Contact: Sydney Meyers
Marketing & Consumer Experience Manager
Beyond Monumental
sydney@beyondmonumental.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
28th Annual Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben
Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, & Kids One Mile to take place at historic Fort Ben on October 7, 2023
The Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben returns for its 28th year on Saturday, October 7, 2023. Participants will have the opportunity to take on the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, & Kids One Mile distances from historic Lawrence and around the Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park.
Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben Schedule of Events
Friday – Expo & Packet Pickup
- 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Expo & Packet Pickup Hours
- New to 2023 – The Garrison Banquet & Conference Center will host this year’s Expo & Packet Pickup. Parking is available in front of the main entrance, located just east of the building.
- Registration will be open from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (subject to availability) at the Indy Half Expo located at The Garrison. For more information, please visit indyhalfmarathon.com.
Saturday – Race Day
- 7:45 a.m. Opening Ceremonies Begin – John Stille, Beyond Monumental board member
- 7:50 a.m. Cadet Honor Guard & National Anthem – Titan Cadet Squadron, McKenzie Center for Innovation & Technology, and Tracie Smith, Lawrence Central High School
- 8:00 a.m. Half Marathon & 10K Start – honorary starter Mayor Steve Collier, Mayor of Lawrence
- 8:25 a.m. 5K Start – honorary starter
- 8:35 a.m. Apex Benefits Monumental Kids Movement 5K Start
- 11:00 a.m. Kids One Mile
Things to Watch:
- A loaded elite field from across the midwest competing for the Indy Half Marathon title. Highlights include:
- Our 2021 & 2022 Women’s Indy Half winner, Taryn (Thor) Garlington returns to defend her title. Challenging Thor will be our former Purdue Run Club athlete & 2:41 marathoner Lucy Dobbs, former IUPUI Cross Country & Track athlete Katelyn Murphy, and our 2023 Indianapolis 5K Champion & a 2:43 marathoner, Sarah Higgens.
- Leading the Men’s Elite field will be 2-time Indy Half champion (2018 & 2022) Caleb Kerr, 2022 Indy Half runner up & multi-time NCAA DIII Nationals Qualifier Jack Beakas, NCAA DI Cross Country All-American Curtis Eckstein, and former IUPUI athlete & current 10K record holder Damon Pruett.
- Over 550 Lawrence Township students will represent the Apex Benefits Monumental Kids Movement program and take on their culminating 5K this Saturday. These students receive free 5K entry as part of their bi-weekly school running program. This program has expanded from 18 to 60+ schools since 2013, and since 2016 the program includes 13 schools in MSD Lawrence Township.
- The Monumental Challenge will see hundreds of employees from greater Indianapolis companies participate in and/or volunteer at the races. The challenge is a friendly competition between Indiana-based employers in which points are awarded based on participation in Beyond Monumental events.
The event expects over 4,000 participants and spectators. A course map is available here, and a site/parking map can be found here.
Traffic Advisory: See Traffic Restrictions here.
Parking: Media parking is available just south of the race site at Fortune Academy, please contact Sydney Meyers (sydney@beyondmonumental.org, 317-460-7169) for a parking pass.
Additional parking is available at the Major General Emmett J. Bean Federal Center (8899 E 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46216).
For live updates and information on race day, follow @IndyMonumental.
Beyond Monumental’s premier event, the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Half Marathon, & 5K, will return for the 16th running this year on Saturday, October 28, 2023. For more information and to register, please visit monumentalmarathon.com.
####
About Beyond Monumental
Beyond Monumental provides the Indianapolis community with a complement of activities built around their premiere event that promotes healthy living & fitness for all ages. Beyond Monumental gives back to the Indianapolis community by supporting youth programming that reinforces healthy lifestyles for young people, with an emphasis on working with urban students and Indianapolis Public Schools, donating over $1.5 million in 14 years. The CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is a top 15 marathon in the US and is nationally recognized by Runners’ World as one of “Ten Great Marathons for First Timers”. The 16th annual running is scheduled for Oct. 28, 2023. WWW.BEYONDMONUMENTAL.ORG