We will be taking a short post-Boston Marathon break. All orders placed on 4/15 through 4/18 will ship on 4/19. Please plan orders accordingly. Questions?
Nearly 500 marathon courses. Ships same or Next Day
Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers
It's here! Our annual list of the year's best marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Reviews
Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
4.4 Stars from
19 Runners
Great Race
By AJB about 2021
Review
Great Race. Loved the route - nice and flat. Good atmosphere - would definitely run again. Getting to the starting corral was a bit of a nightmare pre race but once the race started everything was great.
Race Tips
Plenty of hotels within walking distance to starting line. Get out a bit early to make sure you have time.
5 /
5 Stars
Nice flat race, logistical challenges
By Anonymous about 2021
Review
No complaints about the race itself, but allow LOTS of time to get to the start corrals. Sidewalks on S. Capital were jammed (2021) with spectators, making it almost impossible to get to starting corrals. It took 20-25 minutes to walk about 2 blocks, and many of us were fearful we would miss the start of the race.
Race Tips
Water stations aren't well marked, so the first few can come as a surprise. On the positive side, the split at mile 7 between the marathon and the half marathon is the best I've ever seen.
4 /
5 Stars
By Anonymous about 2021
5 /
5 Stars
Nice, flat course
By Anonymous about 2019
3 /
5 Stars
Great Course for PR!!!
By MD about 2019
Review
This course is great for a PR! The course is flat and fast. Just beware of the potholes! The roads are in pretty bad condition. I kinda wish the half marathon had a later start! It took a while for it to thin out... like 4 miles or so! Also, I'm not gonna lie, the swag was awful!! A SHORT sleeve shirt for a November marathon... What the!?!?! The hat was OK, I guess.The metal was fine, but I did not like how they made it part of a series!? It's supposed to fit together with the 2018 metal, but what if you didn't run the 2018 marathon? Kinda stupid in my opinion. The strangest part was after you crossed the finish line, you didn't get your metal right away. I thought in all my exhaustion, I somehow missed it. It was really weird. I've never seen that before! I had to walk about 20 feet and get my own metal off a cart that was set up with the metals. It didn't seem super organized to me.
Race Tips
You will have to pay to park for packet pickup. I suggest getting a hotel close to the expo (which was close to the start line) and walking from the hotel to get your packet. Get in your wave early!!! It's a BIG race and it gets pretty crowded!
Sure this race is fast and flat. Other than that I see no reason to do this race. I've done it several times and The New Director of Monumental has taken this race to new lows. Blake Bolton, the old director was great. The after race food is horrible, the awards are $1 socks, the on course nutrition used to be great (cliff blocks every mile or two), it is now a no name brand in a couple of locations. The shirts are down right ugly and made of a cheap material. Yes, it's flat and fast, and that is the only reason to do this race.
1 /
5 Stars
Flawless
By Bill about 2018
Review
Great organization. Speedy, flat course. The hills from 15-18 are not much at all, and our rolling, so you can ease up then make up time on the downhill. Some potholes on streets but no big deal. Frequent, small aid stations. Mobile medical support on bikes all over the course. And they separate the slower half runners from the full at the end when the courses recombine, so you don't have to leave. Very thoughtful.
Race Tips
Don't run too fast at the crowded beginning. Bib pickup was a breeze. Lots of good hotels within blocks of start/finish.
I stayed at the Hyatt downtown, the start and finish line just outside the entrance.
5 /
5 Stars
Flat route!
By EE about 2017
Review
I'm from Indianapolis but didn't start running until I'd been gone for 14 years. Once I built up enough experience with 5k, 10k, half-marathon races, I knew I wanted my first marathon to be in my hometown. It's a flat course and has great support from the community in the cheer/water stops. The course goes through historical neighborhoods, a college campus, downtown Indianapolis, and the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art ... basically, for the ones who look around while they're running, there's plenty of things to look at! They just finished a 4 year medal series and will be starting a new series in 2018. I thought I'd be a one-and-done marathon runner but this is now my annual race that I will continue to do.
Race Tips
Stick with your corral and trust your training. Right around the time most people are hitting the wall (mile 21-24) is probably the least scenic part of the route -- or maybe I'm just exhausted by then I don't look around as much. I'm a mid-to-back of the pack runner so I just enjoy my run the best I can. There are also PLENTY of portapotties throughout the course. If you get to a set and there's a line and you don't have to go RIGHT THEN, there will be another set coming up that might not have a line.
Stay at the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites.....the start line is literally right outside the back door. The finish line is maybe a quarter a mile away
5 /
5 Stars
By Anonymous about 2016
4 /
5 Stars
By Anonymous about 2016
Review
Well organized, great pace teams, great course, great city, solid expo.
Race Tips
Negative split it. I ran it twice...Fastest two I have run. First one had a 3 minute negative split; the second, 7 minute. Last half mile sucks...Two turns, feels like you are going to finish and them you just keep going.
This is a flat, fast course with minimal hills. It's well supported, the aid stations were fantastic, and it was never too crowded. I loved the course- we went through some really cute neighborhoods, and there were plenty of long straightaways towards the end that facilitated a fast last 10 miles. My only criticism is that the pavement was not amazing in sections.
We stayed downtown which was great- walked to the race start and packet pick-up. All of the businesses and hotels opened their lobbies on race morning so I never once used a port-a-John the whole day!
5 /
5 Stars
By Anonymous about 2015
5 /
5 Stars
By EMR about 2012
Review
Well organized; flat course; nice expo; welcoming feel
Race Tips
Flat course you could PR on. Can expect cool temps this time of year
Host hotels are walking distance from expo and start and finish lines.
5 /
5 Stars
By AT about 2010
Review
Fast, Flat race. It was a little on the colder side the year I did the race. (2010) It was about 27 degrees at the start. The sun came up and helped a little but it didn't ever get up much past high 30s. The race was well organized and fell on a good date in early November. It falls a couple weeks after some of the larger marathons for those multiple marathoners that are looking to sneak in another good race. Hope to do the race again someday.
Nice flat race, logistical challenges