An afterparty crowd gathers in downtown Columbus during the Mill Race Marathon Finish on 4th celebration on Sept. 23, 2023.
The Republic file photo
Early entries for this fall’s Mill Race Marathon are running at the second-best pace in the event’s 12-year history, organizers said.
As of Wednesday, 879 people had registered to run in either the full 26.2-mile marathon, the 13.1-mile half-marathon or the 5K events that will begin in downtown Columbus the morning of Sept. 28.
That total is second only to the first year of the marathon, when 1,000 total entrants had signed up to run by this point ahead of the inaugural event in 2013.
The half-marathon traditionally draws the most participants, and in that race, the 593 people who had registered as of Wednesday represents the most ever at this point before the event, topping the previous high mark of 589 runners who had signed up as of 108 days before the event.
The increase in numbers has organizers cautiously optimistic that participation in the event might return to levels seen before the COVID pandemic. Race director Randy Stafford said last year race entries were about 7% below pre-COVID levels, and 12% fewer runners participated in the 2022 race.
“It may be were finally rebounding from COVID,” Stafford said at a marathon planning meeting Wednesday.
“We’ve maintained 40-plus registrations every week” since early May,” he said. “… Before COVID, we would be in the 30-40 range.”
Including the Kids Fun Run that takes place on Friday before the Mill Race Marathon beings on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 28, more than 5,000 people in recent years have participated in the event.
As in past years, the marathon has offered discounted entry fees for runners in all races. Through the end of June, for instance, the entry fee for the most popular event, the half-marathon, is $65. The fee increases incrementally as the race draws closer, so that the day-before-race registration fee reaches $105.
Race planning committee director Laura Dudukovich said social media and outreach from booths at events such as the Indy Mini Marathon, the Columbus Farmers Market and Beerfest also have helped propel interest in the race.
“We get a ton of registrations — both participants and volunteers — at the farmer’s market, which has been awesome,” Dudukovich said.
Event coordinator Joel Sauer said little will change this year with the race course after a major rerouting last year that took greater advantage of the People Trail and city parks. The only change in the course this year is the deletion of a small jog due to construction last year that put runners on a lane of Second Street for a short distance before connecting to the People Trail downtown.
The course was designed to minimize traffic and parking disruptions and reduce the time that Columbus and Indiana State Police and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies devote to traffic restrictions and crowd control.
“It’s a beautiful course running through parks,” Sauer said. He noted that traffic and parking restrictions for the event largely should be identical to those of the 2023 event.
The Mill Race Marathon is scheduled to begin with runners in all three races commencing at the same time from the start/finish line at Sixth and Washington Streets at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the event.
About the event
What: Mill Race Marathon, featuring a 26.2-mile Boston Marathon qualifier, a 13.1-mile Mini-Marathon, a 5K Run. A Kids Fun Run takes place at Mill Race Park the evening prior.
Where: Beginning at the start/finish line at Sixth and Washington Streets in downtown Columbus.
When: 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.
More information: millracemarathon.com.
