State #23: Indianapolis, Indiana
November 2017; 2025

I ran the Indy Monumental Half Marathon in 2017 and again in 2025 (and there’s a good chance I will run it again at some point). While it usually sells out, especially in recent years with the current running boom, I still think the Indy Monumental Marathon weekend is underrated compared to other races in the Midwest.

If you’re looking for a flat, fast half marathon or marathon in the fall with easy logistics and historically good racing weather, look no further!

OVERVIEW OF RACE LOGISTICS

DATE: Usually the second weekend in November (but this has shifted through the years) – note that it’s a Saturday race
WEATHER: Both years I ran it was cool at the start and you needed a throwaway. There have been some years with not great weather, but that can happen with any race and historically, the weather is usually pretty good for racing.
ELEVATION: It’s an overall flat course with less than 300ft of elevation gain for the marathon and a bit less for the half marathon.
TIME LIMIT: 7 hours for the marathon. Half marathoners must maintain an average pace of 16:00 per mile for the first 10 miles.
SIZE: There were over 17,500 runners across the 3 events (marathon, half marathon, 5K) in 2025, which was a record-breaking year. I’d consider this a medium-sized event, compared to the Marathon Majors and other large marathons.

GENERAL TRAVEL LOGISTICS

I flew into Indianapolis in 2017 when I lived in DC, and it was an easy travel situation. You can take an Uber from the airport to downtown – you don’t need to rent a car. There is also a bus that runs from the airport to the downtown Indy area.
If you live in Chicago or elsewhere in the Midwest, it’s an easy drive to Indy. There are also busses that run somewhat frequently. I drove down with friends in 2025 – it took about 3 hours from Chicago, and I took the bus home (because my Chicago friends didn’t stay as long as I did post-race).
There are a ton of hotels close to the start/finish area. They are a little pricey because of the convenience during race weekend, but being able to leave your hotel 10 minutes before the race starts and get into the corral, and then only have to walk a few minutes from the finish area back to your hotel room afterwards, is worth the money. This is one of the easiest races logistically that I’ve run. I stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, but again, there are a ton of hotels so choose the one that has rooms open and you like the best!
The downtown area is pretty walkable and Uber/Lyfts are easy to get as needed. If you want to go beyond the downtown area, a car is helpful or you can take a rideshare.

RACE LOGISTICS

Overall, I find the Indy Monumental Marathon weekend to be extremely organized. Even with a larger field size the second time I ran it in 2025, there weren’t any issues with organization.

EXPO/PACKET PICK UP: The expo is located at the Indiana Convention Center on Thursday and Friday before the race. It’s a fairly large expo with many vendors. The Convention Center is close to the start/finish line, as well as the hotels. There is also easy parking close by if you’re local or grabbing your bib before going to your hotel. There is an option to purchase race morning packet pickup if you want to go that route.
START LINE: The corrals have a lot of people in them and they do get crowded right before the start, but it opens up pretty quickly. The marathoners and half marathoners start at the same time, so everyone is together. They stagger the corrals pretty well to help with the number of people.
AID STATIONS: I found there was an adequate number of aid stations for the half marathon, and my athletes who ran the marathon said they were good for that as well. There was water and an electrolyte drink. They were also giving out gels at 1-2 of the stations.
FINISH LINE: The race finishes within a few blocks of the start line. There was ample amount of food available, including pizza in an area slightly past the initial food + drinks. There were also massages and other services in the finish line area. I did not stay very long after I finished, so I did not take advantage of everything, but it was a big area and easy to navigate.

RACE GOODIES

MEDAL: It’s a pretty standard medal, but I do like that the ribbon is a different color depending on the race you ran (at least in 2025). In 2017, my medal was part of a puzzle (that would be completed if you ran it the 4 years they had the puzzle piece medals).
SHIRT: Nothing special about the shirt. It was grey when I ran it in 2017 and red when I ran it in 2025. It’s a short sleeve race tech shirt.
HAT: You get a knit hat at the end of the race, which is a nice piece of extra swag!

FINAL RACE THOUGHTS

This is a great race option if you want something a little smaller than the Majors and don’t want to deal with entering a lottery. Or if you want a fast half marathon to run later in the fall. It’s a fast course and very well organized. With so many hotel options close to the start/finish line, it’s one of the easiest races I’ve run from a logistical standpoint. I will say that you do need to watch your footing in some spots, as there are some potholes and uneven ground, but that’s normal in the Midwest and not something that hurt my race!

FOOD AND DRINK HIGHLIGHTS

I honestly don’t remember where we ate in 2017…and there’s a probably a 50/50 chance they’re still open. But we ate at some good spots in 2025, which I’ve linked below.

Vicino: My athletes and I carb loaded here the night before the race. The food and service were both good. We had a group of 9 people, so I made a reservation ahead of time. Even if you have a smaller group, I recommend making a reservation because it was quite busy the Friday before the race.
Patachou: Good spot for breakfast and brunch. There is a location right by the finish line. Expect a short wait, as it does get busy.
The Flatiron: This is a slightly more elevated dining experience. 3 of us went here on Saturday evening for dinner. I had steak with seasonal veggies and it was very good.

These are the spots that stood out to me in the short time I was in Indy! I also went St. Joseph’s Brewery with some friends on Saturday afternoon, which was a fun space with good beer.

EXPLORING INDY

INDY SCULPTURE: Fun place to a get a medal picture!
RUNNING TRAILS: If you want to get your shakeout run done on a trail or just a pretty place to stroll, check out the White River Trail.
NCAA HALL OF CHAMPIONS: A friend of mine went here and said it was worth a visit. I chose to lay down in my bed instead haha.

Honestly, I didn’t go to Indy to explore, I went to race. I’m not saying there isn’t more to do, but I personally didn’t do a ton of exploring while visiting. When I ran in 2017, I flew in on Friday morning and flew home on Saturday afternoon. In 2025, we arrived on Friday afternoon and I left on Sunday morning. I stayed longer in 2025 to spend time with some of my athletes that live in other places, not to explore the city. Because there’s not a lot of fanfare, it’s a good race to focus on racing well without a bunch of outside distractions. But just like any other city, there are other places you can visit like museums, the zoo, and more!

Let me know if you’re running Indy Monumental this year!

Running the States: Indy Monumental Marathon