OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Facts

OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Facts

Mini-Marathon Facts

Since the first race in 1977, the Mini-Marathon has seen a number of records and trends. Here are some of the facts about the race:

• Indiana native Gary Romesser is the only five-time winner (1983-85, 1988, 1991) of the Mini-Marathon. Romesser has won a number of age group titles since, including the men’s 60-64 age group in 2015.
• Since the race moved from the Friday before the Indianapolis 500 to early May, Kenyan runners have won the elite men’s race 20 of 23 times.
• Nelson Oyugi (right, talking with WISH-TV's Anthony Calhoun) set the mark for the fastest 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in 2014, finishing the 13.1-mile trek in 1 hour, 1 minute and 53 seconds. Oyugi's time was three seconds faster than Patrick Kiptum in 1997. Former U.S. marathoner Bill Rodgers, like Kiptum, held the Mini-Marathon record time for 17 years, when he reset the initial winning race time to one hour and three minutes in 1978.
• Lucie Mays-Sulewski of Westfield, Indiana is the last U.S. runner to win either the men’s or women’s elite race. Mays-Sulewski victory in 2006 ended a three-win streak by Russia’s Albina Ivanova and was followed by a four-race win streak by Kenya’s Janet Cherobon.
• The average temperature at 8 a.m. on race day, since the race from moved from the end of May to the beginning of May in 1993 is 55.6 degrees. That average temperature rises to 65.3 by noon. The warmest start in those 23 years was 65 degrees in 2012. The coldest start was 47 degrees in 2010.
• In only one race to date has the temperature dropped from 8 a.m.-noon. That was in 1997 when the temperature dropped from 52 to 48 degrees in those four hours.
• The first two mini-marathons were not official 500 Festival events. The American Fletcher National Bank and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organized the race with sponsorship help from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Coca-Cola.
• With her victory in 1982, Marilyn Reinhardt was the first back-to-back winner of the Mini-Marathon.
• At the Expo, OneAmerica will once again have a bag for using whenever. On race day, Mini-Marathon participants will also have a chance to receive:

– Commemorative medal and ribbon, courtesy of OneAmerica, to every finisher
– Unique “First 500” medal to the first 500 finishers
– Commemorative long-sleeve technical shirt
– Chronotrack Bib Timing Device
– Free Gatorade Endurance Formula
– Free on course Clif SHOT Energy
– Free post-race fruit and granola bars
– Free cookies provided by Franciscan St. Francis Health after the race
– Free Aquafina bottled water after the race
– Complimentary Dole 100% Juice Fruit Bowl and Rold Gold pretzels
– One complimentary beer provided by Michelob ULTRA (must be 21 or older)
– Free post-race entertainment
– Unique offer from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to purchase Angie's List Grand Prix tickets at a discount