Monumental Half Marathon
Indianapolis, Indiana
Saturday, November 2, 2013

On Saturday, November 2, 2013 I race walked the Monumental Half Marathon in Indianapolis, Indiana. The temperature was in the middle 40’s with mostly cloudy skies and 5 mph to 10 mph breeze with some gusts. The course was almost flat and took the 13000 participants on a tour of Indianapolis. There were police stationed at every intersection along the road course that was closed to traffic. There seemed to be major traffic jams along the route; however, for the most part the drivers were very tolerant of the inconvenience caused by the event. Water/Gatorade stations were located every mile and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. There were many spectators throughout the route as well as live music. There were many other enthusiastic volunteers that ensured the participants followed the correct path. There was a very large amount of elite athletes running the three races – marathon, half marathon, and 5K. The first three places in the 5k were in the 16 minutes and the first 25 places in the half marathon were 1:10 or better. I don’t have the results of the marathon; however, I know there were several athletes trying to qualify for the Olympic trials and a large number that finished in less than 3 hours. The event was very well organized and I enjoy it very much.