Indy Wants 40,000 People at Inagural Marathon

This article in the Star says the race route has been approved, and that Nike is stepping in as a sponsor. Interesting.

Sept 8 for a marathon in Indy. Something about that date just don't feel right.

The topix discussion is one for the ages. I like this comment, regarding a guy who asked if there would be a refund if the new marathon doesn't go off as planned:

"Refund thanks for the advise but you can keep it to yourself as far as I am concerned.I intend to run in this new marathon.You appear to be connected to the mini simply because you uses an alias.You comments about the New Marathon nobody seems to know them, at least they have the balls to use their name.They dont walk around calling themselves refund.You are really turning me off from the mini,because your tactics seems to be generated from their."

Doesn't this guy get that the mini is in the spring? The mini already has so much demand they sell out in Nov. before the May race...the new race isn't competition at all.

I agree with your comments regarding the indystar thread. It is really bizarre and many of the posts are suspicious.

Though I would love to see a downtown Indianapolis marathon, I'm am very concerned about this event from what I've seen. Not to mention, there is a very good event already in Lawrence, IN in October. I guess I'll keep my eyes/ears open as details develop.

I'll admit I referenced the Topix thread without having read the complete thing...will have to do that for entertainment value...still seems a bit off the wall though. Would be similar to the New York Marathon linking directly to some thread on this website that is discussing their event...would never happen.

This will NOT be competition for the Mini - in fact if (and that is a big IF) it eventually grows to be a decent race, the two events could compliment each other nicely.

Approval of the race route is only one part of obtaining the city permit, so it is possible that that fact in the Star article is true. If you go to to the permit status page of Indygov.org, however, their permit is still in process...

And if Nike is a sponsor, why wouldn't they have them listed as such on the website? You have to admit that the claim to have $4 million in sponsorship already raised, but absolutely NO exposure for these companies on their website is a bit odd...

I'm sure (hope!) the website evolves quickly...it just seems a bit premature to have the reg page up before they have official approval from the city.

My favorite typo on their website remains the listing for the Marathon, 1/2 Marathon and the 5k Marathon distances. :) Speaks volumes about organizers knowledge about running, no?

The 3 names mentioned in today's article....namely Jeanne Johnson, Cliff Redden, and Clayton Wilkins.... does anyone out there know WHO they are, etc. ??!!

Trailrunner63 wrote:

The 3 names mentioned in today's article....namely Jeanne Johnson, Cliff Redden, and Clayton Wilkins.... does anyone out there know WHO they are, etc. ??!!

Well, I have lived in Indy 11 years and am pretty active in the local racing scene, etc, and I have never heard of any of those people.

I would like to think that I know most of the who's-who in the Indy running scene, and I also have no clue who they are.

If one can believe the Indy Star topix thread, it appears that this marathon will somehow be sponsored or linked to the US military, with military teams competing.

Monon Runner wrote:

I also love gems like this from their website: "You can choose between the full 26.2 marathon, the 13.1 marathon or the 5k marathon".

Incredibly, they've now changed it to something even stupider:

"You can choose between the full 26.2 Marathon, the 13.1 Half Marathon or the 5k Mile Run"

That's right! A 5,000 miler! The logistics of this undertaking are mind-boggling. Think of the street closures! This could go on for months! No, even longer! What if there are still some stragglers on the course when it's time to start the following year's race?

Laowai wrote:

Monon Runner wrote:

I also love gems like this from their website: "You can choose between the full 26.2 marathon, the 13.1 marathon or the 5k marathon".

Incredibly, they've now changed it to something even stupider:

"You can choose between the full 26.2 Marathon, the 13.1 Half Marathon or the 5k Mile Run"

That's right! A 5,000 miler! The logistics of this undertaking are mind-boggling. Think of the street closures! This could go on for months! No, even longer! What if there are still some stragglers on the course when it's time to start the following year's race?

*****************************************88

My money is on Dean K. to win the 5K mile race.

Did I see right, 6 am race start?

I don't see the 5k mile event listed now - but that is classic.

What I do see is the "13.1 Half Marathin" (on the reg page). Must be only for those that are trying to lose weight?

And isn't the term "26.2 mile marathon" redundant anyway? I thought a marathon by definition was 26.2 miles...

Bottom line, these people launched their website WAY before it was ready. Makes you wonder about the rest of their planning...

Trailrunner63 wrote:

The 3 names mentioned in today's article....namely Jeanne Johnson, Cliff Redden, and Clayton Wilkins.... does anyone out there know WHO they are, etc. ??!!

I repeat this from last week ! Are they from Mars or what ?!

Indyguy wrote:

Bottom line, these people launched their website WAY before it was ready. Makes you wonder about the rest of their planning...

Well, as was pointed our over on the Topix thread, this event is scheduled for the same day as the Penrod Art Fair at the IMA...and the course runs pretty close to that area. It comes down Michigan, which will cause an impact, and also through Meridian...so people trying to get to Penrod from either the North or East will run into the marathon. It's usually a total mess around there on that day, as probably 10,000 people or more show up for that. With their luck, there will probably be a Colts game that day as well...

The Star Article says that all three races will start at 7:30 AM, but the website seems to indicate that it will start at 10:00 AM (since Indiana is on Eastern Standard Time).

Oh, and a 5k, 1/2 Marathon and marathon starting all at the same time? Major clusterf*&k!

Peter wrote:

(since Indiana is on Eastern Standard Time).

Oh, and a 5k, 1/2 Marathon and marathon starting all at the same time? Major clusterf*&k!

Hey, we moved to DST last year!

Geez wrote:

Minneapolis is a great locale for cow tipping I heard.

Stupid comment - You clearly need to get out more. Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the best urban areas in the country (and it's big, too). And unlike many other major metro areas, MSP's best days are yet to come. Great running scene, too.

copied from the website:

Start Times: all races start at the same times listed below.

Wheelchair registrants: 5:55am

All races included in the Marathon: 6:00am

what 5k starts at 6 am? and wouldn't the marathon be the only race included in the Marathon?