Enter your goal time. Get hill-adjusted, mile-by-mile splits built from actual GPX course data — including the 59-foot climb through Broad Ripple at miles 16–17 and the 63-foot descent back toward downtown at mile 19.
The CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is one of the flattest marathon courses in the United States, and that's exactly what makes it dangerous. With just 120 feet of total climbing and a +1 foot net elevation, the course starts and finishes in downtown Indianapolis, touring the city's best neighborhoods — the Mile Square, Fall Creek Place, Old Northside, Meridian-Kessler, Butler-Tarkington, and Broad Ripple — before returning south on North Pennsylvania Street to the Indiana War Memorial finish. It's a premier BQ course with an 18.8% qualifying rate in 2025 and the first-Saturday-in-November timing delivers near-perfect racing weather.
The subtle elevation changes that most runners ignore on a "flat" course still add up. The 59-foot climb through Broad Ripple at miles 16–17 arrives at the worst possible time, and the sharp 63-foot descent at mile 19 can wreck your quads if you don't control it. This calculator accounts for every foot of rise and drop from Washington Street to the War Memorial, giving you a mile-by-mile plan that closes exactly to your goal time. Enter your target, set your effort level, and run Indy the smart way.
Enter your goal time and effort level. Your personalized mile-by-mile splits appear instantly.
Results appear below. No email required.
| Mile | Elev | Effort | vs Goal Pace | Target Pace (min/mi) |
Pace Bank | Elapsed |
|---|
Elevation data from official Indianapolis Monumental Marathon GPX course file, 15-point smoothed. Uphill penalty applied above +0.4% grade; downhill benefit applied below −0.75% grade. Math closes exactly to goal time.
Washington Street to the Indiana War Memorial — where the flat opening tricks you, where Broad Ripple tests you, and why the mile 19 descent rewards runners who saved something for the end.
Race starts on Washington Street near the Indiana State Museum. Miles 1–4 are flat through downtown and the Mile Square, passing near Monument Circle. The course heads north through Fall Creek Place and the Old Northside. Mile 6 has the biggest early dip at -8 ft. Miles 7–8 climb gently through Mapleton-Fall Creek heading toward North Meridian Street. The +8 ft net gain over 8 miles is barely noticeable — the real danger is going out too fast on fresh legs.
The course continues north on Meridian Street into the leafy Meridian-Kessler neighborhood. Miles 9–10 gain 20 feet combined — the first noticeable elevation change. Miles 11–15 reverse course and drift gradually downward, losing 25 feet over 5 miles through Butler-Tarkington and back south. Then mile 16 — the hardest mile on the course. A 34-foot climb through the Broad Ripple area that arrives at the worst possible time. At mile 16 your glycogen stores are depleting and your legs are starting to fatigue. Runners who didn't respect this climb in training often crack in the following miles. Mile 17 adds another 19 feet of climbing. Combined, miles 16–17 gain 53 feet — nearly half the course's total 120-foot climb packed into just 2 miles past halfway.
After cresting the Broad Ripple climb, the course heads south. Mile 18 adds a gentle +6 ft. Then mile 19 — the fastest mile of the race for most runners. A 63-foot drop that's the sharpest grade change on the entire course. This descent is a gift if you control it and a quad-destroyer if you don't. The temptation to let gravity pull you 15–20 seconds under goal pace is strong, but that speed comes at a muscular cost that compounds over the final 7 miles. Miles 20–21 are essentially flat (-2 and -3 ft), giving your legs a brief recovery window. Mile 22 gains 8 feet — a minor uptick that feels bigger than it is after the descent.
The final 4.2 miles head south through the neighborhoods back to downtown Indianapolis. Mile 23 is dead flat. Mile 24 has a gentle 9-foot rise that barely registers but can feel significant at mile 24 effort level. Miles 25–26 drop 14 feet combined — a slight downhill that helps tired legs find their rhythm one last time. The final 0.2 miles gains 4 feet to the finish line at the Indiana War Memorial on North Meridian Street. This is where the pace bank you built through the first half pays dividends. If you ran the first 13 miles conservatively, you'll have the legs to hold pace. If you went out too fast on the flat opening, this is where you'll know it.
First Saturday in November in Indianapolis means cool mornings and crisp conditions. Here's what runners have faced in recent years.
| Year | Start Temp | Finish Temp | Humidity | Wind | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43°F / 6°C | 53°F / 12°C | 72% | 4 mph SW | Ideal Sunny → Clouds |
| 2024 | 39°F / 4°C | 48°F / 9°C | 68% | 6 mph NW | Ideal Clear & Cool |
| 2023 | 52°F / 11°C | 58°F / 14°C | 70% | 8 mph S | Warm Overcast & Mild |
| 2022 | 35°F / 2°C | 45°F / 7°C | 65% | 5 mph W | Cool Crisp & Clear |
| 2021 | 44°F / 7°C | 52°F / 11°C | 75% | 7 mph NE | Ideal Partly Cloudy |
November in Indianapolis is a runner's best friend. Four of the last five race days started below 45°F, and the warmest start in five years was 52°F. Humidity is moderate, wind rarely tops 8 mph, and conditions are overwhelmingly ideal. The one risk is a warm year — 52°F at the start in 2023 with southern winds. But the odds are heavily in favor of cool, dry, fast conditions.
The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is one of the best BQ courses in the country.
The BQ rate has been consistently strong: 18.8% in 2025, 18.0% in 2024, 21.8% in 2023, 20.4% in 2022, and 27.4% in 2021. Those numbers put Indianapolis among the top BQ-producing marathons in the United States. The flat profile, November weather, and Saturday scheduling all contribute.
Only 120 feet of total climbing means your legs stay fresh longer than at hillier courses. The November first-Saturday timing typically delivers 35–45°F starts — ideal marathon weather. The large pace team (3:00 through 6:33) provides draft and rhythm options at nearly every qualifying time. Results are automatically shared with the BAA for Boston registration.
For a runner targeting a 3:30 BQ standard, that's 8:01/mi average pace. On the Indianapolis course, the calculator's hill adjustments add less than 1 second per mile of variation — meaning your "flat pace" and your "hill-adjusted pace" are nearly identical. The only section that creates meaningful pace variation is the Broad Ripple climb (miles 16–17, +53 ft) and the subsequent descent (mile 19, -63 ft). Plan to lose 3–5 seconds per mile on the climb and gain them back on the descent.
| Age Group | Men | Women | Non-binary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–34 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 35–39 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 40–44 | 3:10:00 | 3:40:00 | 3:40:00 |
| 45–49 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 50–54 | 3:25:00 | 3:55:00 | 3:55:00 |
| 55–59 | 3:35:00 | 4:05:00 | 4:05:00 |
| 60–64 | 3:50:00 | 4:20:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 65–69 | 4:05:00 | 4:35:00 | 4:35:00 |
| 70–74 | 4:20:00 | 4:50:00 | 4:50:00 |
| 75–79 | 4:35:00 | 5:05:00 | 5:05:00 |
| 80+ | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 | 5:20:00 |
Boston Qualifying standards are minimum requirements, not guarantees of entry. Because more runners qualify than there are spots, the BAA cuts at a time buffer — historically between 30 seconds and 6 minutes below the standard. In recent years, the buffer has been around 2–3 minutes. If you're targeting 3:00:00 for men 18–34, you likely need to run 2:57–2:58 to actually get in. Use the calculator with your actual buffer-adjusted target time, not just the BQ standard.
Everything you need for a smooth race weekend in Indianapolis.
Expo: Thursday Nov 5, 4–7 PM; Friday Nov 6, 11 AM–8 PM at Indiana Convention Center. Race day: Saturday, November 7. Marathon start: 8:00 AM. The early November Saturday start gives you cool morning temperatures for the hardest miles. Arrive at least 45 minutes early for bag drop and corral staging.
Start on Washington Street near the Indiana State Museum. Finish at the Indiana War Memorial on North Meridian Street. Start and finish are less than a half mile apart, making logistics simple for spectators and runners alike. The downtown location means easy access from any direction.
Aid stations approximately every 2 miles with water, Gatorade, and Neversecond gels. Medical stations, portable restrooms, and entertainment/cheer zones throughout the course. The Broad Ripple neighborhood at miles 16–17 is one of the loudest and most energetic spectator sections.
One of the largest pace teams of any U.S. marathon. Pacers at 3:00, 3:05, 3:10, 3:15, 3:20, 3:25, 3:30, 3:35, 3:40, 3:45, 3:50, 3:55, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30, 6:00, and 6:33. Nearly every BQ time has a dedicated pacer — find yours and use them for draft and rhythm through at least the first half.
Official hotel block available through monumentalmarathon.com. Indianapolis airport is 15 minutes from downtown. Parking garages throughout the Mile Square. Downtown is walkable — you can stay, pick up your bib, and race without a car. Book early, as race weekend fills downtown hotels quickly.
7-hour time limit. Marathon/half split cutoff at miles 7–8 by 10:25 AM. The generous cutoff allows walkers and slower runners to finish comfortably, but be aware that course support begins scaling back in the later hours. Plan your nutrition accordingly if you expect to be on course longer than 5 hours.
