Runners' Almanac
All marathons

Early November · Midwest · Loop

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Indianapolis, IN · Saturday, November 7, 2026

A very flat, loop course through downtown Indianapolis, built and marketed specifically as one of the best Boston-qualifying options in the Midwest. Not a scenery race, a fast one.

Top Midwest flat BQ race

  • Best for PR
  • Boston Qualifier
  • First Marathon
Official site

Opens the race organizer's website

Typical start

41°

Cooler than 86% of U.S. marathons

Modeled historical conditions

Elevation gain

200ft

Flatter than 54% of races

Estimated total climb

Field size

5.5K

Larger than 93% of races

Estimated field

PR potential

9.6/10

Top 4%

Almanac model

Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.

Course profile

200 ft gain

Flat course, loop.

0510152026.2
Schematic profile drawn from total gain, total loss and course category, on a shared vertical scale of 200 ft. Not a surveyed GPS trace.

Race-day weather

Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.

6 AM

33°

Start

41°

Midday

52°

ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk

Typical start sits at 41°F, excellent marathon conditions.

Typical dew point 34°F, 22% chance of precipitation, wind around 7 mph. All modeled.

The bottom line

A quietly fast race that does not ask for much beyond honest pacing.

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is a strong choice for a PR attempt, and Indianapolis offers very little meaningful elevation. The tradeoff is that nothing about it is extreme in either direction.

Why runners choose this race

A loop course around Indianapolis, IN, with very little meaningful elevation change.

The case for it

  • PR attempts
  • Boston qualification
  • First-time marathoners

The tradeoffs

  • No notable warnings in the data.

Course and logistics

Course type
Loop
Surface
Road
Profile
Flat
Total gain
200 ft(estimated)
Field size
~5,000-6,000 runners(estimated)
Crowd support
Steady crowd support
Entry
Data coming soon
Start / finish
Start and finish in the same area

Race details

Typical timing
Early November
Next confirmed date
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Region
Midwest
Editorial tier
Featured
Data last reviewed
2026-08-26
  • Best for PR
  • Boston Qualifier
  • First Marathon
  • Loop course
  • Flat course
  • Destination race

Similar races

Races with a comparable profile.

Late April · Midwest

Glass City Marathon

Toledo, OH

Weather
42°Ftypical startModelled estimate
Field size
~1,500 runners
Course
Flat
Elevation
200 ft gain

Northwest Ohio flat, fast spring course

PR9Weather9Experience7

Early November · Midwest

MO' Cowbell Marathon/Half-Marathon/10K/5K

Saint Charles, MO

Weather
43°Ftypical startModelled estimate
Field size
~1,000 runners
Course
Flat
Elevation
200 ft gain · 0 ft net

Event listed as: Marathon

PR9Weather9Experience7