INDIANAPOLIS — The annual OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon takes place this Saturday.
People from all over will flock to Indianapolis for the race — some for the first time, and others who are returning competitors.
It comes after a three-year hiatus.
"We're excited to be back. We had a rainy 2019, and then two years off, so we're hoping the skies clear and we have a good race day tomorrow," said Lindsay Labas, vice president of marketing and communications for the 500 Festival.
Kat Henrie said this is her seventh time running the marathon. She brought her mother and daughter. She's especially excited for the race after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it from being held last year.
"We registered three years ago to be able to do this, and it's just really special to be able to do this," Henrie said.
Saturday will mark James Pfahl's second time running, but only the first time in-person.
"My first time was in 2020, and that was very lonely, so I'm actually quite thrilled to run this with 50,000 people," Pfahl said. "I can't imagine the adrenaline of running with everybody else and finally getting back in person with everyone. I don't even care about my time, I just want to get out and run with everyone."
As the race takes place, Hoosiers can expect detours throughout downtown and the west side of the city.
The "mini" will begin at 7 a.m. near the intersection of West Street and Washington Street.
Runners will head west of Washington Street before turning right onto White River Parkway Drive.
From there, runners will turn west onto Michigan Street before turning north on Holt Road.
Next runners will turn back west onto 10th street before reaching Main Street in Speedway. From there runners will head over to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and make their lap around the famed oval.
Runners then head south back to 10th Street before returning to White River Parkway Drive and then finishing their journey by heading east of New York Street.
Anyone anticipating the need to travel from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday in these areas should expect delays.
For IndyGo passengers, significant detours are to be expected throughout the morning and afternoon.
IndyGo is asking passengers to plan ahead as routes 3, 8, 10, 18, 24, 25, 28 and the red line will all experience detours.
The following stops will be closed until approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday.
• Capitol Avenue from New York to Maryland streets
• Maryland Street from West Street to Capitol Avenue
• Washington Street from Harding to West streets
• Michigan Street from White River Parkway Drive to Holt Road
• 10th Street from White River Parkway to Main Street
• White River Pkwy Dr. from New York to 16th streets
• West from South to Vermont streets
• 16th Street from Tibbs Avenue to Lynhurst Street
Riders can get real-time updates by following IndyGo on Twitter at @IndyGoAlerts.
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