Mike Wolanin | The Republic Runners listen to Columbus North senior Molly Hotek sing the national anthem before the start of the Mill Race Marathon in Columbus, Ind., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.
The 2023 edition of the Mill Race Marathon will have some changes for those running the full 26-mile course — changes that planners say will mean fewer potential run-ins with drivers.
“It should significantly reduce the event’s impact as far as traffic and things like that,” event coordinator Joel Sauer said last week at a planning meeting for the Sept. 23 event.
“I think we’re really close to the point where we like what we have, and now we can keep it very similar moving forward,” he said.
“The main change is we’re going to utilize the People Trail a lot more,” for the full marathon, Sauer said. “… Get runners on the People Trail earlier and the other thing that’s pretty cool is we’re going to take the marathon course back through Mill Race Park.”
For 5K and half-marathon runners, the course will be largely unchanged from last year. But for those running the full 26.6-mile marathon, the second half of the course will be dramatically different.
The course for all runners will begin at the start/finish line at Sixth and Washington streets, with those running in the 5K, half-marathon and full marathon all sharing the same course a little more than the first 2 miles.
That course heads north from the start/finish line on Washington Street to 11th Street, then heads south on Lindsey Street to Third Street, crosses the bridge, circles back across the river on the Second Street Bridge, then takes a jog back to Third Street.
The 5K participants then depart from the pack, looping back north on Franklin Street to 11th, then south on Washington to the finish line.
The rest of the pack proceeds on Third Street to State Street, then meanders side streets until connecting with the People Trail near 7th Street and Central Avenue. This takes runners to 17th Street, and the route heads north to the Donner Park neighborhood, looping near North Christian Church, then back downtown, where half-marathon runners will reach the finish line.
Full marathon runners will split from half-marathon runners shortly past the 12-mile mark, heading for a new part of the course that makes a 4.4-mile loop through Mill Race Park. Marathoners will then work their way back to the People Trail at Second Street.
Runners will stay on the People Trail, cross beneath U.S. 31, continue past Rocky Ford Road, then loop back on the People Trail before heading back to the finish line.
Of the more than 13 miles in the second half of the marathon, more than 11 miles will be in Mill Race Park or on the People Trail.
That will mean fewer traffic restrictions on major arteries such as State Street and others that will no longer be part of the second half of the marathon course.
“There’s going to be a lot less disruptions this year, because things are going to be opening up at 9:30, 10, 10:30 (a.m.) instead of 1:30 (p.m.),” Sauer said. That will mean police will have far fewer intersections to patrol during the second half of the full marathon.
Meantime, marathon planning committee director Laura Dudukovich reported last week that about 300 people have registered for one of the Mill Race Marathon races.
