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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 31 to 41]
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t. y. from iowa
(11/5/2017)
"flat, fast and very, very well organized" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race has grown quickly from positive word-of-mouth and the organizers deserve the credit for that. Packet pick-up is a breeze at the massive exhibition center, which also then is open before the race as a warm place to use restrooms and stretch out before walking a block to the starting point. The post-race food is the best I've ever experienced - chips, chocolate milk, fruit, pizza (Between this and the on-course food, a person could possibly run this race and gain weight). Parking is advertised on the race website from a parking garage sponsor at high prices, but ample and cheaper parking garages are available on race day just a couple blocks east of the finish line. They advertise the course as flat and the one minor hill that hits around mile 16 is more of an annoying bump than a hill. The on-course hydration stations are seemingly everywhere, most stocked with excellent Gatorade (not the watered-down stuff seen on many marathons). You also pass three candy stations, three gu stations, and several private groups (churches, neighborhood associations, etc) also handing out water or candy on their own. The event volunteers and traffic control were tremendous and very supportive. Although this is a big race, the new wave start kept things from being overly congested. My one big complaint is the lack of crowd support. Crowds are big at the start and finish, but mid-speed runners saw surprisingly few spectators on the last half of the race (50 degrees and off-and-on mist wasn't crowd friendly, but some of the neighborhoods were downright empty). Overall, Indy is a fast course and the race allows you to truly see and experience the city of Indianapolis. | |
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R. M. from Buffalo, NY
(11/29/2016)
"Not a Hill to Be Found, Good Experience!" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Out of towner, who came in to run this as my fall marathon with another runner. Pros: Not a hill to be found, hardly a bump! Expo was very easy to get in and get out with what you need. Everything is located downtown (start, finish, expo, hotels, etc) so that makes the logistics of race morning a breeze. Mile markers very clearly marked, aid stations stocked, well defined course route. Weather couldn't have been better this year. About 45 to start, 55 to finish. Finish chute was easy to navigate after. Medal and t-shirt were okay for those that are big into these things. The mobile app was pretty cool and accurate. A true not for profit race, good job by the organizers! Cons: There was a ton of congestion in the first mile or two (Half Marathon goes with full until mile 7). I was in the 3:10 pace area and had to deal with a fair amount of congestion (there are a lot of turns in the beginning, which does not help with the crowds), however everyone that started a little bit farther back had to deal with the congestion a lot more than I. I get how this can be frustrating, I think a corral starting system would work wonders. Some of the roads are not closed to traffic. For example a four lane road has one lane specifically for runners with the other three open to traffic. Couple this with the size of this race, it's tough to squeeze so many runners into one single lane. Not so much an issue for the front of the pack, but once you get back into the 3:30+ finishes, this could be an issue. I've noticed a lot of the roads were pretty bumpy, maybe they were normal 'bumpiness' but this is the first time it has stood out to me in a race. Nothing the RD can do, but something I noticed nonetheless. Overall, great experience. If you're looking for a later fall marathon on a flat and fast course, here ya' go. | |
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T. S. from Harrison, Ohio
(11/12/2016)
"One of the best1" (about: 2016)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this race for the first time in 2015 and again this year. Excellent weather conditions both times which obviously helps! Route is very scenic with all the monuments and just slightly rolling...a good course to PR on which I did both years. As others have stated, the biggest downfall is the start and the first few miles which are very congested. I believe implementing a wave start would help this tremendously. Otherwise it's a great experience. | |
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J. B. from OHIO
(11/10/2016)
"Don't believe the hype..." (about: 2016)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Pros: good course/time of year for a PR. Can be choppy roads at places. The shirt was nice. Cons: Crowds are okay, but they are all silent. Literally no cheering most of the course, no high fives, was just lame all around. The organization of the start is abysmal. To have a corral system but no accountability, along with letting everyone go at once with no gap, made sure that slower people were ahead of faster people and it was very crowded for three miles. Medal was unimpressive. Overall it was fine, a fast course, but disappointing crowds, and a terrible start/corral system. I might run it again for convenience/weather, but not sure what all the hype is about. | |
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J. E. from Indiana
(11/6/2016)
"Growing Marathon; will it find full potential?" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a terrific race which can become a very significant annual event. Pros: The course is terrific. Very flat, pleasant visually. Spectators are very upbeat, support is very good. Amenities at the finish line are terrific. The 2016 T shirt is one of the best I've ever received. Cons: One and only one thing to work on ; start grid organization. I posted on this page about the 2015 race with similar concerns. Capitol Avenue is not wide enough to accommodate the surge of runners all crossing the start line. It was well into mile 5 before I was even close to finding enough space to get my pace. On this course, the organizers need to institute a wave start. Otherwise, a very good experience. Thanks to the organizers for listening. | |
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M. L. from Chicago, IL
(11/6/2016)
"Well organized, pretty course" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Nice race, with a lot of water/Gatorade stops and THREE gel stops. The course has more small rolling hills than I expected, but nothing too big or too long so it was not bad. You also get to go to a beautiful YMCA to take a shower right away by showing your bib if you don't want to stay another night in a hotel. It's a little bit of a walk after running a marathon but glad to have it. Some of the pacers bonked, but that could happen anywhere. Very responsive to questions via email before race day, too. Spectators can be sparse in places, but that did not bother me. Runners were nice and talked to each other. Lots of BQ hopefuls in this race, it felt like. AND a bonus - this is a charity race so by running it, you are also giving back. That's AWESOME! | |
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Justin Abbott from Carmel, IN
(2/15/2016)
"Gets Better Every Year" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second time running this race. The issues that I had last year (a few intersections that weren't patrolled and running out of gels) were corrected this year, but that could also be because I ran a much faster time as well. The new start route to the race did alleviate some of the congestion, but there is still a good bit of bottleneck at the beginning, but for such a large race, you have to expect it. The crowds were once again enthusiastic and made the race enjoyable. I moved to Indiana between the 2014 edition and this years race, so it was extra special to run my first marathon as an official Hoosier. Already training for 2016! | |
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L. D. from Texas, USA
(12/1/2015)
"Great Race to PR" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A well organized race with plenty of course support - water, aid, gel, kleenix. The course is flat and runs through the streets of Indy including Monument Circle, passing by Lucas Oil Stadium, lovely neighborhoods, and Butler University. I really enjoyed the race and was happy to receive a PR. AM Low - 30s PM High - 55. Great time! | |
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K. H. from Akron, OH
(11/27/2015)
"Nice, flat, crowded course" (about: 2015)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course was flat and fast, weather was perfect and the spectators were great. The course, as others have mentioned, was definitely crowded, especially before the half marathoners split off from the full marathon course. Expo was sparse compared to some of the other comparably sized marathons in the midwest (especially Akron), but it hit all the essentials. The only significant gripe I have is that the results were only reported as gun time results and never adjusted for actual time. I was not in a seeded corral and had to start 5+ minutes after gun time, but my results were never adjusted. For a marathon this size, this is not excusable in my book. | |
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E. C. from WI
(11/13/2015)
"Great course, nice city!" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was really impressed with the entire weekend experience. We stayed downtown at the JW Marriott and walked a block to/from the race. Downtown Indy is really nice between the cool old buildings and monuments, the river, the canal, museums, state park, etc. We biked all over the day after the race. The course itself was very scenic. My only complaint is that the race was rather tight and pretty crowded. Perhaps they should consider widening the course or staggered starting waves. Especially the first 7 miles, until the halfies turned off, it was quite tight and a little challenging to maintain your desired pace. Perfect weather starting in the mid 40's and getting into the low 50's and sunny. I set a 16 min PR but didn't quite get my BQ. I highly recommend Indy to anyone. Treat yourself to a downtown hotel if you can swing it and bring your bike for a recovery ride the next day. Take in a nice restaurant. Nice people too! |
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