INDIANAPOLIS — The 500 Festival announced Monday that the Mini-Marathon will be virtual again this year. Organizers will be reaching out to registered participants about their participation options.
The virtual change is for both the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K. The decision was made after working with health officials, medical experts, and community leaders. The concern was being able to keep participants, volunteers, staff and spectators all safe with the pandemic still going.
“Like all of our Indy Mini participants, volunteers, and spectators, we were eager, hopeful, and excited to return to the traditional OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon experience this year,” said Bob Bryant, president and CEO of the 500 Festival. “Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is to support our local and state health officials and hospitals, as well as focus our efforts on positive community outcomes. We will continue to work on the remaining 500 Festival month of May activities and look forward to participating in the events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway culminating with the Indy 500.”
The Virtual Indy Mini race experience will include:
- A custom race package including distance-specific finisher gear, runner’s service items, and much more, delivered to participants.
- Virtual resources, including digital bibs, finisher certificates, and access to a virtual participant-only Facebook group.
- The new Indy Mini app that serves as a center for GPS tracking, race results, announcements, and real-time spectator tracking.
- An interactive and virtual health & fitness Expo.
“This past year has taught us the importance of adapting to new situations and celebrating the experiences that bring us joy,” said Jen Pittman, OneAmerica vice president enterprise communications and community affairs. “While a virtual race is different than an in-person race experience, the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon still allows us to share in the excitement of individual triumphs and be a part of a larger community celebration.”
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In January, the 500 Festival was still hopeful for an in-person event and released a look at the shirts and the medals.
The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon is sponsored by OneAmerica, Delta Dental, Franciscan Health, and Meijer. The Indy Mini broadcast partner in the Indianapolis market is WTHR, Channel 13.