This race was great from start to finish. The expo was well organized. I liked the corrals at the start. It was a beautiful course, with the aid and water stations placed well. I finished the full with some half runners, but they were kept separate at the finish line. It was great to have a meal at the finish along with the usual bananas and water. I kept looking for the hills though; it was almost too flat for this Tennessee runner. I would definitely love to run this one again.

I was a little unsure about this one, but I'm so glad I picked it. I will have this one on the calendar next year!

So good from all angles:
"Lower" entry fee than most.
Expo was in and out (that's my preference, probably most).
Traffic was no biggy if you plan (per comments on this website).
Course? Awesome! Never felt lost (Youtube video made me nervous),  and there was lots of shade, beautiful scenery, small hills, plentiful aid stations, and a nice finish area. A+ all around!
Volunteers were great throughout.
Shirt was fine; same with the medal.
Name on the bib - a nice touch.
Saw my family multiple times throughout the marathon; it was really easy for them to get around.
Crowd support? About what was expected for a "smaller" race... ok.
The organizers even brought in perfect running weather. How'd they do that?!?

I would highly recommend this one to a runner who is looking for a really well organized, smaller race and doesn't need the "big city" experience.

Job well done, organizers and volunteers!

I would do this one again. The half marathon is through some beautiful woods on small roads and bike paths. Lots of water stops... even music at a couple of stops. But the greatest thing is the clear, crisp weather - it couldn't be better for running.

Just ran this over the weekend and it was so well organized. I loved getting the results right there. Prior to the race, I got several emails with lots of details. Getting to the expo and marathon site was easy, and there was plenty of free parking at both. Drury Inn was fantastic and even gave me a late checkout. The only negative was that the course does some repeats and I didn't love the areas where the faster runners were running back towards me. Running through the park was nice with all the beautiful foliage. All in all, a great experience.

This was a great race! It was my first half marathon, as well as my husband's! We both had a great time! The expo was small. I would have liked to have seen more vendors selling running items! The course was beautiful! The changing leaves made for the perfect setting. We took the shuttle to the race. Our driver was not familiar with the area and got turned around a couple of times, but we got there in plenty of time and beat the people driving in cars!

Expo: Packet pickup was quick and easy. I prefer larger expos, but I realize that is often not possible with a smaller race.

Course: It was OK; however, I did not care for the repeated area going in and out of the park (even though I did know it ahead of time, I didn't realize how old that would get). Also, the bike path along the Fall Creek Parkway get very tight if you met a runner going the other way and needed to pass a runner going the same direction. I am fairly slow (5-hour) and would imagine that area was pretty congested earlier. I did like the bike path areas within the park - very beautiful. Another plus was that it was a very easy course for my family to see me a couple times without driving all over the place (I guess due to the repeated areas).

Organization: Very good; we had no trouble getting to the start, and we came in early as suggested (about a 1 1/2 hours prior to start), and the nice thing was the close access to places to sit, wait and get something to eat/drink (Panera, IHOP, Subway, etc.). About a 1/2 hour before start we moved our car and easily found a parking spot right along the course - and within a 2-3 minute walk to starting line. Lodging options were limited, but we stayed up on SR 69, and it was an easy, 15-minute drive with no problems.

Anything else: Access to showers at YMCA post-race - fantastic, every race needs this. Post-race cookout party - great choices of food. We drove the course beforehand, and I thought the course map a bit confusing.

Course: mainly flat with a couple of small hills here and there. Out in the state park where there were 3 different lanes being run in various directions, I felt like I was in the middle of that MasterCard commercial where all of the players are flowing along nicely (until someone tries to pay with cash)... but the course was supported well, with plenty of water/Gatorade and porta-johns.

Organization: I got there early as recommended and followed the directions of the parking assistants, and I think I ended up parking in the farthest lot possible. I then walked 20 minutes through empty lots to find the start line (it was my first time there; I didn't know my way around, so I had no way of knowing better and just followed the direction of those swinging the flashlights). Hopefully they were filling the closer lots first but it didn't look like it since I walked through hundreds of empty spaces en route to the start. :(

Also to echo what someone else suggested - please start earlier! The 8:30 a.m. start seems pretty late; I suppose they have a good reason for it, but I wish it would start at 8 a.m. or maybe 7:30 a.m. (at 7 a.m. it was still dark).

Spectators: I'm thankful whenever they come out (but once ran a marathon where I counted *four* spectators among the 26 miles, so it was nice that this had far more) and there were many there at various parts of the course who did cheer quite a lot. The volunteers were also great. I also thanked many of them for coming out while I was running by.

All in all, this was a good run. I would recommend it for anyone, and this would probably be a great course for a first-timer since there are no big hills to overcome.

A wonderful all-around experience! I had previously run Chicago and New York, which both field a HUGE number of runners, and though the spectators were thinner here, I really enjoyed the camaraderie of an event this size.

Pros: Very robust and hospitable volunteer staff, small but well-organized expo, GORGEOUS course through the woods, awesome post-race BBQ. Plenty of space for everyone on course. I stayed at the Drury, which was not the "official" race hotel but was very accommodating to runners.

Drawbacks: I was running in a pace group pack and the water stations weren't always able to keep up with demand when our group came through. A few more hands here would be useful. Also, because it was a small race, there wasn't much crowd support in the late miles of the race (19-25), where it's needed most. A big test of mental and physical toughness not being able to ride the crowd's energy.

My pros clearly win - I would definitely run this again. Keep up the good work!

Today was my first running of the Indy Marathon, and as runners like to list pros and cons, I found nothing bad to list! Easy expo, lovely course with two little hills, enthusiastic spectators (just a bit on the quiet side), the best post-race experience (I did not want to leave!), and computerized results and awards handed out right away. The cost is reasonable, the local hotel (Drury Inn) totally accommodated runners, and I even landed a Boston qualifier. Excellent job by all involved.

First off, I'm a regular at this event and have watched it grow while still keeping it a great race. Expo is small and packet pickup is efficient. I was in and out in under 10 minutes, and this was at lunchtime. This year the traffic was a bit of a problem, and it took a little longer to get parked. Pre-race organization was good. The route changes to the first half of the course were excellent. Running more in the park was welcome. Post-race food was good, as always, and having the fire pits and hay bales is a nice touch. This is a good marathon for support, course and price.