INDIANAPOLIS (December 27, 2008) – The 500 Festival announced today the 33rd running of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon has sold out with 35,000 entries. The event is schedule for May 2, 2009. Participants from all 50 states and 9 countries have registered.
The Mini is the nation’s largest half marathon with 35,000 runners and walkers. As one of the nation’s premier running events, it is larger in participant base even than the legendary Boston Marathon. The Mini-Marathon has continued to grow since its inception in 1977 and a field of 800 participants. This is the eighth consecutive year the event has sold out.
“When you consider that nearly 40,000 people participate in the Mini and 5k, one would be hard-pressed to find a more valuable health and fitness initiative in our state. It gets people moving,” said Kirk Hendrix, President & CEO of the 500 Festival. “The Mini Marathon is not only a terrific value, but great fun…and we see that in the consistent sell-outs. And, as part of our plan to continually deliver superior participant satisfaction, this year we will introduce a single-use timing device which eliminates participants’ needs to stop at the finish line and have their timing chip removed. The 500 Festival is one of the few major running events across the United States that utilizes the newest technology,” said Hendrix.
To volunteer for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon or other 500 Festival events, register online at www.500festival.com or call (317) 614-6112 for more information.