It was somewhere around mile 23 of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon that I stopped doing the math.
It’d been bad for a few miles by then, and checking my watch every 30 seconds wasn’t really making anything better. Sub-3:15 was gone. Hell, sub-3:20 was gone. Now I was just running to see if I’d PR. I was trading running intervals for walking breaks, trying to hold together whatever was left on the back half of a course I’d felt in control of just an hour earlier.
I’d finally crossed the finish line in 3:29:19. An almost two minute PR. And, slowly walking from the finish line to get my medal, I realized I was mostly glad it was over. For me, this had been a long year of marathon training, and this race finished it off.
So, this is the honest version of how the 2025 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon went for me and if you should add it to your runcation calendar.
Table of Contents
Getting to Indianapolis & Pre-Race Day
I drove from my hometown in Ohio the day before the race with my fiancee, Kaitlyn.
The drive from Ohio to Indy isn’t bad, but it also isn’t the most exciting drive either. Luckily, Indianapolis is closer than it feels. It only takes around four hours total, give or take for traffic.
I stayed just outside downtown, with about a 10-15 minute walk to the expo and start line. Indianapolis is an extremely walkable city, in my opinion. So it was nice walking to the expo and start line to save some extra money on parking or Uber. And it’s just an easy way to see the city. So I’d recommend looking at the neighborhoods that surround the downtown area for better deals.
We also dodged a lot of traffic that was headed into downtown (which a friend of mine who was also running the race got caught in).
I’ve been to Indianapolis a few times in the past. As a big Ohio State fan, I’ve visited Lucas Oil Stadium a few times for the Big Ten Championship. And I always love visiting the city. If you know anything about me, you know I’m not a city guy by any means. But Indianapolis feels different. Call it the vibes. Maybe it’s the restaurants. Something about it feels different than a standard city.
Since we had some time, we kept things relaxed.
We found our Airbnb, walked over to the race expo at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis and picked up our packets. The entire process was easy and smooth, and unlike other race expos, it felt like there was a TON of space. Normally I feel crammed at race expos and like I’m constantly in people’s way. But Indy was nice.
I was also picking up for a friend, Gavin, who was running the race since he wouldn’t be in until later. This was also a super easy process, so shoutout to Indy Monumental for that.
Then it was back to our Airbnb for a home-cooked meal with Gavin and Kaitlyn, then bedtime to get some good sleep (which almost never happens before a race).
The 2025 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Recap
Indy has a great start time in my opinion. 8:00am is early enough to get the marathon out of the way and it doesn’t consume your whole day, but also not so early that you’re questioning why you signed up in the first place. (I’d do that anyway).
I kept my kit simple, the same one I outlined in my marathon packing list. We walked over near the start line and went inside the Indiana Convention Center to warm up before the race. Kaitlyn being the saint she is came with me and kept me company until race start.
I was in Corral 1, but I stayed toward the back as I knew the front would be shooting for sub-3 and sub-2:50ish goals. My goal was a sub-3:15 (and on a really good day sub-3:10) marathon. My previous best was 3:30 at the Pittsburgh Marathon in May 2025. My thinking was that, with the hills of Pittsburgh being absent in this race, I could make up a decent amount of time. We’d see if that would be true.
Then, the gun went off, and it was time to see if I had it in me.
Miles 1-16
The start of the race was an omen.
As we took off past the start line, my watch could not nail down the proper pace. Maybe it’s corral congestion. Maybe the running gods decided to just play a really cruel trick on me. Either way, it was jumping between saying a 6:15 minutes/mile pace and an 8+ minutes/mile pace. One thing I knew for sure is that I was running sub-8 minute pace.
Eventually it synced up and started working around mile 2-3 with mile 2 coming in at a 7:07.
To run sub-3:15, you need to hold around 7:26 per mile. As I mentioned, I wanted somewhere between 3:00 and 3:15, with closer to 3:15 being the more realistic target given my fitness.
I went through the first eight miles averaging closer to 7:15-7:20/mile. That gap may sound small, but anyone who’s run a marathon knows the slim margins you’re running with in the race. And that “small” gap compounds into something that’s difficult to climb your way out of.
The primary issue is that I didn’t feel like I was racing too hard as we ran through northern Indianapolis.
My heart rate was sitting at 178-180 from mile 2 on, which is Zone 4 range, but my legs felt fine overall. Plus, the course through downtown is fun in the early miles. The wide streets, good crowd noise, and the city gives you some things to look at while that’s still something you’re doing in the race and not just suffering.
Running past Lucas Oil Stadium was a really cool moment for me in the first half. I’ve watched Big Ten Championship games there with family and friends, walked those same sidewalks after games in the cold (both after a win and loss).
So running past it at race pace was a cool and different way to experience it.
I think that’s one thing that makes building a runcation around a race in a city you’ve visited before different from just picking a race because it’s convenient. The course stops being a course and there’s a few miles in there where you remember a location and it has nothing to do with your pace.
From miles 9-16 I slowed down a bit with paces closer to the 7:30-7:45 pace, except for mile 15 where I inexplicably ran a 6:56 mile.
So, as I approached the final stages of the back half of the race, I can now see it clearly when looking at the data. I’d spent over 60% of the race in Zone 4 by that point, with an average heart rate of 177. Long story short, you can’t run that long at that effort and have anything meaningful left in the back half.
The crash was well on its way.
Miles 17-20
The shift started around mile 17.
My pace dropped to 8:23, then 8:26. I told myself it was just a rough patch and to keep pushing, I’d come out of it. I was taking gels regularly every 30-45 minutes (learning my mistake from Pittsburgh), so I assumed I just had to keep pushing and I’d bounce back. The problem was that I’d fixed one mistake (nutrition) and committed another in its place (bad pacing plan).
But, I was less than 10 miles away. I’d run 10 miles hundreds of times. I had it in the bag…I thought.
Miles 19 and 20 came back to 7:30 and 7:14, and I took that as evidence of what I’d just told myself, and that I’d corrected course. I hadn’t. This was just a false summit for me, and the real problems were about to show up.
Miles 21-26.2
Mile 21: 8:12. Mile 22: 8:36. Mile 23: 9:37. I’d run straight into The Wall.
This is when the run/walk started happening just to give myself a little bit of a break and continue on. The voice that shows up in the last 6 miles of a bad marathon is relentless.
“You’re not hitting 3:15. You’re not hitting 3:20. You’re not even close. Who cares how you finish? You’ve already missed the goal. Just walk it in.” I had full conversations with that voice for the better part of six miles. The self-pity. All that nonsense you tell yourself when you’re just making excuses.
But, what ended up keeping me moving was simpler than I’d like to admit. My previous marathon PR (in Pittsburgh) was 3:30. With two miles left, I was sitting around 3:28 if my math was correct. And the one thing that I knew would make me sicker than anything about this race was if I would miss a PR completely.
Not only would I have failed at sub-3:15 with a flatter course (which I thought would definitely help), but would have failed altogether by missing a PR completely. And call it pride, call it ego, call it whatever you want. But I was determined to not let that happen.
So, I run/walked my ass off and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
The Finish Line of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
3:29:19. A PR by around 41 seconds.
Was I satisfied with it? Not really. But was I happy it was all over? Absolutely. My training had been decent leading up to this, but not the best it could have been. And the year had really worn on me and I was ready to reset and look toward a new year.
Gavin finished around 6-8 minutes after me. Post-finish was mostly standing around near the finisher’s corral and deciding whether to sit down or not. Sitting down wasn’t the problem, it was if I’d ever be able to get back up or would I just be a statue there forever.
Eventually, we’d head back to our Airbnb, the walk being a nice way to loosen up my legs. But, I’d promptly puke as soon as we got back from the effort (and combination of things in my stomach) and feel a whole lot better.
And, with the exact same thing happening post-Pittsburgh Marathon, I’m beginning to think it’s just a ritual of mine.
What I’d Tell Someone Running the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
Honestly, despite my letdown and own race expectations, this is a great race.
If you’re within 5-6 hours of Indianapolis and you’re chasing a road marathon PR, put it on your fall list.
The course is legitimately fast. Only 302 feet of total elevation gain across 26.2 miles is as close to flat as a Midwest marathon gets. Early November weather in Indianapolis tends to be good for running, too. And the organization is clean, the downtown start and finish area is easy to navigate, and the whole event runs smoothly.
Stay downtown or nearby and give yourself some time to settle in. I recommend getting there a day early and staying a day after if you can. The city is walkable enough that you don’t need a car once you’re checked in. And there are tons of good restaurants to check out to fuel your pre- and post-race hunger. Indianapolis doesn’t always get credit as a destination, but it definitely earns a weekend and a few extra days.
The one thing I’d tell anyone signing up: the flat course will tempt you to go out fast.
There’s no terrain to slow you down in the early miles, which means pacing discipline has to come from you. Whatever pace feels comfortable at mile 5, it’s probably 10-15 seconds per mile too fast. The flatness that makes this course a PR opportunity is the same thing that can destroy you halfway through.
I know this because I ran mile 15 at 6:56 like a dummy. So learn from me.
Final Take
Indianapolis Monumental is definitely worth the trip. It’s a fast course, a well-run event, a Boston Qualifier (if that’s your goal), and it’s a great city to spend a weekend in. I’ll be back. Maybe not soon, but one day I’ll get that itch for the marathon again.
And next time I’ll start at 7:30 and actually mean it.
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