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Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.6 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.5 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.8 
 
 
Number of comments: 214 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 8 9 10 11 12 .. 22 > ]

 

L. M. from Kentucky (11/15/2011)
"I ran the race had a great time." (about: 2011)

6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


I would recommend some work with your website. I have not been able to locate the results. I know there on marathon guide but, it doesn't give splits. Before the race I got on the website couple of times and it is very hard to navigate. I have never been on such an aggravating site. It was impossible get to the different area to learn about the race.

 

C. B. from Columbia, Missouri (11/15/2011)
"Awesome race!" (about: 2011)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


Pros:
-Course was pancake flat. Great Boston Qualifier! I also came away from this race with the impression that Indianapolis is a beautiful place to live. Great, scenic course
-Streets were coned off and the police directing traffic were fantastic. Others have commented on rude drivers, but I personally did not witness any of that
-Great hotel selection within walking distance of the start line
-Plenty of toilets, with at least 2 or 3 at every aid station
-Gels were available on at least 3 occasions
-Lots of medical personnel
-Free Jimmie Johns at the finish

Cons:
-I would like to have seen Gatorade available at every aid station, or at least every station in the second half
-Not the greatest fan support
-There wasnt too much happening at the finish line. I basically just grabbed my medal, some food, and headed back to the hotel for a nap.

Summary: This is a fast course and a well-organized race. Amenities were fantastic and Indianapolis is a wonderful city. Highly recommend!

 

P. M. from IN (11/12/2011)
"Good marathon with great potential" (about: 2011)

4-5 previous marathons | 2 Indianapolis Monumental Marathons
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 3


This is my second consecutive year running this race (I also ran the half back in 2009). I feel like this marathon has hit a crossroads of sorts; it is a very good marathon, with the potential to be a great marathon, but only if the race directors tackle a number of issues.

While the course layout is great - mostly flat, fast, through some beautiful and interesting parts of the city - it is also very dangerous at times. The race directors simply must address the traffic issues. The stretches of the race on Fall Creek, College Ave, and North Meridian are simply too unsafe, and sooner or later a runner is going to get seriously injured by one of the impatient motorist who cut through the marathon course. If they can't afford to cut off the intersecting streets, then they will need to redesign the course.

Also, the post race issues continue to plague this race. Poor food selection. Not enough food. Somewhat disorganized post-race area. I don't see why, four years in, they still can't get this right.

Crowd support is pretty good at times, non-existent at others. But that will grow with the race.

I'm from this area, and really want to see this race grow and be successful. I think it had the potential to be a great mid-level fall marathon, on a par with Columbus, for example. The weather is fantastic, it's perfect for a BQ. I just hope they can iron out the ongoing issues, especially the traffic/course issue.

P.S.: I downgraded the course rating due mainly to the traffic issues, and the organization for failing to address this and other issues from prior years' races. That said, the course layout is great, and the organizers overall do a great job.

 

N. W. from Illinois (11/11/2011)
"Beautiful course, very well organized race!" (about: 2011)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I echo pretty much everyone else's comments about how beautiful the course was, going through the neighborhoods with gorgeous homes, and the park with the sculptures and the autumn foliage. One of the truly more scenic courses I've run. I did see cars work their way onto the course to cross it, and a friend said a person who he was running next to actually got hit by a car's side-mirror but she kept running (luckily not hurt) and the car kept driving (jerk). I hope they can figure out how to appease traffic so the course doesn't have to change. Plenty of food at the finish, I finished just over 4:00 and was handed handfulls of sandwiches so not sure why some people said there wheren't any. The hot chili was great. The weather was perfect. The organization was top notch, probably the best I've ever seen to be honest. This was my 27th marathon in 14 different states. Many hotels at the start/finish. Plenty of restaurants within walking distance. Walking distance to the Megabus stop. I can't wait to run this one again. I highly, highly recommend it.

 

d. m. from NC (11/10/2011)
"Well done, Flat, Midsize race" (about: 2011)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This was a very well done marathon. Packet pickup was well organized and I thought the Expo was better than average. Swag included a poster, a tech shirt and a decent medal.

The hotels are all located within 2 blocks of the start and finish which make things convenient. There are multiple Courtyards and Marriotts so make sure you know which one you are staying at. There is a plethora of restaurants. I'd recommend the Bourbon Street Distillery. Nice big sandwiches and salads at a decent price. For those that like finer dining, there is a nice McCormick & Schmicks Seafood restaurant that is delicious 2 blocks from the finish.

The course is pretty darn flat. A hill of 75 feet from mile 15 to 19 is barely noticeable. It takes you from the downtown area out along a busy road with architecturally interesting homes from the 1930s. The worst complaint is that the cars are noisy and there are no cops or volunteers helping the homeowners out of their neighborhoods. In general, the homeowners seemed to be patient with the endless stream of runners. This is from mile 7 to 9. Later there are some even bigger and nicer houses and the traffic is minimal (can't remember the mile markers but maybe 12-15). After than the course takes you through the Eli Lilly grounds with an Art Museum, along a nice no traffic road next to the White River (mile 19 to 20). Finally you head back into town for the final 10K. There was plenty of water and Clif Blocks. I would have liked to see more Gatorade but it was there most of the time.

Half marathon runners start with the full and peel off at mile 7. The race is large enough that you are not alone and small enough that you don't feel too crowd weaving around slow people.

Overall well done and no big complaints.

 

M. N. from Indianapolis, IN (11/9/2011)
"Terrific course, perfect weather, well-organzied!" (about: 2011)

1 previous marathon | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I ran Monumental as my second marathon. I can not say enough about how well organzied and enjoyable it was. The weather in Indiana in early Nov is ideal for running - mid 30's at the start, mid 40's 4 hours later. The course was well laid out and very flat. Plenty of interesting things to look at - we ran in downtown, in neighborhoods, through campus, by beautiful historic homes as well. The size was perfect, I never felt alone or crowded. There were plenty of pace groups to choose from as well. They handed out Gu AND Shot Blocks at Gear Check (never seen that before) and at 4 times along the course. The spectators were scattered but loud. The tech shirt is nice, medal also nice. We got a stocking hat at the finish line too. I would highly recommend!

 

K. H. from Chicago (11/9/2011)
"Wonderful fall run" (about: 2011)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 1


This course is flat and takes you through all the highlights of the city. The area around Fall River Creek was in the height of seasonal color. Course organization and support were top-notch, honestly better than Chicago, with medical tents at each of 19 water stations and additional staff riding bikes in between stretches. Very generous with Gu and shot blocks. There were no spectators to speak of, but lots of people in stopped traffic offered cheers or horn honks and each water station had encouraging volunteers. I in no way felt cheated to have not gotten into NYC this year. Awesome.

 

D. L. from Cincinnati, OH (11/9/2011)
"This Marathon will grow in numbers." (about: 2011)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This was marathon #8, including Boston, Chicago and others. I give this marathon high marks, and would recommend it to others.

Pros: Flat & scenic course. Not quite as flat as Chicago, but only a few small rollers. Hydration at nearly every mile plus 3 spots for Cliff shots and blocks. Logistics are very easy in Indy with many hotel options, restaurants and bars very close to the start/finish/expo.

Cons: Crowd support is not great, but I would expect that to increase as the race grows. Second half can get a little sparse on the Full course, but I also expect that to change as the field size grows.

The weather is cool, course is flat, not too big, not to small - this is a good fall option in the Midwest.

 

J. T. from Waukegan, IL (11/8/2011)
"Great medium-size race!" (about: 2011)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Exceptional weather. A great course, with several small hills at 15-19mi. Best if you have similar hills on your training route. Plenty of fan support. Agree with other comments: some of the foods ran out, but I had my share. Loved the warm chili & mini-sandwiches aside from the standard fare. Only thing missing was beer, but I remedied that soon after-wards.

My wife who ran the half said there was a human-jam at the finish because the area cannot accommodate all the runners finishing at 2:15. Organizers should enlarge the finish area for the half.

 

M. D. from Wisconsin (11/7/2011)
"Well organized & Friendly" (about: 2011)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


The course was very scenic and flat. Majority of streets were nicely paved but there were several potholes in areas. The volunteers were great and I couldn't believe all of the great food and freebies at the finish. I got a nice winter hat and was even offered 5 Hour Energy drinks. My only complaint was that there was no formal pictures taken at the finish, which I am used to. It would have been nice to have one taken after the run, with my glasses off, etc. Overall this was an excellent race and I would recommend it to others.

 

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