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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 121 to 131]
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P. P. from Utah
(11/13/2010)
"Fast, well-organized, worth running!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I really enjoyed this race, and recommend it to others. The course is exactly as advertised: flat and fast, with a few short, rolling hills. Most of the "hills" were between miles 15-20, and the beginning and end are almost pancake flat. This was my 16th marathon, and I ran close to a 3-minute PR. Nice, medium-sized field of about 3,000 registrants. I had people to run with throughout the race. The half marathon is also combined for the first 6 miles, which adds another ~5000 people or so, and then the courses combine again for the last 3 miles. I enjoyed running with the halfers, as it added some energy to the races (not a whole lot of spectators), and the route was marked and partitioned very well, so there was never any confusion or clutter. Very well organized in that regard. Weather this year was cold (below 30 degrees at the start), but calm and clear sky. Other than numb hands, it was ideal. I picked Indy over Chicago because I wanted a smaller (easier, less expensive) venue, and Chicago seems to have warm weather too often. My choice paid off! Chicago was hot this year, but Indy, being 4 weeks later, had PR conditions. This race is put on by the same folks who manage the Indy Mini Marathon. They really know what they are doing. Expo was easy to navigate, and the race started exactly on time. Nice little details like that. Aid stations were frequent, and volunteers seemed happy to be there. The heated chili tent at the finish was a great touch, especially since the day turned out to be so cold. Most of the course was scenic and/or interesting, highlighting some of the best places in the metro area. There were a few miles that were a little shoddy, but I'd give course scenery an 8/10. Very good layout. Only "cons": 1) road conditions were poor in some areas (ruts, pot-holes, etc). This is typical for the Midwest, so there's not much they can do about it, but it's worth mentioning; 2) crowd support is almost non-existent likely due to the cold weather and it being the race's 3rd year. I imagine this could improve over time. If you want big crowds, go to Chicago or NY. I actually didn't care about crowd support, so this was fine with me, but again, worth mentioning. Monumental had it all, as far as I was concerned. I flew across the country to run this race, and would do it again. | |
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M. M. from Illinois
(11/12/2010)
"Couldn't have been any better!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 An amazing race! Organization was great, the number of water stations was unbelievable, and the course was fast (as advertised). The route did a good job of highlighting the landmarks of Indy - no easy feat! Packet pickup was a little messed up, but I got there right before the expo ended, so no complaints there. If I am trying for a PR, I will definitely come back. | |
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S. C. from Chicago, IL
(11/12/2010)
"Fast, well-organized but boring course" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Plusses: + Flat course + Superb organization, volunteers, water/Gatorade/snack tables + Good race weather + Inexpensive + Good s-shirt Minuses: - Boring course: The first and last few miles go through the city. Most of the marathon is through residential neighborhoods. Barring the part that goes through the art museum (I think that is what it was), the rest was boring (compared to Chicago). Traffic: Runners had to run on main roads, where there was traffic on some lanes, and other lanes were reserved for runners. It was safe, but it felt weird. Motorists at many traffic junctions had to wait, and some impatient ones either raced ahead, or honked. Not nice. Crowd support: Great in the city; good in pockets elsewhere Overall, I don't think I will run it again, unless my focus was only to BQ. | |
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I. H. from Cincinnati
(11/11/2010)
"Fast, interesting course - definitely recommended" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon in Indianapolis within a month - the other was the Community Health Network Indianapolis Marathon. Very different races, but both very positive experiences. The setting for the Monumental is almost 100% city/suburban, and gives an interesting and continually changing view of Indianapolis. (By comparison, the Community Health has much more of a parkland feel, and is particularly scenic in the fall.) The Monumental course is very flat and fast. No significant hills, and any slight slopes seem to be in the runners' favor (I know this is impossible for loop course). Packet pick-up at the expo was easy, even on Friday night. And getting to the start and parking on Saturday was equally painless (staying near the airport is a good alternative that can save 75% compared to the cost of a downtown hotel). Proximity of the start to the convention center was a huge bonus - runners could stay warm right up until a few minutes before start time. The 3:30 pace group leader was excellent, and had us right on target with even pacing from mile 2. Nice medal and tech shirt. Plenty of food and drinks in the heated tent at the finish, and a quick printout of finish time and splits. As this marathon continues to grow, I suggest looking at ways to improve logistics at the aid stations. They are frequent, exceptionally well stocked, and manned by enthusiastic volunteers. Unfortunately they are too short and only on one side of the road, leading to a lot of bumping and stumbling, particularly in the first 7 miles when the full and half are running together. Overall, a great race. | |
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William Frame from Greenfield, IN
(11/11/2010)
"Great first half-marathon!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've only been running since March 2010. This was my second event ever, and my first half. I found the event to be well-organized, the course was scenic, and the fans and volunteers were amazing. Thank you, IMM, for making my first half an event I'll always remember, and for making this a run I hope to do annually. | |
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D. H. from Hot Springs, AR, USA
(11/10/2010)
"Loved this race." (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was a well-organized marathon on a beautiful, flat, urban course. Pros: Waiting in the cold (30 degrees) at the start was OK, as the convention center was open and warm, with good restrooms. On-course support was plentiful and spirited. Spectators seemed plentiful for a 3-year-old race on a freezing morning. Course was flat and very pretty for an urban race. Runner tracking texts helped my family find me. Nice tech t-shirt and finisher runner cap and medal. Cons: Seems like they weren't prepared for the number of runners they had. Cramped start with pacers too closely spaced for the size of the field. On-course porta-potties were always occupied. Many post-race refreshments were exhausted and providers gone when I finished at 4 hours. Expo was hard to access with downtown Friday parking. Pasta dinner was $20 - yikes. Minor snafus. Overall an excellent event. | |
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B. M. from Chicago, IL
(11/10/2010)
"Flat, fast course; good crowd support." (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 For the first time in seven attempts I qualified for Boston, so this race will always be special for me. The crowds aren't huge but they're very supportive. The course has many scenic stretches. I'd only change a couple things. First, change the start to 9:00 a.m. so the sun is above the horizon. Second, change the course layout: there are too many turns in the first three miles, so runners get bunched together and have to slow down. If you could start the race with a long straightaway (maybe heading west toward the Eiteljorg Museum), it would help even more runners set PRs. | |
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E. P. from Des Moines, IA
(11/10/2010)
"Flat, fast, and pretty quiet!" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you're looking for a flat and fast fall marathon, I could not recommend the IMM enough. The course was beautiful and as advertised, VERY flat! This is course most people can PR on for sure. The organization was great (although I agree - the expo was entirely too crowded; it was hard even to move around inside that tiny space), and the medals AND hats at the finish line were a nice touch. This is a fairly new race, and that might explain the lack of crowd support - but I would say this is a quiet run. If you need people cheering you on from the sidelines, this isn't your race. That being said, the volunteers were awesome and very encouraging. Lastly, there does seem to be an issue with traffic. I watched the local news the night before and morning of and they were advising drivers. Nevertheless, several times on the course there were cars blocked up for miles, honking, angry, and some driving like crazy to try and get out of the gridlock (I came within 5 feet of being hit by someone attempting an illegal u-turn). Also, having the cars backed up and running means you have to run long stretches breathing in exhaust fumes. Not so fun! Overall, I felt this was a great course and a well organized race, and would definitely come back! | |
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Esther Dill from Raleigh, NC
(11/10/2010)
"Beautiful and very flat course" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. I chose this course because I wanted to run a fast and flat marathon and BQ (which I did!). This course is very fast. I also invited some of my Raleigh running club to join and there were 11 of us who showed up to race. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in downtown, which was a great location. We could walk to all the local restaurants and shops. On race morning, it was nice to have only a few blocks to walk to the start. The organization was great from the expo to the starting line. The course went through all the best parts of town and I was pleasantly surprised at mile 17 - 23 running through Butler University along White River Parkway and Fall Creek. The volunteers and crowd support were great. I loved all the entertainment. This race is a must if you want a nice-size race, great location, flat course, and great city with lots to see and do. | |
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A. D. from Indiana
(11/9/2010)
"Great race; will consider doing it again" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 A very well organized race. The aid stations were well placed and well staffed. The course was as flat as advertised. I particularly liked that each mile was marked with a mile marker flag flying about 8 feet off the ground. The medal was very nice!!! The finishers' area was well staffed and there was plenty of food still available for back-of-the-pack runners like me. The only drawback was that there was a moderate amount of concrete on this course and it was very hard on my knees. This was only the third year of this marathon and I look for it to grow. I will definitely consider running this race again. |
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