Hi! My name is April, and this is my 2nd year being an Ambassador for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Challenge. This year I have a special person joining me, my 10-year-old daughter, Tinley, who is very excited to be an Ambassador this year as well. I enjoyed this challenge last year and was so happy it returned for 2021.
I started running in 2008, where I ran my first OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. I love running and how it has changed my life. I have run almost 50 half marathons and I am currently training for my first marathon. My husband and daughter are both active runners as well. My daughter, Tinley, completed her first Indy Mini this year at just 10 years old (and beat her mom). Tinley started running track through our local YMCA at just 5 years old. She not only fell in love with running, but she was amazing at it. At 10, she has completed 2 half marathons (1:50:03 PR time), competed in the USATF Cross Country National Championships in 2019 and 2020, and was named USATF Indiana Athlete of the year for her age group in 2019.
Tinley and I are both so excited about this challenge. I plan to count only running miles, as I am training for a marathon. Tinley will count running and biking. She often bikes alongside me during my long training runs.
This is such a great challenge for anyone who needs a little motivation to get active. From walking, running, biking, or working out, anyone can be successful in this challenge!