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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: 216 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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A. C. from Indianapolis, in
(11/3/2013)
"getting better, with some minor issues" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 As mentioned in other reviews the course is flat and fast and does go through some of the nicer parts of town. The food and water during the race were ample, as were on course bathrooms. There were a few areas where we were running in thick traffic, but generally for shorter stretches. Overall, well done and the fan support was better than in the past. A few areas for improvement- -water stops sneak up on you, which would lead to chaos as runners would quickly dart to the side. This could be rectified by moving water stops out of blind corners or by placing flags 100 yards before them. Chicago does this effectively, if you're looking for an example. - having port o potties on opposite sides of the street at the start led to a tangle of lines. Easy fix-spread them out - road surface was really bad in a few spots, not just the construction zone at mile 20. I imagine you don't have much sway over Indot, but there were a few really dangerous sections. | |
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D. S. from Indiana
(1/20/2013)
"Fun, low-key race" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Weather is usually favorable and the course is flat and runs fast. Two aid stations that offer Cliff shots and blocks. (Word of advice on the blocks- if it's cold, the blocks will be ice blocks). Steak N Shake chili at the finish was interesting. Overall, good race, with a small field that allows you to get to your target pace quicker. Great race for a first timer. | |
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B. G. from Kentucky
(12/6/2012)
"Will do again" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Great fast course. Nice cold weather. My only complaint is that the pace groups leave the expo too early. Spectators are good, however I am not really concerned about that. Great starting point near many hotels! I was able to walk out of the hotel and be at the start in two minutes, which means I used my own bathroom for the race! Love that factor! This is one of the reasons I will continue to run this race. | |
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A. B. from Boston area, MA
(12/3/2012)
"Great experience overall" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I am pursuing the 50 states and chose this for my Indiana marathon and I was not disappointed. The course is flat with just a few minor hills near Butler University. The organization is excellent overall and the logistics are easy. There are plenty of hotels within walking distance of the start and expo. I actually booked the Spring Hill Suites through AAA before the marathon web site released hotel information and got an even better rate. I found it a little strange that the aid stations were not at mile markers so that threw me off a little bit since I'm used to taking GU and/or salt pills at specific miles. Overall the spectators on the course were really awesome despite the poor weather. I enjoyed all of the turns on the course and especially enjoyed the trivia questions on the course later in the race. My biggest disappointment in the race was the lack of food and drinks at the finish line. The race proudly advertises all of the great food and chocolate milk that will be at the finish line and even marks the finish area map with the places where milk will be. Unfortunately I think the only food that was left when I finished was a banana, and there was no chocolate milk. After running 26.2 miles in the hail, rain, and cold I was really disappointed with the lack of food. I heard that spectators took food and that runners took more than their fair share. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. I was impressed with the traffic control on the course and also with the friendliness of the police officers. Apparently past traffic issues have been addressed. Overall the event was well-organized and I really enjoyed the course. I ran 2 other marathons in the fall and this was the flattest and I appreciated that. It was a fun way to see Indianapolis. I was also excited to meet Boston Marathon winner Wesley Korir and was happy that they had a celebrity runner at the Expo. If the food situation gets fixed then I'd give the whole event 5 stars all-around. | |
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D. L. from Indianapolis, USA
(11/10/2012)
"superb course, extraordinary volunteers !" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 46th marathon, and I was completely stunned by the organization quality and the Volunteers ! The course was beautiful as well, despite the sleet :( the volunteers were so helpful. Aid stations every mile were incredibly organized. Flat, fast race, excellent if you are a beginner. Results and pictures posted extremely FAST ! I will definitely come back next year ! | |
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Matt Riggs from Indianapolis, IN
(11/8/2012)
"Fantastic Marathon Course!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 4th monumental and it keeps getting better every year! Best parts of this marathon is its flat, plenty of space to stay warm before the start, typically perfect running weather (this year was first not so good weather, stayed at 34 and rained a bit with some sleet but not a big deal), nice size expo, plenty of hotels right at the start, volunteers a plenty, and the finish shoot food is top notch matching NY and Chicago type options! Keep up the great work and thank you to all who put this race on! | |
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D. M. from Florida
(11/8/2012)
"Just what you want in a city race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you are looking for a city race with a flat course then the Monumental Marathon is for you. The organization was very well done, from the expo, to the starting area and the finish line. The expo is not large, but for the size of the race it was fine. The start had signs being held to show pace minutes per mile. While no one checked, most people seemed to line up correctly. The course is FLAT and fast. I had a BQ day, yes it was cold (34) at the start. Yes it rained and sleeted, we can't control the weather. The volunteers on the course and at the finish were tremendous. If you have been thinking about this one, put it on you list. It's a good one to do. | |
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D. L. from Cincinnati, OH
(11/7/2012)
"Excellent, flat, fall, cool, urban marathon" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 2nd Indy Monumental and marathon #11 overall. I would classify this race as low stress. The course is flat. The expo is relatively small. The hotels are plentiful and most are only a block or 2 from the start/finish and expo. Plenty of water/aid stations. Not too big and not too small. Highly reco this marathon - I expect it will grow in size or sell out quicker (if they cap it) in future years. | |
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Edward Robins from Philadelphia, PA
(11/7/2012)
"Flat, well organized race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I liked this race alot. The expo is held at the downtown convention center which is blocks away from the start and finish areas. There are numerous hotels right there for out of town runners. It's a typical mid-size expo and I got out quickly. I saw a shirt exchange table which is always a nice touch. Usually if you want to exchange your shirt to another size it can get ugly. I always get to the start line early so I had no trouble getting to the parking garage which charged only $5. I was able to stay warm pre-race in one of the hotel's lobby and lines at the port-a-potties were short. The course is quite nice. We run a few miles through the downtown core (by the Colts Stadium and Monument circle) and then headed out to more suburban areas. There is really nice stretch through the art museum grounds around mile 18. The views changed often which I like while running a marathon. There's a fairly boring section we hit after mile 20 or so where the organizers have Hoosier trivia questions. I only got one right but I appreciate any diversion during the latter miles of a marathon. The course is very flat. The biggest hill I saw we run down (Yahoo) at mile 19 or so. There are plenty of water spots. They only have sports drink (gatorade)at every other spot but this was consistant throughout the race and the banners announcing the stops always showed if Gatorade was there or not. They did hand out gels but since I carry my own I'm not sure how many times. It looks like the race officials really tried to address the traffic problems. Almost every intersection had either police or race volunteer presence. There were a few left unmanned but I'd bet a volunteer just didn't show becuase of the cold, rainy weather. The race begins at dawn and we were treated to a nice sunrise before the weather turned bad. The fan support was minimal but I can't blame folks for not wanting to stand in the rain or sleet. I was back from the starting line and couldn't here the announcer or even the starting gun. That always makes me feel less a part of the festivities. The finishing stretch with the Capitol building in the background was excellent. It really inspired an extra push! After the race you get a very nice medal and a finisher's stocking cap. I am a sucker for an extra finishing item. The shirt is a short sleeved tech shirt. I can't eat much food right after a race so I didn't eat anything but a banana. The food area was open to spectators so the comments regarding food running out may be accurate. This is a nice mid-size race. Almost 3000 finishers and 5000 half runners. I never felt cramped in the early miles or lonely once the halfers split (around mile 7) off. | |
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C. K. from Illinois
(11/6/2012)
"Beautifully organized" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pros: Loop course which took us through a variety of places. Food at a couple places in the last 10 miles. Port-o-potties at every aid station and a couple in between. Always a plus. Lovely finish right downtown between buildings and crowds that gave a sense of 'entering' the finish. Greeted at finish with a word of congratulation. Nice touch. Beautiful medal to commemorate one's finsih. Music along the course. Cons: Difficult to find an entrance into the starting area. Found myself farther back than I would have liked. Could hear nothing from the start line, neither announcements nor gun. Crowded start with the half marathoners. Lot of weaving and wasted energy for the first several miles to try to get around them. |
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