marathoners. It was also just the right size for me - not too big. The course seemed to really highlight some pretty parts of the city and included some local high spots such as the football stadium, art museum, and some local colleges. Fan support was good but not overwhelming. Since it looped through downtown a couple of times, it seemed like that was a great spot for fans to congregate. Shirts were nice (for whatever that is worth) and expo was a good size. Weather could not have been better for running, and the host hotel was very accommodating. Really, everything was near perfect on this one - the organizers did a good job, and the city clearly stood behind this marathon (despite a few angry motorists stuck in traffic). Good job, and I'd recommend this for a nice fall marathon that is well organized and easy to travel to.

 

L. O. from Waukesha, WI (11/9/2009)
"Good fall race" (about: 2009)

4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I had a really rough day running my slowest marathon time ever, but I still enjoyed the race. The expo before was the best one I have been to so far. The course was really nice. I liked having the half marathon split off from the full at about Mile 7. My only problem was the understaffed water tables during the first miles of the race. The volunteers were working their hardest, but they could not get water to all the runners fast enough. Also, their race t-shirts come in women's as well as men's sizes, which I thought was nice.

 

J. W. from Cincinnati, Ohio (11/8/2009)
"Fast course; good time in Indy" (about: 2009)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I have run about 30 marathons. City marathons don't get much flatter. This one appealed to our group because it was run on Saturday, giving most of us a chance to stay in town and "party" after the marathon was over. The race starts and ends downtown near many good hotels and restaurants. Due to the 8 a.m. start, traffic control was a concern and there were areas where lines of cars were held to allow runners to pass. Water stops were numerous but not well attended, possibly due to an insufficient number of volunteers. Perhaps that will improve with time. We enjoyed the weekend in Indy and you probably will too.

 

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