The CNO Financial Group Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and Monumental Half Marathon are a pair of concurrent road races run annually in
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, United States. The Monumental Marathon, first held in 2008, is a road race. Since 2016, it has been the only full fall marathon run in Indianapolis. In 2015, it claimed to have become one of the 20 largest marathons in the United States. "A beautiful place to set your pace" is the tagline of the Monumental Marathon.
History
The Monumental Marathon was established by Carlton Ray in 2008.
Just over 1,100 runners completed the race's inaugural running, while almost 2,000 completed the race the following year. Nearly 3,000 runners completed the half marathon in 2009. Beginning in 2010, a 5k race was offered as well. In 2014,
Runners World
''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in E ...
named the race as on of the nine best, new U.S. marathons.
In 2015, the Monumental Marathon purchased the Indianapolis Marathon and converted it into a half marathon, operating as the Indy Half Marathon at
Fort Ben. Prior to the purchase, the Monumental Marathon was reported to be in the top 25 marathons in the United States.
In 2017, Jed Cornforth was appointed as executive director of the event, replacing the prior director, Blake Boldon, who left the event to direct the
Drake Relays
The Drake Relays (officially the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom) is an outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, in Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University. Billed as ''America's Athletic Classic'', it ...
.
![Runners in Monumental Marathon 2022](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Runners_in_Monumental_Marathon_2022.jpg)
The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the
coronavirus
Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...
pandemic
A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
,
with all registrants given the option of running the race virtually or transferring their entry to 2021. An e-mail address was provided for registrants to request a refund, without any additional details regarding a refund policy.
Course
The course for the Monumental Marathon begins and ends near the
Indiana Statehouse
The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located in ...
in downtown Indianapolis. The Monumental Half Marathon is run concurrently with the full marathon. The two races follow identical routes for the first six or so miles, split, then re-converge for the last of the course.
Attendance and winners
See also
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List of marathon races in North America
The following is a list of marathon races in North America.
Legend
The criteria for whether a marathon receives an IAAF Label designation are based on six general issues: race organisation, course timing and measurement, media services, quality o ...
*
List of attractions and events in Indianapolis
The following is a list of important sites of interest and annual events in and around the city of Indianapolis.
__NOTOC__
A
* Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus)
B
* Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
* Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
* Benton House
* ...
References
{{Reflist
Marathons in the United States
Sports competitions in Indianapolis
Track and field in Indiana