Indy Wants 40,000 People at Inagural Marathon

My advice to them being successful at getting 40K to race....Don't hold the race in Indy....why would anyone want to go there to race a marathon......Good lordy....

It's odd, isn't it? There's already an Indy Marathon in the fall, as the article states, and it's not drawing more than a couple thousand. I've run the half associated with that, and I like it. A lot more than the Indy Mini, that's for sure.

But, with Chicago, New York, and all the other big fall marathons out there, I have a hard time seeing how Indy could attract 40k runners. Methinks the people planning this don't know enough about the fall marathon season.

I love Indy from living there, but I think it would be hard to attract people to it unless it had a great cause it was supporting. Take the Memphis marathon for example, it has grown the last few years because of it being associated with St Jude.

But with Chicago and all the fall marathons it will be impossible to get 40,000 people there. Does Indy even get 40,000 tourists in a year? Like I said, I loved living there, but I don't think a lot of people book trips there.

One thing you really need for a marathon that large is a fairly sizeable foreign contingent. As much as I love Indy, I don't see it becoming a desitnation for foreign runners to come and run a marathon. The Mini has the local support and participation because it's a race that more people can train for and run as opposed to a marathon, and I think the tie-in with the Speedway and month of May is what also ramps up the enthusiasm level for the community.

If it is marketed well, it could have decent participation numbers but not at the level that they are hoping for. Close to half of the people that run the Mini are from Indiana, do they think they would get those same numbers for a marathon in the fall? I also feel sorry for the current marathon there, from everything I've heard it's a pretty decent event. It makes you wonder if the marathon part of it could continue if this race goes off as planned.

Ain't gonna happen. Like the Sedona marathon saying they would have 10,000 their first year, wishful dreaming.

Who are the organizers of this? I find it hard to believe that this hasn't somehow leaked to the local running community before now. I don't think that KLA or Tuxbros would really think that this was a good idea, nor do I think any of the running stores would be involved either.

I agree with you that the Indy mini attracts so many runners due to the tie-in with the speedway. That is why I flew there to run the half. Without something unique like the speedway included in the course, I doubt if the new marathon in Indy will even attract 5,000 participants.

Why are the biggest marathons always in dead towns with fat whale lardo populations who have nothing else to do but run a marathon. It's pathetic.

I live in Indy, and am somewhat active in running circles... first I knew of this was the cited newspaper article this morning. IMHO this will never work, these people, whoever they are, are in a dream world. I hope I'm wrong, but I predict this balloon never gets in the air.

Holy crap! Does it really take $4 MILLION to put on a marathon (even a large 40,000 runner one)? I had no idea.

Do they have enough hotels to support this kind of crowd?

I just don't see the draw to Indy.

Well, considering we get 500,000 people at the Indy 500, I think there must be enough hotel space for 40,000 people -- although granted an awful lot of those are going to be local anyway.

I still can't see this race drawing anywhere near that. Agree with others, I'm pretty "plugged in" to the local running/racing scene, and this was the first I'd heard of this.

I think 4000 will be a successful debut.

Monan - you get 500,000 for the Indy 500, but how many show up in campers or RVs?

Also, this race could attract 40,000, but it won't attract 40,000 great runners unless there's a significant amount of prize money and they're willing to pay room/travel for elite athletes. With Chicago and New York both offering big bucks and the Olympic Trials being next November, they'll be hardpressed to find a lot of elite athletes who want to run an inaugural marathon for a pittance.

Hopefully this race is at least well organized. After seeing the disaster in Philly, I will be forever skeptical about going to new races or ones where they're "trying to expand to be one of the greats in the country."

They quoted someone with the city in the article about the route not being finalized yet...so...

http://www2.indygov.org/SEPERMITprod/servlet/FullFinal?typdex=

!NOO!8306!

Here are the names of the people that filed the permit.

Have never heard of either Cliff Redden or Jeanne Johnson - and like trailrunner63 I'm also active in the local running community.

Tuxbro and KLA (the two most often used event management companies) don't appear to be involved - another bad sign, although I suppose an outside company could come in and pull it off...

Has any first time marathon ever pulled in 40,000? Doubt it.

On the hotel front, Indy wouldn't have any problem handling the number of rooms needed for an event of this size, but it won't be an event of the size claimed in this article...

I guess the question is, why 40,000 right away? Why don't they just start off as an event and grow it from there? Every major marathon grew into what it is now, and that gave everyone a chance to figure out what needed to be done and how to do it. And if it didn't grow to that size, what's wrong with having another good, well-organized marathon option for people in the fall? Indianapolis could offer a pretty good course for the masses, and I'm guessing it would be more affordable for people coming from out of town than say Chicago or New York. It could be a good race if done right.

I just don't understand the ambition of the organizers to make it a mega-event right away. How about putting on a good race and letting the growth happen as a result of doing your job the right way. In talking with Carey Pinkowski, it's incomprehendable the kind of detail that goes into planning something like this, and since the story came across as kind of vague, it makes you wonder if they have the people in place who know what they are doing. This just smells more like a money grab on the part of the organizers than anything.

I think this is a real kick in the face to Joel Sauer (sp?). He's done a great job with the fall marathon and half that he puts on, and while it doesn't draw huge numbers it is a well organized, professional event. I have done the half many times and very much enjoy it.

For some other organization, headed by people I have never heard of, to come in and try and start another fall marathon -- in the same month -- sucks.

500,000 to the indy 500? How do you come up with that number? No way do you have hotels for 500,000 people.

Dude No one said there were 500,000 hotel rooms:

"Well, considering we get 500,000 people at the Indy 500, I think there must be enough hotel space for 40,000 people."

This marathon will never have 40,000 people flying in anyway. It will mostly be locals.