Photo by Jake Rytlewski / Courtesy of Beyond Monumental
I hope you weren’t waiting to sign up for the 2025 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon – because it is officially sold out.
As I’ve written about before, we’re seeing marathons sell out more frequently and earlier than they have in the past. When I wrote that analysis, I noted that Indy was one of the marathons that was selling out earlier than usual. And just a week later, as if to prove my point, this year’s race was fully sold out.
Here’s a quick round up of information about when Indy has sold out in the past, how the number of finishers is trending, and some thoughts from the race organizers.
When Has the Indy Monumental Marathon Sold Out In the Past?
Selling out is nothing new for Indy. The race has sold out every year since 2012. The race itself only dates back to 2008, so it has been popular and successful throughout it’s entire run.
The race typically takes place in early November, and here’s a summary of when the race has sold out the past few years:
| Year | Sellout Date | Race Date | Days Before Race |
| 2019 | 10/14/2019 | 11/19/2019 | 36 |
| 2022 | 10/27/2022 | 11/05/2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 10/20/2023 | 10/28/2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10/15/2024 | 11/09/2024 | 25 |
| 2025 | 09/07/2025 | 11/08/2025 | 62 |
In recent years, the race has sold out in October – just weeks before the race. This is the first time in Indy’s history that the race has sold out in September. It reached capacity two full months before race day.
Is the Indy Monumental Marathon Growing?
Last year, Indy ranked just outside the top ten as one of the largest races in the country.
Since it’s inception in 2008, the race grew steadily through 2019. In it’s peak year before COVID, the race had just under 5,000 finishers.
Like many races, it took a dip in the years immediately following COVID. When the race returned in 2021, it had fewer than 4,000 finishers.
But last year, that number had fully rebounded and reached new heights – 5,738 finishers. The race sold out almost a month ahead of time, despite having a much higher capacity than it had from 2021-2023.
I asked Indy Monumental if they had added additional capacity for 2025, and they have. The 2025 race will feature their largest full marathon field in event history and they expect over 6,000 finishers.
One of the key trends driving the cutoff time for the Boston Marathon is increased participation across many different races. If Indy and other races continue to attract more runners, that’s a sign that the cutoff time for the 2027 Boston Marathon will be even more competitive than it was for 2026.
What’s Driving the Interest of Indy Monumental?
All kinds of races are seeing a surge in popularity, but I was curious what the organizers of Indy Monumental thought was behind their growth. I reached out to Sydney Meyers, the Senior Manager for Marketing & Consumer Experience, and here’s what she had to say:
We’re known for being an amazing first marathon and a place to come PR with our flat, fast courses, big race feel, and how accessible Indianapolis is. We’re excited the running community from across the US and internationally has embraced that and we’ve seen an uptick in folks lining up to take on their very first marathon!
It is indeed a fast race. Two years ago (2023) was a particularly good year. Lyle O’Brien set a new men’s course record (2:15:39) that year, and the top nine men all finished below the US Olympic Trials Qualifying Time (2:18:00).
The current women’s course record was set by Lindsey Bradley the following year (2:31:49). But in that 2023, the top three women also beat their OTQ (2:37:00). So it’s definitely a fast race. This’ll be one to watch this fall, to see how many men can beat the new OTQ for 2028 (2:16:00).
But let this be a reminder. If you’ve got your eye on a race, don’t hesitate! Just pull the trigger and register, because fields are filling up faster than ever.