Celebrate milestones as you make your way to the finish line of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Challenge and Gasoline Alley 250 Mile Challenge with our virtual badges! You can post these badges on social media and also add them to your bib and finisher certificate.

You can download all of the badges and digital resources here.

On your computer:

1. Right-click the png overlay of the virtual badge you want to add and click “save image as…”
2.  Save the image
3. Download your bib or finisher certificate
4. Drag and drop the badge png on top of your image.
5.  Scale to preferred size.
6.  Save image.

On your Android phone:

1.  Download the png overlay image and save it to your photo gallery
2.  Open your bib or finisher certificate
3.  Click on the edit/add sticker button and click “sticker from gallery”
4.  Choose the Virtual Badge PNG you downloaded and stretch it to fit your image.

On your iPhone:

1. Download the bib and/or certificate and virtual badges to your camera roll
2. Download a photo editing app, such as Canva or Adobe Photoshop Express
3. Follow the instructions from the app you choose to add your virtual badges.

You can also share your badges with us on social media by using #IndyVirtualChallenge! Download badges sized for social media here.

We can’t wait to see your pics!

Indianapolis author features Indy Mini in upcoming children’s book

Many run the Indy Mini in athletic shorts and a t-shirt, others may choose to sport the iconic checkered flag pattern, but few (if any) run the Indy Mini in slacks, a jacket, and a top hat.  

Marty Brown, author of the ABCs in Indianapolis is one of the few. Brown is going to run the OneAmerica 500 Festival Virtual Mini-Marathon dressed as James Whitcomb Riley, the Hoosier Poet. 

“I can’t say I’m looking forward to running in slacks, a jacket, and a top hat, but it will be a fun change of pace,” said Brown. 

Brown wrote the ABCs of Indianapolis, which features the Indy Mini on the “M” page, “Mini-Marathoners Moving.” Since the Kickstarter for his children’s book was so successful, he is fulfilling his promise to supporters and running the #IndyMini in a costume. 

After discovering a gap in his daughters’ bookshelves, he wrote the book to encourage his daughters to explore and learn more about their hometown. The book teaches the alphabet through neighborhoods, characters, and sites of Indianapolis.  

“There are lots of books that take them into outer space, tropical jungles, and the worlds of their favorite characters, but no good books about their own backyard. So, I shopped around and discovered many ‘local’ kids’ books never get deeper than tourist or Wikipedia-level information about a city,” said Brown.  

“The goal of the book is to make kids and their parents more curious to explore Indianapolis.  For that reason, we featured ‘off the beaten path’ content in the book… we focused on lesser-known, quirkier places and characters that make Indianapolis unique.” 

Although he ran the #IndyMini for the first time in 2008, Brown has been a long-time fan and supporter. “As a kid, the Mini Marathon always signaled the beginning of May. Watching my dad go ‘downtown’ for the Mini meant summer was almost here and school was almost over.” 

His love for Indianapolis and the Month of May has since only grown stronger, and his book, The ABCs of Indianapolis, is a direct result. His favorite page in the ABCs in Indianapolis, other than the pages that include his daughters, is the “M” page, “Mini-Marathoners Moving.” (Our’s too!) 

“This may be playing to the audience, but… I love it for two reasons.  First, it captures one of my favorite stretches of the course—heading west on 10^th Street past the Slovenian National Home, just before the Mile 11 marker.  Second, there are some fun ‘Easter eggs’ on that page, including a rotund, bearded character from The Runners mural by James McQuiston, which was recently taken down to make way for a Major Taylor mural downtown,” said Brown.  

Brown partnered with local illustrator, Jingo de la Rosa, and expects the book to be available by June 2021. In addition to the ABCs in Indianapolis, Brown and Jingo de la Rosa are working on the 123s in Indianapolis, a counting book about the city. You can preorder the ABCs in Indianapolis here. 

Name: Monica Roose 

Hometown: Goshen, IN 

Year of First Indy Mini: 2012 

Fun fact: I’ve been lucky enough to run a half marathon in Hawaii! 

Favorite #IndyMini memory: My favorite #IndyMini memory is from 2018 when I was first selected as an Indy Mini ambassador. I met a lot of great people in the running community that I still am in contact with. I also had a lot of family and friends sign up to run, which always makes me happy! 

Favorite song to listen to when running: I don’t have a favorite song, but I do prefer to run to 90’s and 2000’s music. 

Advice for #IndyMini first-timers:  Taking on the #IndyMini can be intimidating. Trust your training, and take it one mile at a time. Take a break when you need to, and get back at it. The accomplishment you feel when you cross the finish line will be worth it! 

How are you making your Virtual #IndyMini experience memorable this year? I hope to run the virtual #IndyMini on the Canal on the day the race would have been. I’m hoping to run with other #IndyMini participants to make it seem like an actual race. 

Training for 2021 OneAmerica 500 Festival Virtual Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival Virtual 5K is no easy feat. But with every step taken and every mile completed, you are taking strides toward overall health and wellness. Staying focused on and committed to your Virtual Indy Mini training can benefit both your physical and mental health. During a time when overall health is more important than ever before, maintaining healthy habits and staying committed to daily exercise such as running and walking is essential.

Mental and physical health benefits to running and walking:

1. Routine exercise leads to overall health, which in turn leads to maintaining a healthy immune system.
2. Running and walking can boost mood by releasing endorphins, a chemical in the body that produces a euphoric feeling or “runner’s high.”
3. Running and walking can also reduce stress and anxiety through the secretion of endorphins.
4. Aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, improve sleep, and improve self-esteem.
5. Exercising outdoors clears your mind and keeps you active.
6. Running and walking outdoors with exposure to the sun can also boost your Vitamin D levels, which is essential to the immune system to combat viruses. Though Vitamin D won’t prevent contracting a virus, it can help reduce the severity and benefit recovery.
7. Running and walking benefit cardiovascular health and maintain weight control.

Helpful Tips for Training:

1. Bring tiny movements into everyday habits: do squats during TV commercials, do lunges while doing laundry, walk up and down the stairs, etc.
2. Stretch your muscles a couple times a week. This is essential to maintain flexibility.
3. When running and walking outdoors, still follow social distancing guidelines: give other runners their space, maintain a 6-foot distance, and avoid physical contact.
4. Avoid extreme workouts as they may deplete your immune system.
5. Stick to a routine.

Though training for a half-marathon can seem daunting, knowing you are doing good for both your body and mind can give you some extra motivation and encouragement.

Achieve your fitness goals and join us for the 2021 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon or Delta Dental 500 Festival Virtual 5K? Register today!

In 2018, April and Tinley were featured on the Indy Mini blog for their inseparable mother-daughter bond and love for running. At the time, seven-year-old Tinley was training to shave time off of her 5K while her mom, April, was an ambassador for the 2018 Indy Mini – her first Mini-Marathon.

At seven years old, Tinley was eager to run 13.1, and now at ten, 2021 is the year! In a few weeks, April and Tinley (and dad too!) will run the OneAmerica 500 Festival Virtual Mini-Marathon together as a family. 






 

With 42 half marathons under her belt, April’s advice for first-time runners is to “Do it!” 

April shared, “The Indy Mini is the greatest event out there. There is nothing like it. I had trouble training and wasn’t sure if I could finish it. I only made it up to 7 miles when I was training, but on race day I ran the entire 13.1. The energy at the Indy Mini is amazing, and it just encourages you and pushes you to the finish!” 

Although this is Tinley’s first Mini-Marathon, this is certainly not her first rodeo. Tinley competed in the national Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships in 2019 and 2020. She was named the USATF Athlete of the Year for cross country for females eight and under. Her advice to other first-timers is simple: “Just keep running and you can do it!”

Don’t miss out on the 2021 OneAmerica 500 Festival Virtual Mini-Marathon! It might just become a family tradition. Register at indymini.com/registration and share your training on social media by using #IndyMini.

Though we can’t all be together for the 2021 OneAmerica 500 Festival Virtual Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival Virtual 5K, you are not alone!   

As we cheer on our Indy Mini participants, we have created some helpful virtual resources to help you stay connected with fellow participants and crush your Indy Mini!  

1. The NEW Indy Mini app!  
   • Bring an in-person feel to your Virtual Mini with our Indy Mini app! Virtual participants can run with their phone or Strava, and their mileage will be automatically added to our official results. Participants using the app will even experience some of the Mini’s famous attractions – the sound of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, supportive messages from community partners, and more!   

2. 2021 OneAmerica 500 Festival Virtual Mini-Marathon Facebook Group 
   • Join our virtual Indy Mini Facebook page! Here you’ll find a community of participants to share experiences, training stories, ask questions, get advice, and encourage each other. 

3. Digital Bibs and Finisher Certificates 
   • Download and customize a digital bib for your Virtual Indy Mini or 5K! Once you’ve completed your miles, download your personalized Finisher Certificate to show off your hard work!  

4. 500 Festival Staff Playlist   
   • Jam out and rock on during your Indy Mini training with some of the 500 Festival Staff’s favorite songs to get moving to!  

5. Virtual Indy Mini Routes  
   • Complete your race anywhere, anytime! There are several tools you can use to create a safe route for your race near you, including running apps and map tools. We also put together some sample routes that you can use for your race!  

6. Virtual Indy Mini Digital Toolkit  
   • Celebrate your accomplishments by adding an Indy Mini profile frame or post to your social media!  

7. Podcasts  
   • Share your run with your favorite podcasters! Podcasts can also be a great source of entertainment and motivation during your training and virtual race day. We asked our Virtual Indy Mini participants what some of their favorite podcasts are, check them out below! 
     1. “I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein” 
     2. “Another Mother Runner” 
     3.  “Running Through It” 
     4. “Rambling Runner” 
     5. “Running for Real with Tina Muir” 

8. Self-Pacing Tools 
   • Use tools and resources to help pace yourself throughout your race. Smartwatches and tracking devices can be helpful tools to help keep pace while running or walking. Fitness apps can also be great resources to stay your pace toward the finish line. But most importantly, listen to your body and what feels right for you.  

A few safety tips to keep in mind: 

1. Familiarize yourself with your route before your race 

2. Stay on well-lit paths 

3. Let someone know your plan; they can also hold you accountable 

4. Dress according to the weather  

Check out more safety tips to utilize during your virtual race HERE. For all #IndyMini virtual resources, click HERE. 

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!

Celebrate milestones as you make your way to the finish line of the 2021 OneAmerica 500 Festival Virtual Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival Virtual 5K with our anniversary stickers! You can post these badges on social media and also add them to your bib and finisher certificate.

Download sticker PNGs here.

How to add the anniversary stickers to your bib or finisher certificate:

On your computer:

1. Download the png overlay of the anniversary sticker you want to add
2. Download your bib or finisher certificate
3. Drag and drop the sticker png on top of your image.
4.  Scale to preferred size.
5.  Save image.

On your Android phone:

1.  Download the png overlay image and save it to your photo gallery
2.  Open your bib or finisher certificate
3.  Click on the edit/add sticker button and click “sticker from gallery”
4.  Choose the anniversary sticker PNG you downloaded and stretch it to fit your image.

On your iPhone:

1. Download the bib and/or certificate and anniversary stickers to your camera roll
2. Download a photo editing app, such as Canva or Adobe Photoshop Express
3. Follow the instructions from the app you choose to add your anniversary stickers.

You can also share your anniversary stickers with us on social media by using #IndyMini! We can’t wait to see your pics!

Name: Danielle Shively

Hometown: Lafayette, IN 

Year of First Indy Mini: 2015

Fun fact: If I’m not running you can find me hiking, kayaking, biking or taking photos of pretty things. 

Favorite #IndyMini memory:  That’s a hard one. I have two. In 2017 when I PR’d every race in the #IndyMilers along with my #IndyMini. And of course, in the fall of 2017 when I was accepted into the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon class of Ambassadors! 

Favorite song to listen to while running: Lose Yourself by Eminem. This song came on when I was running on the track in 2017 when I PR’d. Since that day it’s always been a favorite. 

Advice for #IndyMini first-timers:  Don’t give it a second thought! I registered for my first #IndyMini before I had ever run a mile and I’ve come back every year since.  

Train smart, listen to your body, and don’t let the nerves get to you. Ask as many questions as you need and realize there is no such thing as a stupid question! After all, we all started somewhere. And most importantly take it all in and enjoy the experience. That includes every training mile and race day itself — it’s a huge milestone and one you won’t ever want to forget! Happy Running! 

How are you making your Virtual #IndyMini experience memorable this year? Running a route in Speedway with a small group of friends where we will have water stops, family members as spectators, and a small after party!