Name: Kelly Halstead 

Hometown: Carmel 

Year of first IndyMini: 2015

Fun fact about myself: I’m trying to run 20 half marathons by the end of 2020 I’m at 8!

Favorite place to run: The Monon Trail! The people you see along the trail are always so motivating.

Advice for first timers: “One day you won’t be able to do this. And today is not that day!”

Name: Patti Hammerle

Hometown: Brownsburg, IN

Year of First #IndyMini: 2009

Fun fact about yourself: I didn’t start running until I turned 40!

Favorite place to run: At home, definitely downtown Indy; best place ever though is New York City!

Advice for first-timers: Have fun! Find a running tribe and use them for support. A mile is a mile no matter how fast you go – the important thing is that you are doing it!

Name: April Woodruff   

Hometown: Plainfield, IN

Year of first #IndyMini: 2008 and every year since except 2011 when my daughter was born

Fun fact about yourself:  I never considered myself a runner, but my husband loved running and so I figured I should love it too. The first race I ever ran was the Indy Mini, and I went straight from couch to half marathon.  I actually completed 3 half marathons before I ever ran a 5k.  To this day I have completed 32 half marathons and only a handful of 5ks.  I thought I was just going to run the Indy Mini once, but I immediately became hooked!  My daughter has watched me crossed the finish line of every Indy Mini since 2012 and she will be running it alongside of me in 2021!

Favorite place to run: My favorite place to run is right in my hometown of Plainfield.  We have miles and miles of paved trails that run all throughout the town. The trails have restrooms and water fountains as well.  They are also marked at every tenth of a mile, so you can even get some great speed work in! I love that I can just walk out my front door and go.  I have trained for almost every single one of my Indy Mini’s on the Plainfield trails system.  I can easily have my daughter join me on shorter runs, or have her hop on her bike while I do longer runs.  If you are ever on the west side I highly suggest you check out the Plainfield trails!

Advice for first-timers:  My advice for first timers is to have fun and enjoy the race!  There is so much support along the 13.1 mile course and the best volunteers around, so keep your head up and smile to all those supporters.  You also won’t want to miss all the creative signs people make.  I also think it is great to set 3 personal goals and know that it is OK if you do not hit your first or even your second.  I also always tell first timers to take the Friday before the Indy Mini off from work, so you can enjoy the expo.  The 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Expo is an amazing event in itself, and you can easily spend a couple of hours checking everything out.  Also, buy the finisher gear and wear it proudly after the race. You have accomplished something great and you should be proud!

The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon takes place in the greatest month of the year: May! With that comes some chilly training months. Here are five items needed for your fall training:

Technical shirt

A short or long sleeve technical shirt is perfect for your training in cooler temperatures. Dry-wicking, breathable fabric regulates your body temperature and also makes it easy to layer if needed.

Suggested item: 2020 In Training Long Sleeve PosiCharge Competitor Tee– $35

Also available in long sleeve and women’s style

Light jacket

Light layers come in handy in the colder months. One that’s easy to remove and light enough to keep around your waist as you warm up during your run or walk is crucial.

Suggested item: Mini Water Resistant Runner Jacket– $55

Hat

Wearing a hat while running not only protects your ears from wind chill but also keeps you warm while you log your miles in colder temps.

Suggested item: Indy Mini Beanie– $12

Water Bottle

Hydration is essential throughout your entire training, but it’s sometimes harder to remember to drink water when it’s cold out. A cute water bottle makes it easier to hydrate throughout the day!

Suggested item: 500 Festival Swell Bottle– $10

Blanket

Okay, so technically this isn’t exactly needed but come one, what’s better than snuggling up with a comfy blanket after a cold training walk or run?!

Suggested item: 500 Festival Polar Fleece Blanket, $19.95

With 30,000 participants lining the streets of downtown Indianapolis for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K, you’re sure to see a lot of faces. In honor of 13 days until the first price increase, here are 13 famous faces who have conquered the #IndyMini and 5K over the years!

Tony Kanaan

Tony Dungy

Meb Kflezighi

Andrew Luck

Doug and Beth Boles

Alexi Pappas

Frank Shorter

Bill Rodgers

Lindsey Hein

John Green

Heather Carpenter

Andrew Peterson

Registration for the 2020 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K is now open! Sign up now- prices increase on November 6! www.indymini.com/register

Honorable Mention

Michael Kaltenmark

Congratulations to you and Trip on retirement!

You are probably seeing ads pop up on social media encouraging you to sign up for a half marathon, like the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, and might be thinking, “there’s no way I can do that.” I used to think that when friends mentioned they signed up for the Indy Mini and encouraged me to do the same. No way; I am not a runner.

I grew up participating in sports where running was conditioning, aka punishment. In middle school, we had a week to run the mile in the regulated time. When I was in the group to complete it on day one, I was required by my teacher to run it in the time my older sister did, who I would call a runner. Despite being a member of the track team, I didn’t enjoy that week or get close to my sister’s time. I was a sprinter, not a runner.

Throughout my life, I remained fairly active, going to the gym and staying involved in sports like tennis and climbing. However, I would curse the gym gods whenever the only machine open was a treadmill, or when my coach demanded laps after practice. I dreaded the thought of doing 5Ks with people and exposing the fact that I was not a runner. When my friends would go for runs, I would follow along on a bike. It seemed like anyone could complete longer distances. Why couldn’t I? The excuse I carried with me was that I was not a runner and that wasn’t going to change.

Then I joined the 500 Festival. Experiencing the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon start and finish lines was amazing for me. It’s more than the incredible elite athletes breaking course records and the inspirational stories of those overcoming adversity to participate in one of America’s Best Half Marathons. It’s the thousands of people who maybe once didn’t think that they could achieve such a feat, but put in the time and effort to train for the race and cross the finish line.

That next week, I signed up and began training for my first half marathon in the fall. Every frustrating mile or mishap in my training, I would groan “I’m not a runner.” But with each passing week, I accomplished a new goal and progressed in my training. For every bad run, there was a good one. Food poisoning, a minor hip injury, and a flu-like virus were obstacles I had to conquer during my training, but remained focused on the end goal.

During my training, a friend told me “if nothing is hurting, keep running.” It put into perspective for me how mental running has always been for me. Growing up, I didn’t hate running because of the side stitch or the fact that it made my legs hurt. I was overwhelmed by the thought of having to run a long distance and insecure about my ability to do it. Not only did I have to teach myself how to pace and use good form, I had to teach myself how to have positive thoughts throughout my run (and eventually no thoughts, which is GREAT!).

On October 19, I completed my first half marathon. I’m thankful for the community I assimilated into and all the support I received. I’m excited for my next race and to continue improving my finish time.  After all, I’m kind of a runner now.  

I’m even more excited to cheer on all of the participants at the 44^th #IndyMini on May 2^nd! There are fewer than 200 days left, but still plenty of time to start training. Whether you can run a mile today or just once around the block, your journey to being an Indy Mini finisher can start right now.  

TL;DR: You may think you can’t run the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon on May 2 but you can. Register: www.indymini.com/register