Month: April 2020

Have you completed your 2020 Indy Mini yet? With the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K now being held virtually, you can participate from anywhere, anytime!  

David Lane, an Indiana native, recently tackled his 13.1 miles and completed his virtual Indy Mini in downtown Indianapolis. We appreciate his words of encouragement and support and hope they motivate and encourage you as well!

“I am glad to support the 500 Festival operation by participating in the virtual OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon,” David said. “I have run in the last 10 consecutive Mini-Marathons and this is an event I look forward to each year. Growing up 1 mile from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it brings back memories of my childhood and to be able to run on the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ track during the Indy Mini is an amazing feeling. I will miss the atmosphere this year, but we all need to come together to fight COVID-19. We fight together as a community, as a city, as a state, as a country, and with the greater world by staying away and taking the necessary precautions that we can control. Shout out to our health care workers during this time, our truck drivers, our grocery store workers, our National Guard, all veterans, our food banks, our countless volunteers and the list can go on and on. I ran around the canal and White River in downtown Indy (for my virtual Indy Mini). It was great weather and ideal timing as there was hardly anybody outside during my mid-day run.”

Though this time is challenging for us all, running toward your finish line is much easier with the support of others! You can still be a part of the fun and join this new race experience by registering here. You can also visit indymini.com for more virtual resources such as training tips, our virtual OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Facebook Group, and more!  

Customize your virtual race experience with downloadable bibs! Here are step-by-step instructions to digitally edit your bibs. You can also print the blank bib and fill in your information with your own art tools.

Visit our virtual resources page on our website and select the bib for your race

Open your Downloads folder

Open your bib file in a .pdf editing program such as Adobe Acrobat

There should be two light blue boxes that you can edit 

Click on the top box and type in your participant name 

Click on the bottom box and type in your bib number (You can pick any number!)

Save the .pdf to your desktop and print

Wear your bib while you complete your race and share with us on social with #IndyMini!

Katrina and her father have shared their love for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon for over 16 years. They first participated when Katrina was in college, which she was able to talk her way out of her final exams to meet her father in Indy for the race. Though Katrina has not lived in Indiana since college, she continues to make her way back to Indiana each year to participate in the Indy Mini with her father. They have also had some friends and family join them throughout the years. Katrina loves the excitement of competing at home and the shared family tradition. With memories of watching the Indy 500 at her grandparent’s house, Katrina loves the experience of running a lap around the track and kissing the bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Though her father started treatments for cancer last year, he still encouraged Katrina and his family to sign up for the 2020 Indy Mini by saying, “We are doing it!” He has always been Katrina’s biggest supporter. If he is not running by her side, he is there cheering the loudest and holding the biggest sign. After beginning treatments, he continued to spin on his bike, walk outside, and remain positive about everything. Proving his strength and resilience, her father recently beat cancer earlier this month!  

Celebrating his victory, this year’s Indy Mini is even more special for Katrina’s family. Even though current conditions of the world won’t all them to complete the race in Indy together, Katrina is thrilled they have the opportunity to participate virtually. It’s important for Katrina to complete the virtual Mini because she values achieving goals, continuing traditions, and sharing special moments together. 

With Katrina and her husband in New York City, and her father and sister in Indiana, the four are going to pick a designated “race day” so they can continue to the tradition as a family. She encourages other virtual Mini participants to do the same with their friends, family, running partners, etc.
 
“Let’s all run for those fighting against Cancer, fighting on the front lines during this pandemic, and let’s run for those who we have lost along the way that we wish could run/walk with us.”