Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

May 3, 2024

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.8

Number of comments: 214 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 3 4 5 6 7 .. 22 > ]

Rachel Tarr from St. Louis, Missouri (2/18/2015) "Small enough yet big enough to be done well." (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run this 3 times, hit a BQ on the 3rd! I like that it's a hometown race (although I'm travelling from another state) and not a 'major marathon'. They have done a good job thinking of lots of details which translates into good experience. Mostly flat course, with a few slopes to help change up gait. Only complaints are a few roads are older/torn up at different parts of the city so you have to watch footing, and the last .2miles is narrow and I literally ran into walkers from the half-marathon while trying to hold on for the finish. My friend road a bike around and supported me at multiple points on course and she had no problems navigating.
Todd Wells from Chicago (2/6/2015) "Please, Hold Your Applause Until the End" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Between miles 6 and 10 we ran through a leafy residential neighborhood where the families were out on the curbs, cheering with such enthusiasm that I wanted to tell them, I dont think we are who you think we are, because my plodding past your house too early on a cold, windy morning doesnt warrant that kind of cheering. But, thanks anyway. The course is fast. Its not quite Chicago flat, but close enough to round up. The first few miles weave and dodge through downtown - they seem to want to check off all of Indianapoliss points of interest. After that, there are not a lot of turns to slow you down. The practicalities of the event were handled well enough that I didnt even think about them during the race: well-marked and marshalled course, ample water stations, accurate and easy-to-see mile markers. As many others have mentioned, the minor intersections did not have police crossing guards. As I ran by, the cars trying to cross the course were patient and considerate. A Chicago race without police at every intersection would be well-marked by the trail of runners corpses. The last three miles we shared the road with the half-marathoners, but they kept us segregated, so no problems. The finish line in front of the state capitol was a nice touch. The only negative aspect to the race - which I figured out later and, unfortunately, draws attention to my vanity - is that the runner is responsible for knowing after the race whether or not he won an age-group award, and must go pick it up then and there. And since the award was a beer glass, I am extra-irritated that I missed out. For a more meandering version of the above, see: http://traveldiaryofamadman.com/indianapolis-monumental/
Justin Abbott from Concord, NC (12/31/2014) "Great, well organized race" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The race and expo are run by a top notch group of professionals that have clearly done this before and know what they are doing. The course was great, well marked and conducive to running a good time. The aid stations ran out of gels when the slow people (me) rumbled through there, but the organizers have acknowledged this and are working on improving that for next year. My only other complaint is that some Hoosiers that were out driving that morning were not too concerned with human livesthem getting through an intersection was much more important. I would have liked to have seen more of a police presence (okay, much more) towards the end of the race to keep the impatient fools away. Otherwise, it was a great race, I PR'd by 6:30 and am already making my plans to return next year. In fact, I'm planning to move to Indy to make it even easier to run this race for years to come!
J. M. from Indianapolis, IN (12/30/2014) "Great Flat Marathon Course - Great organization" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first full marathon and it was a great one. I live in Indy so it was a easy choice for my first 26.2. I have done 6 half marathons and a half Ironman. The race is in November so it can be chilly as it was on Nov 1, 2014 - it was about 18 degrees with wind to add to the chill factor. But once we got going the cold was not a factor. You run through most of downtown Indy and pass most all of the monuments Indy has on display. I skipped the first 2 aid stations as they seemed a little congested. After that they were easy to manage. Great volunteers at the aid stations that offered water/lime gatorade, cliff blocks at around mile 15 and oranges/pretzels/chocolate at mile 20ish. You run the first 6 miles with the half marathoners and the final 2.5 with the half marathoners if fast enough. The volunteers were great - so was the on-course entertainment. Except the guy burning wood in a portable fire place - smoke smell hurt the lungs a little. Most of the run is through nice parts of town - including downtown, broadripple, Butler Univ, some residential areas and the Art Museum. Miles 19-23 are pretty lonely. The roads are closed down to traffic and there is not much support back there. But I did not feel a hill or incline for that matter at all on the course - very flat. I loved it and can't wait to run another monumental race. Organization is very involved on social media. The race seemed well organized. Expo was good. Plenty of vendors and other race organizations present.
L. S. from Delaware (11/25/2014) "A very nice race in a very nice city." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I chose this race as my Indiana race based on the previous reviews. I truly only had two complaints. In some areas the streets are in bad shape so to avoid stumbling I missed a lot of the view which seemed very nice. Mainly I was frustrated with the start. I was not given a corral as I missed the cut off time by 2 minutes. Therefore I lined up directly behind the end of the last official corral. I ended up with people that were running 10 plus minute miles and breaking out of the crowd was beyond difficult for a couple of miles, a lot of weaving and pace changing was required. I missed a PR by 3 minutes. Everything else was absolutely fabulous! The Westin was great, the expo was the perfect size and easy to get to, the volunteers were helpful and enthusiastic (and it was cold out there), the finish line was fine, the medal is nice, finish line food as expected, water stops as expected, the shirt was nice. For a TRUE flatlander like myself it was a little hilly but when you are from Delaware a driveway is a hill. (run Rehoboth Beach DE if you want truly flat and fast) Out of 28 marathons in 24 states, I would say this was one of the nicer races.
B. B. from Atlanta, FA (11/17/2014) "Pretty Course, Good Organization" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A very nice race! Pros: Pretty course through a lot of nice neighborhoods and areas Well organized Nice expo Good crowd support Downtown start and finish very convenient to hotels and restaurants (and allowed us to stay inside on a cold, windy day until the last minute!0 Minor Cons: Long stretches of cambered streets tough on the IT bands Not my favorite race shirt I enjoyed the race and the people I ran with on the course. Great job to the race organizers and volunteers!
m. s. from mansfield, tx (11/4/2014) "flat course in a great city" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Cold & windy on a flat course. More than a few greater than 90 deg turns made for a few traffic jams. Despite the cold weather, the aid stations were well stocked and plenty of volunteers. Crowd support was good even with the cold wind. Great expo and post-race food , especially the hot chili, made for a great marathon!
J. B. from Mason, Ohio (11/4/2014) "Fantastic Marathon!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this marathon twice now and it is turning into a favorite. Drove up from Cincy Saturday morning. A friend picked up my race packet the day before. Parked close to start. Hung out in the Convention Center until about 15 minutes to start, so was able to keep warm and use restrooms without too much wait. Pros -Weather (not going to be hot in Nov) -Course is flat -Easy logistics -Convention Center open race morning -Ample hydration stations, several with GU -Gear check with fast and efficient Cons -Don't really have any Kudos to the race staff and volunteers for making this a great experience.
N. S. from Arvada, CO (11/3/2014) "One of my faves so far" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I chose this marathon based on the comments I read on this site from previous marathons and I wasn't disappointed. Downtown hotels are numerous and close to the start line and they didn't seem to raise the prices just because a marathon was in town. Other than the cold and the wind, the marathon went off without a hitch. I even saw vendors stocking gloves during the Expo and they were cheap! Although spectators were few, the ones that were out were enthusiastic and the volunteers were great. The social media was informative and the race seems to really care about the runners. The course was interesting, and I can't tell you what a thrill it was to make one of the final turns and see the downtown skyline before me. The approach to the monument was especially cool. There was a 'big-hair' band around mile 23(?) where one of the band members had a 'running sucks' shirt on. It cracked me up. Then the lead guitarist would run alongside the runners with his guitar. The only complaint I have is I think they may have run out of much of the food by the time I got through (and I still had 500+ runners behind me). All I saw was chocolate milk, a cookie, bananas and some rolls. I enjoyed this race immensely and am thrilled that I chose this race to run for a fall marathon. (Plus I got to lay in bed the next morning and watch the NYC Marathon knowing that my 26.2 was behind me!)
R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA (11/3/2014) "A Great Experience" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was first class all the way. Everything about this race flowed smoothly from start to finish. The expo was very easy to navigate. Paid $5 for parking in a garage that was connected to the convention center in which the expo was held. I thought the expo was a perfect size. Plenty of vendors, lots of space to navigate, yet not so large so you could get through quickly. Race morning, we parked in the same garage that we did for the expo and it was again only $5. The convention center was open and had plenty of room as well as indoor restrooms. This was particularly nice on race morning due to the unseasonably cold weather. Walked out of the convention center and was only one small block from the starting corrals. The course was flat and fast as advertised. Crowds were out even with the cold temperatures. 27 degrees at the start and I think the temp only got up to about 35 during the race. With the sunshine, I thought it made for nice running weather. The winds were strong at times, but overall not too bad. Half course stayed with the full for the first 7 miles and then joined back up at mile 22 or 23. One thing I noticed was the amount of crowd support during miles 7 through 22. Ive noticed crowds usually are abundant during the half course, but not the full. This was not the case at the monumental. The crowds were a nice size during the last mile as we entered back into downtown. Ending was right at the capitol building which was scenic. Medal and race shirt were top notch. Finishers received both a finishers hat and type of light jacket instead of the blanket. Standing in the finishers area shaking hands was the founder of the race. He was there for a quick handshake and some encouraging words. This race is fantastic. I would HIGHLY recommend running the IMM.

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 3 4 5 6 7 .. 22 > ]

Quick Links

Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use