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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: 214 [displaying comments 181 to 191]
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D. S. from Mt.Vernon, In
(11/6/2008)
"Great course; great city; start could be better" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and maybe it was my inexperience, but the start seemed to me a little disorganized, compared to the half-marathons I have done in the past. With the half and whole marathoners starting together, there were no pace markers at the starting line and I didn't know where to line up in the pack. Turned out there were a lot of walkers who started at the front, which made for a slow first mile. Other then that, the course was perfect and flat, we ran through beautiful areas, the weather was perfect, the water stations were adequate, and the spectators were spaced out appropriately. I'll be back next year and I'll be starting up towards the front... hint, hint! | |
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Kami K. from Corpus Christi, TX
(11/5/2008)
"A Very Fine Inaugural Marathon!" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Inaugural Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Indianapolis, IN Saturday, November 1, 2008 8:00 AM I flew into Indy on Friday, ran the marathon on Saturday morning, and returned home on Saturday evening. As the plane was landing, I could see the new airport, which was scheduled to open on November 12. I stayed in Hilton Garden Inn, within a short walking distance from the packet pick-up as well as start and finish of the marathon at the state capitol. We enjoyed a very nice sunny morning to run a very well organized marathon. Temperature ranged from high 40s to high 60s. In spite of some inclines around the middle of the route, I think it is a PR-type course, especially the last 10K. We shared the first 6.5 miles with half-marathoners. We ran through downtown, several residential neighborhoods, Butler University, Museum of Art gardens, and it felt as if I saw most of the city! Traffic control was very good, as we crossed several major roads. Either some stuck-in-the-traffic drivers were annoyed by the runners or cheering us on by non-stop honking! There were pace groups. There were ample water/sports drink stations. The sporadic crowd support was fairly good. There were plenty of refreshments at the finish. The technical short-sleeved race T-shirt was nice and I liked the high-quality finisher's medallion. Although glitches are expected in inaugural marathons, I didn't notice any and congratulate the organizers for a very fine and pleasant running event. I am a 50-stater and this was #44. | |
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R. M. from Indiana, USA
(11/5/2008)
"Very good inaugural event" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I am glad this inaugural event went well, and hope they continue and grow in the future. Although I really wasn't well prepared for this event I did it anyway (just very slowly) because I wanted to be a part of the inaugural event and perhaps do it every year. The good: - This was a well organized event; no real problems were encountered, which is great for a first-year event. - The crowd was very vocal and enthusiastic. It was really appreciated. - There was some good music that was well-placed on the course. - Nice medal. - Nice short-sleeve tech shirt in the goody bag. - Very good course support, plenty of water, Gatorade, and some things like GU and hard candy. - The course really took us all over the city. It is a very nice city and this was a great way to see it. - The police did a great job with traffic control; they were holding up some major roads. The bad: - The course was pretty good, except the long stretches of open road. It was a pretty cool day. If it was any warmer, those long open stretches would have been a nightmare. - There were not enough porta-johns on the course. After the full split from the half, I didn't see a porta-john for about 10 miles. In talking with others on the course, I think I missed one just after the split, but there was a huge stretch with none. - There was no expo (which is actually OK with me), but packet pickup was inside the state house, which meant we had to go through a security checkpoint to get to it. They should have held the expo/packet pick-up in the government building next door. It a larger area and there was no security checkpoint to go through. - The post-race meal was also at the statehouse, so again runners had to go through security to get to the food (I didn't bother because the line at security was too long). - There wasn't enough room at the start line. Runners were lined up to a point where there was a busy road where traffic was not stopped. - The DAG timing system sucks! It fails way to often, especially when multiple people cross the line at the same time. I know my time didn't get recorded correctly at the start. It took me about 5 minutes to get to the start line and my official time suffered accordingly. | |
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M. S. from Columbia, MO (USA)
(11/5/2008)
"Great marathon!! Especially for an inaugural!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 What a pleasure it was to run this race! The course was great! It wound through some interesting parts of town, some beautiful neighborhoods, and for the most part was very flat. There were just enough elevation changes to give the muscles a break. The course was oriented primarily north-south, so the early morning sun was never a problem. The only mark I have against the course is the very long, straight stretch back into downtown from mile 21 to mile 25.5. The race support was very good. Water stations were a little too frequent in the first 10 miles and a little spread out in the latter miles, but overall they were well stocked. My only suggestion would be to move the people handing out gel so they are 0.1 to 0.2 miles before the water station... it's difficult to grab a gel, get it down, and grab a drink when the gel is in between the water and Gatorade tables. Race organization was good. Pre-registration was easy, communication was good, and on-site packet pickup was quick and easy. However, if you were expecting any kind of "expo," it was a disappointment. The sponsoring hospital had a table giving out fleece ear-warming headbands, but that was the ONLY thing to be picked up other than fliers for some other races. Fan support was really impressive, especially for a first-time race! There were plenty of cheering people downtown and lots of residential support... families and block parties were cheering, little kids lined up for high-fives, and there were impromptu street concerts and cranked up stereos. And while the race was relatively small, there were always other runners around, so it wasn't like you were out there on your own. Super job! I already have November 7 marked on my calendar next year as a possible repeat attempt at a BQ. | |
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D. S. from Indianapolis, Indiana
(11/4/2008)
"One of the fastest marathon courses" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was looking for a fast course to qualify for Boston, and this was the one! A few grades past the halfway point but flat otherwise. Carlton Ray and Ken Long are to be congratulated for the beautiful course and excellent organization. Carlton shook the hand of every runner at either packet pickup or the finish line. I don't know how you could find a more scenic route in Indianapolis. Truly monumental as we ran past the Lucas Oil Stadium, the Murat Shrine, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, many spectacular churches, the many war memorials along Meridian Street, and the finish at the state capitol building. Follow that up with a free spaghetti lunch after the race and it just doesn't get any better! | |
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G. G. from Noblesville, IN
(11/4/2008)
"Hard to imagine a better first-time race" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was stunned at how well this was pulled off for a first-year event. I live in Indy and usually do the Detroit race each fall. Family scheduling made that a no go this year... and this was created, so I stayed here and did the half. It went off without a hitch. Better than I hoped. it started on time, had good support, etc. I think they made the right choice to limit how much they did to ensure that it went off well. What I mean is that they did not try to work in a big expo. They did not try to work in corrals (more on that in a minute). They focused on getting it right and then let it grow. The weather was perfect... but that is hit and miss and out of anyone's control, though I do think early November is better for the Midwest than mid October. The 13.1 course was GREAT. I loved it. Showed different things in our city. Things to add in coming years (and again, these are not complaints as I think they did the right thing not to do these in year 1): Better shirts - with a year or date on them. People care about that. Automated clocks at miles, not a person calling out times. More entertainment on course. Keep the text messaging - great touch. One complaint (not for me, but for non-runners): They needed to do a better job of getting out the road closures next year. A lot of drivers were mad and at the end of the day this makes them hate runners. Count me in for this year from here on out. | |
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T. E. from Michigan
(11/4/2008)
"Spectacular inaugural event!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 One of the best marathons I have run! Great organization, beautiful course, and very friendly runners and spectators. Water stations were very plentiful. A couple of hills, but overall flat. I will definitely do this one again - and I highly recommend it! | |
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E. W. from Bloomington, IN
(11/3/2008)
"Great for a PR" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Fantastic inaugural marathon: beautiful, flat course; numerous aid stations (needed more Gatorade toward the end of the route, though); and great volunteers. More spectators than I expected for a first-time race, and some music on the course. The organizers did a great job. If they keep this up, it will develop reputation for Boston qualifiers. | |
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B. W. from Nashville, Tn
(11/3/2008)
"good inaugural race" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was worried about running an "inaugural" race, but the organization was great. The course was much more scenic than I had expected, and the crowds, although somewhat small, were consistent throughout the course. I really enjoyed the run. I would recommend that they have Gatorade at each water stop. No expo was a surprise, but the guy at the Runner's Company stayed open late for me to go get some GU - thanks, man! | |
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M. M. from Troy, Ohio
(11/3/2008)
"U+IMM=BQ" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I had a great time in Indy! This course is FAST!! There was only one small hill that was just past the halfway point. The rest of the course was flat or slightly downhill. If you want a PR, you can do it here. I stayed at the Marriott, which was half a block from the start line, and just around the corner from the finish line. I didn't even need to check a bag. If you are looking for a race that is set up for a PR, IMM has it. If you need thousands of people to cheer for you, a large expo to dazzle you with discount closeout running gear, and bite-size samples of the latest energy bar, go somewhere else. As for petty gripes of why IMM was not perfect, I'm not going to do that. Read the other comments. Thanks, IMM, for putting on a good show. I'll be back next year with friends. |
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