INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis loves to go fast, and Saturday’s race was no exception. More than 20,000 people navigated the streets of Indianapolis for the 46th running of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.
The event made a big return after being virtual for two years.
“It was so wonderful to have the crowd cheering us on and the volunteers, you have the right volunteers because they are excited to be here,” said Jen Angier, of Carmel.
“I really enjoyed the music and the atmosphere. Everyone is excited. There are people on the sidelines cheering and even fellow runners who are also cheering,” said Lisa Daily, of Carmel.
Many runners also came out in honor of someone.
“The ‘Check it for Andretti Foundation’ was in honor of my dad. He passed away from colon cancer, and we raise money for colonoscopies for people who can’t afford them,” said John Andretti’s daughter.
2022 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Highlights
Another Hoosier competed for a Carroll County deputy that was killed in a crash earlier this year.
“We miss him, and this is just a little thank you for touching our lives,” said Steven Tkachuk.
Others set out to conquer a goal, including one man who ran barefoot.
“I’ve been running barefoot for years, so it was a goal to run an official half marathon. I’ve done it in training but to do it here was a bucket list item,” said Kevin Enders, from Brownsburg.
Whether you won the race or not, it was an unforgettable tradition to kick off an exciting month of May.