Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is an annual road marathon held in early November in Indianapolis, Indiana. The marathon was first held in 2008 and also includes a half marathon and 5K run. In 2015, it claimed to have become one of the 20 largest marathons in the U.S. Since 2016, it has been the only full fall marathon run in Indianapolis.
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 named the race as one of the nine best, new U.S. marathons.In 2015, the Monumental Marathon purchased the Indianapolis Marathon and converted it into a half marathon the following year, operating it 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 2016, the CNO Financial Group became the primary sponsor of the Monumental Marathon, which became known officially as the CNO Financial Group Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.
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 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, 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.