Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers help Mill Race Marathon participants pick up their race packets during the Mill Race Marathon health and fitness expo at The Commons in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Sept. 26, 2025.
With the weather challenges of 2024 long gone, today’s 13th annual Mill Race Marathon is expected to debut with clear skies and comfortable temperatures for runners.
Today’s forecast calls for lingering Friday showers to move eastward and become partly sunny skies and daytime highs in the 70s. During the morning hours, the temperature should be in the 50s, which is ideal for most runners, especially those trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon in this event.
“With those low 50s at the start, it’ll be beautiful weather to run in,” MRM race director Randy Stafford said.
It’s a much better situation than last year for the MRM committee. Thunderstorms ultimately canceled the Kids Fun Run, and the thunderstorms and heavier rain moved out overnight to green light the MRM full and half marathon and 5K races.
The start time for the full and half marathon and the 5K is at 7:30 a.m. There will be no race day registration.
In case the worst-case scenario does happen today, Stafford said the committee has a contingency plan. The only time the Mill Race wasn’t contested was in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. The full marathon wasn’t contested in 2021, but the half marathon and 5K still went on as scheduled that year.
“We can delay the race for a short period of time, but one thing we don’t want to do is to start everything and then have a thunderstorm come in, and then we have over 3,000 people out on the course,” he said.
As of Monday, 258 were registered for the full marathon, 1,194 for the half marathon, 1,273 for the 5K. Another 838 were registered for Friday’s Kids Fun Run.
Stafford is optimistic that those numbers will be higher if the weather cooperates today.
Full marathon participants must maintain a 15-minute-per-mile pace, half marathoners a 17-minute pace and 5K participants a 21-minute pace.
Caleb Kerr is the defending men’s marathon champion, and Polina Hodnette was the women’s winner. Curt Eckstein was the men’s half marathon winner last year, and Lucy Dobbs won the women’s half marathon.
Following the races, there will be a grand prize truck giveaway near the finish line. The marathon, and Cummins, in collaboration with Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Columbus, is awarding a 2025 Dodge Ram 2500 Tradesman Crew Cab 4 by 4 in granite crystal metallic clear coat finish, powered by a Cummins engine, as the grand prize.
Runners who completed either the full or half marathon are eligible for the truck drawing at 3 p.m. The runner must be present to win. The announcement will be part of the Stumble and Sip After Party featuring live entertainment, food and beer vendors, games and activities, a kids’ area and giveaways.
Most roads affected by the marathon should reopen to traffic by noon. In downtown, however, Washington Street between Third and Fifth Streets won’t reopen until 9 p.m., Washington Street between Fifth and Seventh Streets will reopen at 4 p.m. and Washington Street will be closed until 3 p.m. between Seventh and Eighth Streets.
Also in downtown, Fourth Street between Jackson and Franklin Streets will reopen at 9 p.m., Sixth Street will be closed between Washington Street and the alley west of of Franklin Street until 4 p.m., Sixth Street from Washington Street to the Sixth Street parking garage will be reopened at 4 p.m., Fifth Street between Jackson Street and the alley west of Franklin Street until 4 p.m., 11th Street will be closed between Washington and Lafayette Street until noon.
For more information about more detailed road closures, visit millracemarathon.com/information and scroll down to the road closure tab.
Complete race information is available at millracemarathon.com.
