This Seemed Like Such a Good Idea a Few Months Ago

The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. The first time I heard about it was in a small newspaper story in the spring of 1978. There was this half-marathon that started in downtown Indianapolis and ended with a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The idea of actually being a pedestrian on this famous track was a strong selling point. Beyond that – I would get a t-shirt! It was sort of like the high school letter jacket that I never earned. I was definitely in.

After I signed up, my grandmother and my mom, two world-class worriers, said it was a bad idea because they thought my heart would explode. This was before I could research such a thing on Google, so I asked some friends if there was anything to that. When they reasonably assured me that my heart would not explode, I went for it.

Race day arrived – it was the Friday morning right after Carb Day and just prior to the race. That Friday morning was hot, at least, hot relative to the cooler temperatures Central Indiana had enjoyed prior to that. The start time was 11:00 am, so the temps and humidity levels had built throughout the morning.

Some runners (I felt a little out of place in their midst, but there I was) were wearing t-shirts emblazoned with “Rename the Hoosier Dome,” which, of course, was under construction at the time. Others wore black armbands to protest the start time. Others, like me, just nervously awaited the start.

The race started and as we ran north on Meridian we passed Frank Shorter, the US Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist from 1972, and a previous winner of the Mini-Marathon. Shorter was seated on the back of a convertible, and he looked generally miserable; I surmised it was because he was injured and could not run. Avoiding injury was definitely a goal for me – in fact, the top goal. The second was finishing and the third was related to time. Well, there was a fourth goal too. I didn’t want to finish last.

It was hot. I remember thinking back to that day a few months before when running this thing had sounded like such a good idea. I pressed on. Sometime after noon a carload of college-aged girls pulled into our midst and handed out ice, which was a Godsend.

We passed the Major Taylor Velodrome and the Marian College (now University) campus before the trek down 16th street. Entering the track I caught sight of a friend from Muncie whom I had passed earlier before he passed me again. I was beginning to feel competitive, which was the first time I had ever sensed that sort of thing in running. Eventually, I passed him again and told him to come with me. But he was tired and answered, “I don’t want to see anything of you, but your behind and elbows.”

Fair enough. I kept pushing and when I rounded Turn 4, the site where drivers Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald were killed in a fiery crash just 14 years prior. There are several spots like that on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and it was like being where a tragic history had played out.

The finish line looked like it was 2 or 3 miles away. I kept pushing, kept running, kept watching the pavement pass under my feet. When I finally crossed the famed Yard of Bricks and reached the finish line, I remember being overcome with emotion that I had actually accomplished something huge.

There were no medals in those days – just a hearty “atta boy” from the volunteers. I didn’t know whether to be excited or sad – my time was 1:41. Comparatively speaking, and considering it was the first race I had ever run, I would take it.

I have loved this great event for more than 40 years.

The Mini is one of my rites of spring. While injuries and eventual joint replacements led to the end of my running career, I can still walk. I’ve walked the Mini-Marathon several times since then, and interestingly, I still haven’t finished last.

And Lord willing, I won’t finish last in May when we are once again able to run this amazing event in person.

Hi! My name is April, and this is my 2^nd 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!

Whether you’re training for the 2022 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon or earning miles for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Challenge and Gasoline 250 Mile Challenges, being active outdoors can improve overall health and wellness. Before the summer sizzles out, you can soak up the sun knowing you’re improving your mind and body.

Benefits of Exercising Outdoors

1. Lowers blood pressure

Regular sun exposure can help lower your blood pressure. Nitric acid present in the skin helps lower blood pressure by widening blood vessels in response to the sun’s rays.

2. Relieves stress, anxiety, and depression

Being outdoors can lower levels of cortisol, a hormone that’s a marker for stress.

3. Improves mood

Sunlight can also increase serotonin levels, helping to raise your energy and keep your mood calm, positive, and focused.

4. Improves focus

Studies show that spending time outdoors can help restore focus and concentration.

5. Can reduce inflammation

Researchers have found that people who spend time in nature have shown reduced inflammation and hypertension levels.

6. Good for eyesight

Going outside can improve the health of your eyes by alleviating pain or poor vision from staring at computers and smartphones.

7. Improves sleep

Spending time outdoors can help to regulate body temperature and the sleep-wake cycle.

8. Boosts immunity

Sunlight increases Vitamin D levels, which can help boost your immune system. Sunlight also energizes T-cells in your immune system to help fight infections.

9. Elevates Vitamin D

The skin’s exposure to sunshine enables the body to make vitamin D, which can have protective effects against a multitude of health issues.

10. Helps us heal quicker

Research supports that individuals who spend time outdoors recover from illness or injury quicker and relieves pain naturally.

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are in full swing and history is already being made! The Olympic Games are a time like no other, a time where the world and its greatest athletes come together to celebrate and compete. More than 200 nations will be competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Indy Mini has also seen some historic Olympic moments. Did you know some of the world’s greatest athletes have attended the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon? Check out these five Olympic running legends who have attended or participated in the Greatest Spectacle in Running!

Meb Keflezighi– Greatest American distance runner in the history of the sport, the only athlete in history to win the Boston Marathon, the New York City Marathon, and an Olympic medal

Alexi Pappas– Alexis is a Greek-American runner, filmmaker, actor, and writer. She represented Greece at the 2016 Summer Olympics and set the national record in the 10,000 meters.

Andrew Peterson– Andrew is a local resident of the Indianapolis area and a Special Olympics Gold Medalist. He was the second Special Olympics athlete to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Andrew is also a 500 Festival Running Ambassador!

Frank Shorter– Frank is the only American athlete to win two medals in the Olympic Marathon. He was running’s biggest star in the 1970s and 80s and the winner of the first-ever Mini-Marathon in 1977

Bill Rodgers– Bill is an Olympian and winner of the 1978 Mini-Marathon. He is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon.

Celebrate the Tokyo Olympics this summer and commit to your own finish-line victory by registering for the 2022 Indy Mini! Want even more Olympics excitement? You can earn your own medals with the all-new #IndyVirtualChallenge Olympic badges! Click here to learn how to earn your spot on the podium.

The Tokyo Olympics are finally here! While the world’s greatest athletes gather to bring home the gold, you can earn your own medals with the #IndyVirtualChallenge Olympics celebration!

You can earn your very own bronze, silver, and gold medals by completing and adding up challenge miles throughout the duration of this summer’s Olympic Games, July 23-August 8. With our exclusive #IndyVirtualChallenge Olympic badges, you can compete and perform like a true Olympic Athlete!

Want more Olympic Glory? Complete ANY 5 #IndyVirtualChallenge activities during the Tokyo Olympic Games and earn the iconic Olympic Rings Badge!

You can even participate in some of the most iconic Olympic sports by earning Olympic Sport Badges that just might appear throughout this summer’s Olympic Games. Be sure to be on the lookout for these unique badges and feel like a true Olympic Champion!

Complete your miles, earn your medals, and show off your Olympic victory by sharing your badges and #IndyVirtualChallenge photos with us on social media @500Festival!