Kenyan burns up a chilly course to set record at Monumental Marathon

INDIANAPOLIS – Thousands of runners took to the city streets this morning (Nov. 6), for the third running of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon with the winner posting a record for marathon contests in Indiana.

Sunrise was edging upward and the Arlington High School Marching Band had just finished playing the national anthem. With brisk temperatures in the high 20s, the participants stepped off with the "William Tell Overture" blaring in the background.

Then came the wait, with spectators clutching their coffee mugs and marking time before making their way to the finish line.

The winners and their unofficial times:

Marathon (Men) Leonard Mucheru-Kenya (2:17:59)

Marathon (Women) Jackie Dikos-Indianapolis (2:45:27)

Half Marathon (Men) Andrew Baker-Indianapolis (1:05:39)

Half Marathon (Women) Erin Nehus-Vergara-Indianapolis (1:15:04)

Wheelchair (Men) Chris Brooks-Ann Arbor, Mich (2:18:37)

5K (Men) Jacob Bingham-Peru, Ind. (15:57:15)

5K (Women) Alysha Bartush-Caraopolis, Pa. (20:18:03)

Local luminaries were on hand to greet the participants before the starter’s gun sounded: Mayor Greg Ballard, St. Francis President and CEO Robert Brody, Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White, IMM President/Founder Carlton Ray, IMM Executive Director Julie Patterson, IMM Honorary Chair Bob Kennedy (Olympiad marathoner), and Alexander Adams, who succeeds Ray.

“Under Carlton’s guidance, the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is now a fixture of the Indianapolis landscape each November and has become a world-class attraction,” said IMM Executive Director Julie Patterson. “This is a fellow who had a vision and the desire to showcase our city; Carlton set the stage for an event that will endure.”

Indeed. The IMM has sparked tremendous interest in the world-wide running community. The record number of nearly 9,000 participants nearly triples the amount who signed up for the inaugural 2008 race.

Runners from 47 states signed up for the event, and participants also hailed from Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Kenya, the Philippines, United Kingdom and Venezuela.

The event also launched another “first” – the 5K race sponsored by local engineering firm, HNTB Corp.

Returning in its role as title sponsor, St. Francis had 150 volunteers assisting in a variety of ways, most notably a team of physicians, nurses and other health professionals led by Dr. Jeff Peterson who were on hand to tend to runners’ medical needs.

About 1,500 IMM volunteers also performed a variety of tasks at water stations, registration, set-up and other logistical support.

And it takes a monumental effort to organize an event like IMM. Overseeing that task was The Tuxedo Brothers, a local sporting events management company, operated by brothers Don and Phil Carr.

The IMM’s urban courses are sanctioned and certified by the standards of USA Track and Field, the national body of road-race running. The marathon course also serves as a qualifier for the 2011 Boston Marathon.

Several lndianapolis-area educational institutions will get a leg up on their programs. The IMM will donate its proceeds to those organizations early next year. Last year’s donations topped $51,000.

For the results and other information about the 2010 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, go to www.monumentalmarathon.com