500 Festival Mini-Marathon

Annual half marathon in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

500 Festival Mini-Marathon

The 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (also known as the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon for sponsorship reasons[1]) is an annual road half marathon usually held the first Saturday in May in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.

Quick Facts Date, Location ...
500 Festival Mini-Marathon
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OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon logo
DateFirst Saturday in May
LocationIndianapolis and Speedway, Indiana, United States
Event typeRoad
DistanceHalf marathon and 5K
Primary sponsorOneAmerica Financial Partners (half marathon)
Delta Dental (5K)
EstablishedMay 27, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-05-27)
Course recordsMen: 1:01:44 (2023)
Panuel Mkungo
Women: 1:07:11 (2022)
Emily Sisson
Official sitewww.500festival.com/mini-marathon
Participants14,200+ (2023)[1]
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The race began in 1977 and became an official 500 Festival event in 1979. The 13.109-mile (21.097 km) course currently starts in downtown Indianapolis, then heads west toward Speedway. It features a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then returns to finish in the downtown area. From 1977 to 1992, the race was held the Friday before the Indianapolis 500. Starting in 1993, the race was moved to early May, the Saturday three weeks before the race, with rare exceptions. From 1994 to 2004, it was known as the Indianapolis Life 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

The race regularly attracts runners and spectators from all 50 states and several countries. It includes a men's and women's running division, as well as men's and women's wheelchair entries. The Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K, a shorter version of the Mini utilizing the same start and finish lines, runs the same day. Runner's World named it among the "Most Iconic American Races" and in 2023, a USA Today readers' choice contest named it the nation's best half marathon.[1]

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Mini-marathon runners reaching the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018.

In 2020, the race was cancelled for the first time in its history, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[2] Entrants from this year's were given invitations to the 2021 race.

Selected history

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2008

The race resulted in the closest finish ever in the history of the event: a tie.[3] Two Kenyan runners, Lamech Mokono and Valentine Orare, were declared co-winners, extending the streak of Kenyan victories to 13. In the women's race, Janet Cherobon successfully defended her title. Tony Íñiguez became a three-time champ in the wheelchair division.

2011

The 2011 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon took place Saturday May 7, 2011. A pair of newcomers brought home the men's and women's titles in the 2011 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis. Moroccan Ridouane Harroufi took the men's race, winning in 1:02.45, while Everlyne Lagat of Kenya captured the women's race with a time of 1:11:29, snapping the four-year win streak of fellow Kenyan Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, who took second. Adam Bleakney of Champaign, Ill., took advantage of the ideal conditions to win the wheelchair race with a blistering time of 49.18. The 2006 winner of the same race, Bleakney, a member of the 2008 U.S. Paralympics teams, was competing in Indianapolis for the first time since his previous win.

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Runners at the 2 mile mark in the 2024 500 Festival Mini-Marathon

2022

In 2022 the Mini also hosted the USATF Half Marathon championships. The championship was announced a little over a month before the race and was met with heavy criticism directed toward USATF over the timing and planning of the event.[4]

In the men's race Leonard Korir out kicked Futsum Zienasellassie, an Indianapolis native, to win by one second in a time of 1:02:35.

In the women's race Emily Sisson broke U.S. half-marathon record finishing the race in 67:11.[5]

Past winners

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  New course record

More information Date, Men's winner ...
Date Men's winner Time Women's winner Time
May 27, 1977  Frank Shorter (USA)1:03:56 Mary Clifford1:31:22
May 26, 1978  Bill Rodgers (USA)1:03:00  Miki Gorman (USA)1:20:56
May 25, 1979 Dean Behrmann1:09:17Penny DeMoss1:28:40
May 23, 1980 Eric Wood1:08:55Shirley Kay Durtschi1:19:58
May 22, 1981 John Roscoe1:06:20Candy Wojcik1:28:30
May 28, 1982 Greg Van Winkle1:07:15Marilyn Reinhardt1:23:51
May 27, 1983 Gary Romesser1:05:52Marilyn Reinhardt (2)1:23:55
May 25, 1984 Gary Romesser (2)1:09:11Diane Bussa1:18:59
May 24, 1985 Gary Romesser (3)1:07:06Lori Veal1:19:20
May 23, 1986 John Wellerding1:05:48Karen McQuilken1:18:02
May 22, 1987 James Nolan1:08:12Karen McQuilken (2)1:19:32
May 27, 1988 Gary Romesser (4)1:08:33Laura Didion1:20:27
May 26, 1989 Don Johns1:07:31Judy Bogenschutz1:17:59
May 25, 1990 Keith Hanson1:04:13Ruth Ozmun1:18:17
May 24, 1991 Gary Romesser (5)1:08:24Chris Cooper1:21:17
May 22, 1992 Andy Herr1:07:44Becky Reinhold1:20:30
May 7, 1993  Joseph Keino (KEN)1:03:10  Trina Painter (USA)1:12:19
May 7, 1994  John Kipkoskei (KEN)1:03:14  Roseli Machado (BRA)1:13:42
May 6, 1995  Rolando Vera (ECU)1:02:07  Tatyana Pozdnyakova (UKR)1:13:35
May 4, 1996  Andrew Masai (KEN)1:02:57  Valentina Yegorova (RUS)1:13:00
May 3, 1997  Patrick Kiptum (KEN)1:01:56  Valentina Yegorova (RUS) (2)1:13:50
May 2, 1998  Joseph Kariuki (KEN)1:02:32  Selina Chirchir (KEN)1:14:32
May 1, 1999  Daniel Kihara (KEN)1:03:48  Lyudmila Petrova (RUS)1:14:12
May 6, 2000  Philip Kemei (KEN)1:04:19  Lidiya Grigoryeva (RUS)1:12:23
May 5, 2001  Simon Rono (KEN)1:02:36  Yelena Paramonova (RUS)1:11:36
May 4, 2002  Gabriel Muchiri (KEN)1:01:54  Jackline Torori (KEN)1:15:14
May 3, 2003  Joseph Kariuki (KEN)1:03:43  Albina Ivanova (RUS)1:11:24
May 8, 2004  Reuben Chebii (KEN)1:04:56  Albina Ivanova (RUS) (2)1:12:36
May 7, 2005  Wesley Ochoro (KEN)1:03:31  Albina Ivanova (RUS) (3)1:13:35
May 6, 2006  Ben Kimondiu (KEN)1:03:22 Lucie Mays-Sulewski1:19:12
May 5, 2007  Joseph Chirlee (KEN)1:04:00  Janet Cherobon (KEN)1:16:00
May 3, 2008  Lamech Mokono (KEN)
 Valentine Orare (KEN)
1:02:53  Janet Cherobon (KEN) (2)1:14:53
May 2, 2009  Festus Langat (KEN)1:03:55  Janet Cherobon (KEN) (3)1:12:22
May 8, 2010  Festus Langat (KEN) (2)1:02:51  Janet Cherobon (KEN) (4)1:10:59
May 7, 2011  Ridouane Harroufi (MAR)1:02:46  Everlyne Lagat (KEN)1:11:29
May 5, 2012[6]  George Towett (KEN)1:05:08  Lilian Mariita (KEN)1:15:23
May 4, 2013  Alene Reta (ETH)1:03:58  Sarah Kiptoo (KEN)1:12:26
May 3, 2014  Nelson Oyugi (KEN)1:01:53  Lilian Mariita (KEN) (2)1:12:04
May 2, 2015  Elisa Barno (KEN)1:02:31  Sarah Kiptoo (KEN) (2)1:13:09
May 7, 2016  MacDonard Ondara (KEN)1:02:03  Ogla Kimaiyo (KEN)1:11:43
May 6, 2017  John Murugu (KEN)1:04:53  Margaret Maina (KEN)1:15:51
May 5, 2018  Daniel Mesfun (ERI)1:03:27  Dayna Pidhoresky (CAN)1:12:47
May 4, 2019  Panuel Mkungo (KEN)1:03:26  Ivy Kibet (KEN)1:12:11
May 2, 2020 Not run due to COVID-19.[2]
May 7, 2022  Leonard Korir (USA)1:02:35  Emily Sisson (USA)1:07:11[7]
May 6, 2023  Panuel Mkungo (KEN) (2) 1:01:44  Anna Rohrer (USA) 1:11:31
May 4, 2024  Jake Bertelsen (USA) 1:04:29  Anna Rohrer (USA) (2) 1:15:18
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See also

References

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