INDIANAPOLIS — Downtown Indianapolis is getting ready for a busy weekend.
The CNO Financial Group Indianapolis Monumental Marathon returns to the heart of downtown Saturday morning, and Indiana’s 50th State Marching Band Finals will be going on at Lucas Oil Stadium all day long.
With the Monumental Marathon being one of the top 15 largest marathons in the nation, organizers expect up to 50,000 people will be here on race day.
Marathon participant, Desiree Sinclair, will run alongside her sister Saturday morning. “I am running my first marathon at the age of 39,” said Sinclair. To witness the big day, her entire family has flown into Indianapolis from across the country.
“I don’t want to fail them,” Sinclair laughed. “But it’s really exciting because I haven’t seen my parents in about a year and she [my sister] hasn’t seen them in two years, so it was really fun that we all get to come together and spend the weekend together.”
Sinclair will be one of 15,000 runners who will have their family, friends, and fans of the event coming out to watch.
“Everything will be busy. Hotels and restaurants. I even came in today and saw runners running downtown. It will all be busy,” said Lauryn Zimmerman, an Indianapolis resident.
Making it a jam-packed weekend, that’s not all that’s happening in the Circle City on Saturday.
At Lucas Oil Stadium, there will be another 20,000 people visiting for Indiana’s 50th State Marching Band Finals.
Organizers want to remind Hoosiers and visitors alike to be patient in Indy this weekend and to remember that there will be several road closures and parking restrictions.
Restrictions will begin at Washington St. on Friday night, sections of Capitol Ave. are also expected to close early Saturday morning, and lastly, there will be other rolling traffic restrictions throughout the course.
“Downtown specifically is going to see rolling traffic restrictions through 10 a.m. and the neighborhoods north of downtown could see it from 11 am until early afternoon,” said Sydney Meyers, the Marketing and Consumer Experience Manager with Beyond Monumental. “Our finish line closes at 3:30 p.m. so everything should open up by evening.”
The public is welcome to watch both major events happening this weekend.
“It’s really exciting being in one of the nation’s largest [marathons] like I am so excited and so thrilled for that,” Sinclair said.
For a map of all traffic restrictions, click here. For information on parking for the Monumental Marathon, view here. And for parking information for Indiana’s 50th State Marching Band Finals, press here.
