Writer / Allie Nash
This year’s second annual Noblesville Mini Marathon will still benefit the Boys & Girls Club, but there will also be changes to bring a better race experience for runners.
The race was founded by Courtney Cole of Hare Chevrolet and gives runners a chance to experience Noblesville. “Noblesville has some great landscape, and I always thought that it would make a great scenery for a race,” said Cole. “Forest Park, Morse Reservoir, Potters Bridge, and downtown Noblesville make for a beautiful course. The race is a chance to showcase the city and to do it in a healthy manner.”
But just seeing the great views of Noblesville is not the ultimate goal of the race. “The ultimate goal is for it to grow into a race that most people in Central Indiana and the extended area put on their calendar as a must do and to continue to benefit the Boys & Girls Club with this growth,” said Cole.
The Boys & Girls Club has great support from the race. “The funds raised from the Noblesville Mini Marathon are used to support programs and activities for our 2,200 members,” said Executive Director Becky Terry. “The donation Noblesville Mini Marathon provides through this event supports programs that we would otherwise not be able to provide; it allows us to try new programs like Time to Invent, Choir Club, and News 2 U. These programs provide opportunities for our youth to explore ideas, challenge themselves, and use their creativity.”
Cole brought in Scott Cranfill to be the race director this year, who made some management changes. “Our Race Director, Scott Cranfill, has engaged Carmel Road Racing Group (Carmel Marathon, Woman’s Half Marathon, Bedford Half Marathon) to advise us and to manage race day operations,” said Cole. “This has led to some adjustments to the course to provide a safer environment and will help ensure a great experience for our participants.”
And Cranfill has some goals of his own. “My goal for the event is for participants to have the best experience possible and to enjoy many of the attractions that make Noblesville a special place,” he said. “I strive for the event to be inviting to participants of all abilities whether you are a seasoned athlete seeking a PR on our flat course, a walker or runner achieving a new race distance goal, or coming together with family and friends to kick off the Memorial Day weekend with a healthy event.”
According to Cranfill the race worked with feedback from the first Noblesville Mini Marathon which led to big improvements. “The race will start and finish at Hare Chevrolet Field which affords us more space for participants, substantial parking, and ready access to facilities at the field and the Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville Community Center,” he said. “We have adjusted the Half Marathon and 10K routes so participants can experience more of Noblesville’s beautiful parks and greenways. We also created a Kiddie Run so children 6 and under will have an opportunity to run their own race. These little athletes will start on the football field’s 10 yard line, run to the opposite 10 yard line, and back while carrying their very own Noblesville Mini Marathon football.”
And the expected 1,000 runners should include some of the members of Boys & Girls Club. “The Club definitely encourages the kids to get involved with the Noblesville Mini Marathon,” said Terry. “Last year, we focused on our families and promoting the event to them as an activity they could do together. Through the generosity of Hare Chevrolet, our families and members were able to participate at no cost. We had several families and lots of kids participate in the event: many members ran in the kiddie run, and several teens and staff members challenged themselves and ran some of the longer distances, and many more youth were volunteers at the water stations cheering on the runners and making sure they were hydrated.”
“This year, we will encourage families to walk or run together, kids will hand out water and cheer on runners, and they will help with handing out the medals as the racers cross the finish line. We are excited to be a part of the Noblesville Mini Marathon and look forward to being a part of this monumental event again this year!”
The day before the race, the public can experience the NMM Expo held at the Boys & Girls Club from 3 – 8 p.m. The expo is free and will include exhibitors/sponsors sharing information about their products and services and offers something for everyone, whether participating in the event or not.
The race will be May 23 and runners can register online at noblesvilleminimarathon.com/Register.
Register by April 30 for regular pricing.
Half Marathon- $64
10K- $39
5K- $33
Kiddie Run- $11
